The Truth? I Never Really Niched Down — Until Now [2025 Replay]

It’s time for a replay—but not just any replay. This solo episode from 2023 dives into one of the most persistent questions in creative business: Should you niche down?

Never say never... because now in 2025 I’m back with an update. After years of expanding to serve all kinds of creatives, I’ve decided to re-niche back down… to photographers, and even expand to branding, senior, and wedding photographers. Yes, even though I’m not actively shooting anymore, I’m going all in on photographers. So let’s unpack what’s changed, what hasn’t, and how to think more strategically about niching in your own business.

🔗 Links Mentioned

CRM Blueprint for Creatives – with expanded tools for wedding, branding, and senior photographers in July 2025

@coliejames– DM me on Instagram if you’re wondering if the course is right for you

Episode Transcript

Colie (00:26):
Hey y'all.
Let's get into another replay today.
We're gonna go back toepisode 55 from 2023.
Should you niche down?
Before we hit play, I feel compelledto tell you where I am at now.
I have officially removed thecontact page from my photography
website, but it doesn't mean thatI'm out of the photography world.

(00:48):
In fact, I am doubling down on servingphotographers inside of the systems part
of my business, and I'm going even deeperby expanding the templates that I've made
to include branding photographers, weddingphotographers, and senior photographers.
So for the last two years, I'vebeen quietly expanding my course.

(01:10):
Well, maybe it wasn't so quiet,but I changed it from the CRM
Blueprint for Photographers tothe CRM Blueprint for Creative.
But at my core, I have always been aphotographer, and I feel like that is one
of the parts of my marketing messagingthat was so strong, you know, systems
built by me for you in the same waythat I ran my own photography business.

(01:34):
So I am happy to announce that fromnow on I am going to be talking
directly to photographers again.
There is going to be a shift inphotography episodes on this podcast,
as well as the messaging that I putout throughout my marketing channels.
So today we're gonna go back to one ofthose OG questions, should you niche down?

(01:56):
Spoiler alert, there's no oneright answer, but this episode
will help you make a smarter one.
Okay, let's listen tothe original episode.
Hello, hello and welcome back to theBusiness First Creatives podcast.
You know, I don't shy away froma controversial topic, but I
feel like I've been listening toseveral podcasts and also seeing

(02:19):
conversations inside of Facebook groupsabout the topic of nicheing down.
I've discussed the topic with a fewdifferent guests on this podcast,
but I feel like it's a topic thatjust keeps on coming back around.
And while everyone has their opinionson whether or not you should niche down,

(02:40):
I just wanted to talk about it today.
Okay.
So I have primarily offered onetype of photography the entire
time that I've been a photographer,and that is documentary sessions.
Whether that means a family in theirhouse or someone giving birth, or

(03:02):
you know, a humanitarian trip toMexico for a commercial client.
Like, the type of photography thatI do is incredibly niche like it's
documentary, but I do offer thatservice in many different ways.
I will come to your house, I willdocument, you know, a homecoming

(03:23):
when your kid is coming from amission or your spouse is coming
home from a military engagement.
Like, I will do anything as long as itis real and I do not have to pose you.
So that's my previousexperience in like nicheing.
I don't take pictures of families outside.
I don't do babies in a basket, like Idon't do any of those kinds of things.

(03:46):
Now, when it comes to the systemsside of my business, I started doing
something that was incredibly niche.
I helped photographers do the backendof their business, in Dubsado.
So that's one specificclient and one specific tool.
Now, in the idea of photographers,I even really specialized

(04:12):
in family photographers.
Um, the first few setups, and Iwould say, yeah, I would say the
first few setups over the firstfew months, um, I was really only
marketing to family photographers.
And in fact, my course, the CRMblueprint for Photographers is
technically for family photographers.
I say everywhere that I can, Ifyou are a family photographer,

(04:35):
this is the perfect fit for you.
Every email, every template, wasspecifically created for you.
And then I get the messages thatare like, Hey, Colie, like, can
I really not join your course?
And I always tell them, no, absolutelyyou can come into the course.
I just like to warn everyone,that I designed the course for
family photographers because Ifeel like we get left out of a

(04:56):
lot of different conversations.
Like there's a lot of toolsfor wedding photographers.
I mean, everywhere.
There's email templates, there'speople giving courses, and I feel like
besides the creative aspect of familyphotography, we don't have that many
educational resources like other genres.

