“What if there were a way, without being an athlete, to feel what athletes feel? To play all the time, instead of working? Or else to enjoy work so much that it becomes essentially the same thing.”—Phil Knight, “Shoe Dog”
Niche Navigation is my attempt to figure out the best ways of making a living by doing what you like to do, are good at, and care about.
I believe the job is in decline as a business model, which means that we all need to get better at designing our own “jobs”. It doesn’t really matter if you’re an individual trying to build a lifestyle business, a team trying to start and scale a growth business or a self-sustaining social enterprise. The same tools and principles usually apply.
“Curating” sounds a bit pretentious, but I really do try and collect the best thinking and practices on how to design, start, and grow businesses that serve their founders’ dreams. But I don’t just want to collect them, I want to summarise, synthesise and translate them so you can easily apply them. That’s what this newsletter is all about. “All killer and no filler!” is the goal:
A good place to start is by reading about the Venture Design Canvas.
Why subscribe?
I’ve given up on publishing on a consistent schedule—so it’s free. I’m going to focus on quality instead of frequency let the editorial habit evolve.
But if you subscribe, you won’t have to worry about missing anything. Every new edition of the newsletter goes directly to your inbox.
Join the conversation
Be part of a community of people who share your interests. If you subscribe, you can contact me by replying directly to any issue. You can also find me @PSturrock.
Tell me what I’m doing well, as well as what you find annoying or confusing.
Who are you?
I’m Paul Sturrock. I’ve spent most of my career working at or with startups. I’ve worked with a wide range of people, including scientists, artists, designers, and social entrepreneurs to help them design, grow and scale their businesses. I do that by coaching or developing bespoke workshops, courses, or acceleration programmes. My current and recent projects include:
Climbworks: We help you discover and create the business you are meant to build, one that gives you the freedom to do work you enjoy so much, it feels like play, and make a difference to what you really care about.
Walthamstow Forge for Creative Businesses: Places for available for October (if you’re a Walthamstow Business)
More info on my website or LinkedIn.
To find out more about the company that provides the tech for this newsletter, visit Substack.com.
