I am sure you have all heard the saying;
“Jack of all trades, Master of none”
It is a great saying to remember because most of us seem to have a tendency to try to juggle too many balls at once in life. Especially as entreprenuers!
Our particular breed of person is extremely prone to this weakness because by definition we are usually control freaks who want to do things our way. This means we have to have our fingers in every single pie at once, whilst we “manage” the situation.
The real danger in doing this is that obviously, there are so many hours in the day, only one of us to spread around to all of the tasks at hand and most importantly we often find that our high levels of quality control suffer as a result of taking too much on at once. This can often lead to lack of focus, unfinished projects and a feeling of being overwhelmed.
That is, unless you recognise the signs and take steps to combat this natural tendency.
Alot of this comes down to managing your workload effectively and learning to build a team of people who can do these jobs for you so that you can work on your business and not in it. However, this post isnt going to cover that specific topic directly. (Perhaps another time) Instead, I want to cover another extremely important area that can be effected by this behavior, positioning.
The Grasshoppers Problem:
When you create a product or brand yourself online there is a tendency to dilute your effectiveness by positioning yourself too broadly. Whilst initially this might seem like a great idea because it leaves you open to dance around making products in different niches, it ultimately means you fall into the category outlined in the quote at the start of this post. You become a jack of all trades and risk your visitors/customers and mailing list members not seeing you as a “master” that they should follow.
I am going to call this particular habit “Grasshopping” because it refers to you hopping from project to project as the grass seems greener on new ideas. (OK lets face it, also because this post has a Samurai theme, so until you become the master, you are the Grasshopper 
) Just remember who coined the phrase!
How to learn the moves of a Master:
That isnt to say that you HAVE to only stick to one niche, simply that you should always think about how to tie anything you do back to your core area of expertise.
Focus on any of the hugely successful people in the marketing industry and you will see they have positioned themselves as “masters” of a particular skill or field.
Copywriting, design that sells, video marketing, list building, whatever it is, they attach themselves to their particular skill strongly.
This ensures they are seen as a MASTER in that category and at the same time means that when they branch out into slightly different areas they can hook back to their core skillset. For example, the “Master listbuilder” still can do JV or work on a video marketing related product for example, it is just that his focus would be to cover video marketing as a way of list building.
As you can see from that example, because he is seen as a master he has not only achieved a higher level of credibility but straight away a new and more specific niche opens up for him. (In this example, List building with Video) This is obviously an extremely important tactic that anyone who is successful will stick with to some extent.
Unfortunately in the early days, temptation to try to become an “expert” in every field that you know something about is strong. Especially as you find yourself, your position in the marketplace and build yourself up.
Not only does this mean you spread yourself thinly as you juggle multiple messages and products but it also means credibility can suffer as a result.
Dont forget:
Successful people who you might think are breaking this
rule usually started out as a Master in one area before they
created enough attention & credibility to be seen as an
overall master of a broader subject.
Stick with your one key area and focus on becoming the “Master” that people can follow. If you do this you will be sure to see much more success.
So focus on becoming a Super Samurai master of a specific area and watch as your credibility grows!
Please comment and share this post if you found it useful.
Josh
You are so correct. Many people are wandering generalities instead of being a walking specific. Here is something to add to the grass being greener. The grass may be greener on the other side, put it is probably too tough to chew!
Take care
Roger
Hey Roger,
Thanks for the comment. I like that quote, its very true to the point of this post.
I think it is so important to also remember that any advice you give should be from personal experience and trial and error rather than repeating verbatum. There is quite a trend to do this at the moment. The amount of people who are trying to give launch advice based on reading the “Launch Tree” product for example, without ever having actually launched anything themselves.
So, the points above in the post are very valid and at the same time its worth remembering not only value and sincerity but also, being true to your own experiences so far. That also builds more credibility as you become a master in that niche.
Speak soon,
Hi Josh
You are absolutely spot on. It took me long time to realize the same thing. Multiple activities mean a lack of focus, lack of progress and a diluting effect on your main creative activity. If you want to become a “master” first of all master your distractions and “interesting” side projects. I call it using the “wrong end of the telescope” approach where all other activities are locked out so that all your mental activity is like a laser shining on your number one project. To prevent intrusion from other projects keep a note of them and mentally consign them to a drawer until the time is right.
Regards
Peter
Hey Josh
Glenn here Your so correct. We have a tendenacy to want to be perfect in everything. This is the WORST thing you can do in internet marketing. Besides Alex’s course I belong to Mike Filsaime 7 figure zone ( its on the back burner during Alex’s MWA coaching course) and he stated ” People who are very good at everything make NO money online” Jack of all trades MASTER of none. YOU need a single niche that you are good at and then you have to work it.
