When Your Niche Becomes a Cage

 She built a reputation in a very specific niche.

And for years. Decades, actually. It worked.

Until this winter, when the inquiries started to slow.

And this spring? They stopped.

Why?
❌ A shift in federal policy
❌ A cooling economy
❌ Her new firm lacked the subject matter expert brand her boutique had built

Suddenly, she felt trapped.
Anxious. Sleepless.
Was her expertise obsolete?
Would she have to rebuild everything from scratch?

If a pivot was necessary, where was she supposed to pivot to?

We had a session, where we:
📈 Identified adjacent industries where her background would give her an edge
📈 Rewrote her story so her network could understand and continue sending referrals
📈 Crafted a plan to market herself as a fresh, credible outsider in a new space

By the end of the week, she had two exploratory meetings.
By the end of the month, she was developing business.
By the end of the quarter, she had landed a speaking gig in the new niche.

The anxiety did not vanish.
But her agency returned.

The lesson: Your niche is not a box. When the market moves, your job is to move with it.

3 steps to identify your pivot:
1️⃣ Name adjacent industries where your past becomes your edge
2️⃣ Rewrite your story and teach your network how to talk about you
3️⃣ Show up in new spaces as a fresh, informed outsider

Bonus:
4️⃣ Tell your network who to send your way and what signals to look for

If you know a BigLaw woman who feels boxed in and is ready to get unstuck, send her my way.

I guide BigLaw women to move from stuck to aligned, so they can build the business that gives them back control over their career.

xo,

Rachel

P.S. I’ll be sharing exactly how we did this during my LinkedIn Live, “Stuck in Your Specialty?,” on Thursday, July 24 at 1PM ET. Register here to join us (&/ to be able to access the replay).

Please forward this to a woman who needs it.