The biggest mistake beginner coaches make.

Read time: 3 min.

Last month, I had a call with a coach who couldn't figure out why she wasn't booking clients.

Her website looked good. Her prices were reasonable. She had testimonials.

But when I asked her what she did, she said: "I help people become the best version of themselves."

And I immediately knew why she was struggling.

Why broad feels safer

When you're starting out as a coach, there's this magnetic pull toward keeping things broad.

• "I don't want to limit myself."

• "I can help all kinds of people."

• "Why would I turn away potential clients?"

It feels safer. More flexible. Like you're maximizing your opportunities.

But here's what actually happens:

Someone lands on your website. They read "I help people live their best life" or "I help you unlock your potential."

And their brain goes: Okay, but what does that mean? Is this for me?

They can't tell. So they leave.

Because in a world where everyone is shouting, the clearest voice wins.

The invisible coach

I see this pattern constantly with new coaches:

They cast the widest possible net, hoping to catch anyone who swims by. Instead, they catch nothing.

Because broad positioning doesn't make you accessible to everyone. It makes you invisible to everyone.

Think about it.

If you're struggling with public speaking anxiety, are you going to hire "a confidence coach" or "the coach who helps executives overcome stage fright"?

If you're a burned-out founder, are you calling "a life coach" or "the person who helps entrepreneurs rebuild their relationship with work"?

Specificity creates clarity. Clarity creates trust. Trust creates clients.

But most coaches skip straight past this part because it feels constraining.

The one-sentence test

Here's how you know if your positioning is too broad:

Can you describe what you do in one clear sentence that makes someone immediately know if it's for them or not?

Not: "I help people find clarity and purpose."

But: "I help mid-career professionals who feel stuck in corporate jobs figure out what actually lights them up."

Not: "I'm a mindset coach."

But: "I help entrepreneurs who self-sabotage when they're on the edge of a breakthrough."

See the difference?

The second version doesn't appeal to more people. It appeals to the right people. Strongly.

And strong appeal from the right people beats weak appeal from everyone.

Why the resistance is real

The resistance to niching down is real. I get it.

You're worried you'll pick wrong. That you'll exclude people who need your help. That you'll box yourself in forever.

But here's what nobody tells you:

Your niche isn't a life sentence. It's a starting point.

Every successful coach I know started specific, got known for one thing, and then expanded. Not the other way around.

You can't scale something that doesn't exist yet. You can't broaden something that was never defined.

The coaches struggling right now aren't the ones who niched too narrow. They're the ones who stayed too broad for too long.

What specific actually looks like

Let's say you're a life coach who wants to help people with confidence.

That's not a niche. That's a category with 50,000 competitors.

But "I help introverted women in leadership roles speak up in meetings without overthinking everything" — that's a position.

Suddenly, a very specific person reads that and thinks: Holy shit, that's me.

They don't need to be sold. They don't need to be convinced. They just need to know you exist.

That's the power of clear positioning.

It doesn't make people wonder if you're right for them. It makes the right people immediately certain.

You're not stuck forever

I know the fear. "If I pick this niche, I'm locked in for life. What if I choose wrong? What if I get bored? What if I want to work with different people later?"

But that's not how it works.

Tony Robbins today works with everyone from Olympic athletes to Fortune 500 CEOs to couples struggling in their marriages.

But he didn't start there.

He started with phobias. Specific, measurable problems he could solve quickly and prove results with. That narrow focus built his reputation. And once people saw he could deliver transformation? The doors opened wider.

Same with Brené Brown. She started as a shame researcher. Super specific. Now she speaks on leadership, courage, vulnerability, the full spectrum.

But she earned the right to expand by first going deep.

The pattern is always the same: Start narrow. Build proof. Expand from authority.

You can't do it backwards.

Your next move

If you're stuck in broad positioning, here's what to do:

Ask yourself: Who have I helped get the best results? What did they all have in common?

Not demographics. I'm not talking about "women in their 30s."

I mean: What was their situation? What were they struggling with? What transformation did they need?

That's your niche.

Not everyone who could theoretically benefit from coaching. The specific person whose problem you solve better than anyone else.

Define that in one sentence. Make it so clear that someone reads it and instantly knows: "This is for me" or "This isn't for me."

Both reactions are exactly what you want.

The bottom line

Your positioning is the foundation of everything else.

Actually pick who you serve and what problem you solve for them. In one clear sentence that a stranger could understand in three seconds.

Because if you confuse people, you lose them.

And if you can't clearly articulate what you do, neither can anyone else.

Which means no referrals. No word of mouth. No momentum.

Just you, working twice as hard to get half the results.

Start specific. Get known for one thing. Then expand.

Not the other way around.

Much love,

— Martijn

P.S. Positioning is what I help coaches nail down. It's the very first thing we do. If you want a second pair of eyes on yours, just reply to this email.