(05:53):
So I did create my course to kindof fill that need, but also I did it
because I'm a family photographer, guys.
Like that's what I know.
I sell the course as you know, this iswhat I've done inside of my business.
So I'm basically giving you, you know,access to all of the tools that I use
inside my own family photography business.
And I certainly would not feel comfortablecreating a course, specifically for

(06:18):
wedding photographers, when I havenever shot a wedding in my life.
Now I've done birth guys, I've dabbled inbranding and commercial photography, but
I have legitimately never shot a wedding.
And so, I mean, knock on wood, never saynever, but you guys are not gonna see
me putting courses out here and puttingoffers out here for wedding photographers.
That just doesn't make sense.

(06:38):
I don't have the authority in that space.
To be able to talk about thewins that I've gotten in my own
business to help you get those,like it just doesn't make sense.
But what I will say is that whenI talk about systems offerings, I
specifically talked to photographers.
Now for a hot minute,guys and for a hot minute.
I mean like seven months.

(07:01):
I really tried hard to talk to allcreative service entrepreneurs.
I mean, you may have heard that wordcome out of my mouth a time or two.
I was really trying to expand who I wasoffering my done for you services to.
I even played around with expandingthe course to offer different versions

(07:22):
for different people, but at theend of the day, guys, I am lazy and
so I'm gonna do what I know, andI just felt like, creative service
entrepreneurs are hiring me anyways.
Even if I am talking abouteverything specific to photographers.
I mean, they're dropping in my dms,they're sending me contact forms.

(07:42):
They're saying, Hey, Colie, like,do you only work with photographers?
And then I tell them, no, I mean I, I'llabsolutely help you with your business.
But for me, doing all of my front facemarketing, my front face messaging
towards photographers helps me givea very clear message of who I am

(08:03):
and what I offer and who I serve.
Can I do it for other people?
Absolutely.
Do I do it for other people?
I sure do.
But if you niche down, if you talk to onekind of person, it makes your life easier,
even if you're willing to do other things.
So like on the subject ofbirth photography, there are

(08:24):
no birth photos on my website.
I don't even think that there's amention of birth photography, unless
you land on my contact form and ithappens to be, or at least it was, one
of the options in the dropdown menu.
But like birth photographyis not something that I offer
to everybody off the street.
Like, you have to be one of myclients for me to go to the hospital

(08:46):
with you or be in your birth spaceand photograph that amazing moment.
You know, one of my previous clients orrelated to one of my previous clients.
All right guys, so whatabout you and your business?
Cuz I've talked a lot about me.
Have you niched down in your business?
Have you seen any specific gains,from either nicheing down in
the offers that you have or thespecific clients that you go after?

(09:11):
I would love to know.
So hit me up in the DMs on Instagramif you wanna talk about it.
Man, two years later, niching downdidn't just make my marketing easier.
It made my systems smarter.
But what's different in 2025, I'velearned that you can expand without
losing your niche, especially whenyou're backend is dialed in, which is

(09:32):
why coming in July of 2025, there aregoing to be expanded toolkits inside
of the CRM blueprint for creatives thatcover wedding photographers, branding
photographers, and senior photographers.
So yes, there are still the originaltemplates well updated for family
photographers as well as a moregeneral set for creatives like website

(09:54):
designers, copywriters, et cetera.
But everyone deserves systems thatwork just as hard as you do, and
so I am expanding the course toreally talk to more photographers,
while keeping the focus on photography.
So if you're a photographer who's ready tostop duct taping your experience together,
my course is officially open to you.

(10:17):
All the emails, all the automations, allthe tools that helped me build my very
own photography business and help hundredsof other photographers do the same,
even if I am no longer shooting clients.
So check the show notes to peek insidethe course or DM me @coliejames , if
you're wondering if it's a fit.
Alright, that's it for thisepisode, y'all see you next time.