Why the Riches Really Are in the Niches: A Guide for BCBAs, SLPs, and Therapists Starting Online Businesses
Why the Riches Really Are in the Niches: A Guide for BCBAs, SLPs, and Therapists Starting Online Businesses
Are you a BCBA, speech-language pathologist, or therapist ready to launch an online course or coaching program? Before you dive in, there's one critical question you need to answer: What makes YOU different?
In my next FREE masterclass, I'll walk you through exactly how to do this and you'll leave with the clarity you need to finally kickstart your offer. We're offering two session times - hope you'll join me!
The Generic Title Problem Every Clinician Faces
Here's a common scenario I see with clients who work with me to create courses or launch coaching services: when I ask what they want to do, they say "consulting," "supervision," "coaching," "CEUs," or some variety of vague response. When I press for more details and ask "about what?" it's rare I get a straight answer.
I GET IT! I am a multi-passionate clinician myself. Literally hourly I see new research, a new idea, or a service that I ALSO want to offer. But entrepreneurial clinicians need to reign it in. If you want to be successful online, you need to have a niche.
The word alone makes my skin crawl and I often picture a lady with her pinky up drinking tea when I do use it in conversation.
But eye twitch aside, it's a reality. And if you're a clinician who is trying to jumpstart consulting services, coaching, or even sell a course - your marketing is likely too general.
The Room Full of Identical Services
Imagine a room of other service providers with your same credentials. They all want to do what you want to do - consult, coach, or sell a course. They share that out loud and as you walk around the room, the answer sounds like a copy and paste. Everyone is offering the SAME THING.
So why should someone choose YOU?
This is the question that stops most BCBAs, SLPs, occupational therapists, and mental health clinicians in their tracks when they're trying to build an online business. Without a clear answer, you're just another voice in an already crowded room.
Why Clinical Expertise Alone Won't Sell Your Course or Coaching Program
Your credentials are impressive. Your clinical skills are solid. BUT there are thousands of other BCBAs offering "supervision," countless SLPs providing "consulting," and endless therapists selling "coaching services."
When potential clients browse online courses or search for a coach, they're not just looking for credentials - they're looking for someone who understands their specific problem and has a specific solution.
Generic positioning leads to generic results. And generic results mean you're competing on price, not value.
The Clinician's Niche Dilemma: Too Much Expertise, Not Enough Focus
This process is unique for clinicians - who again, have a broad range of expertise, strategies, and tools in your toolbox - and you're going to be tempted to do it all!
You've spent years developing skills across multiple domains. Maybe you're a BCBA who's worked in early intervention, school settings, AND adult services. Or an SLP who specializes in articulation, feeding therapy, and AAC. The breadth of your knowledge is both your greatest asset and your biggest obstacle when building an online business.
When you try to serve everyone, you serve no one particularly well. Your marketing becomes diluted. Your messaging confuses potential clients. And worst of all, you blend into the background noise of "another clinician offering services."
The Hidden Risk: Creating a Business That Makes You Work MORE, Not Less
It's also important you choose wisely - because choosing a niche that borders treatment is just a recipe for creating a business that makes you work MORE, not less.
Many clinicians make the mistake of building an online business that's just an extension of their clinical work. They create courses that require endless updates, coaching programs that demand constant availability, or consulting services that still trade time for money.
The key is finding a niche that fits the market and your passion but that is also SCALABLE.
How to Find Your Profitable Niche as a Clinical Entrepreneur
So how do we get past that problem? How do we make it clear why someone should choose OUR services?
Well, we have to get crystal clear on our niche and the problem we solve.
Step 1: Identify Your Unique Clinical Intersection
Your niche lives at the intersection of:
Your specialized clinical experience
A specific problem your ideal client faces
A scalable solution you can deliver online
For example, instead of "ABA supervision," consider "supporting new BCBAs through their first year of independent practice" or "helping school-based BCBAs navigate IEP meetings confidently."
Our 4Ps framework helps you narrow down your endless list of options.
Step 2: Define the Transformation, Not Just the Service
Don't sell "coaching" or "CEUs." Sell the outcome. What does your dream client's life look like after working with you? That transformation is your true value proposition.
Step 3: Test Your Niche Against the Scalability Factor
Ask yourself:
Can this be delivered asynchronously through a course or group program?
Does this solve a problem many people have, not just a handful?
Can I systematize my approach so I'm not reinventing the wheel each time?
If the answer is yes to all three, you've found a scalable niche.
Why Generic Marketing Kills Your Online Business Before It Starts
When you position yourself as a general "consultant" or "coach," potential clients have no compelling reason to choose you over dozens of other options. Your marketing fails because it doesn't:
Speak directly to a specific person's pain point
Demonstrate unique expertise in solving that particular problem
Create urgency around why they need your solution now
Specificity sells. Generic offerings get ignored.
So What's Next?
The clinicians who build successful online businesses - who create courses that actually sell and launch coaching programs that fill up - are the ones who get crystal clear on their niche.
They stop trying to be everything to everyone. They choose one specific problem, one specific audience, and they become THE go-to expert for that solution.
Yes, it feels uncomfortable at first. Yes, you'll worry about leaving money on the table. But the opposite is true: when you niche down, you stand out. When you stand out, you attract the right clients. When you attract the right clients, you build a sustainable, profitable online business.
Ready to Find Your Profitable Niche?
In my next FREE masterclass, I'll walk you through exactly how to do this and you'll leave with the clarity you need to finally kickstart your offer. We're offering two session times - hope you'll join me!
Stop blending in with every other BCBA, SLP, or therapist trying to build an online business. It's time to get specific, get strategic, and get paid for your expertise.