Josh I am so looking foreward to your video course. This is where you excell and I want to learn from you. As Matt has helped me with his WP Classroom I want to learn about video from you. As Rich
Schefren said last nite find a single strong point and build on it. I want that strong point to be Video and I want you to get your course together so I can learn
Enough of my rambling
Glenn
.-= Glenn´s last blog ..WOW RICH SCHEFREN and ALEX JEFFREY’S TOGETHER =-.
A masterful post you have here. I too suffered from being a control freak. Then I realize that I have to organize things and keep a focus in my expertise.
By the way, you’ve got nice presentation.
Hi Josh,
I’ve been here too, but TBH, I think that this was because I signed up to so many email lists, that each one I read said to do this, do that, this is hot, oh no you should be doing this!
It’s pointless for me trying to promote the latest product on
‘viral marketing’ when I had no clue about it in the first place!
Or trying to discuss SEO, again when I didn’t really have a clue.
For me, I’m just starting at the begining again, and writing about, starting out….this is what I know, and I know what NOT to do. This has helped stay focused on one thing instead of a 100 things at once and getting completly disorganised.
Really looking forward to your VMC Josh, an area I’m adding to my business to teach and promote aspects of the business.
Hope all else is OK with you!
Take care
Sean
Couldn’t agree more with this post. I know I am definitely guilty of jumping around a lot. Recently, I think I have discovered my strong point. As Paula said, “It looks like you didn’t have to find your niche. Your niche found you”. I have decided to focus on one main thing, WordPress and blogging. It’s what I know. As soon as I realized that I need to focus on teaching that and promote products in that niche, I started making money and things just started to come together.
The nice thing is, creating a business around WordPress and blogging has taught me a lot about how to create a business. It has given me another set of skills that I can eventually dive in to teaching. It’s funny how focusing in one single area has opened more doors than trying to learn and branch off in to several different areas.
Great post. It really hits home with me.
Matt
.-= Matt Wolfe´s last blog ..Matt Wolfe Featured on MTV Cribs =-.
Hi Josh.
Great post and it looks really slick as well!
You have nailed this for me here. I have always thought of myself as a jack of all trades and master of none. In fact, I think I described myself in those exact words in the first post on my own blog.
I have had a go at it all over the years – SEO, affiliate marketing, CPA, website flipping, domain names. All with some success but nothing to the extent I would class myself as an expert. If I was an actor I’d be classed as “jobbing” rather than Oscar-winning.
Like most people on the coaching program, it’s a case of going back to basics. I am still unsure of which direction to take but I think it’s going to be the blogging and content route.
I come from a writing background and it’s something I enjoy doing. I just need to sharpen up a bit before I am ready to take on the John Chow’s and Darren Rowse’s of this world!
David
.-= David Walker´s last blog ..Alex Jeffreys Video Competition Entry =-.
I agree – most certainly when I was starting out with code (A different area to most of you guys, but the concepts apply), the temptation is there to see you need to learn HTML, Flash, CSS, PHP, SQL, JavaScript, then how to manage yourself, sell yourself, come up with products people want..
One bite at a time and you’ll get a way better understanding of what you’re doing, and the time will give you experience and confidence.
.-= Marc Fowler´s last blog ..Introducing.. TinyTemplate! =-.
Guilty as charged. I not only have a problem focusing on one thing, but I have a problem focusing on only two or three things. It is a great hindrance and something that I need to correct quickly.
.-= Bob Hughes´s last blog ..How to Maximize Your Affiliate Marketing Profits =-.
Hey Josh -
Excellent post and so true! Finding your niche or area of expertise is what allows you to differentiate yourself from the countless others trying to succeed in this (or any) industry. There are always going to be people who are better at one thing or another than you are. But if you strive to be a “master” in one area you can, as Alex would say, DOMINATE that niche.
Thanks for the great insight and keep the posts coming!
Paul
.-= Paul Norwine´s last blog ..Rich Schefren Called Me Out…but I Rose to the Challenge =-.
Hi josh when i joined kevin Rileys product creation labs, he told me to unsubscribe to all the so called gurus who are out there.
concentrate on finding a niche and make my own product.(and for now , forget list building, forget affiliate marketing just concentrate on one thing at a time)
I did and managed to focus on writing an ebook the title “How to play a musical instrument in later years “.
anyway for get about the book.
The point I am making, is I finished it .
It took me a month but i stuck to kevins advice .
It just shows what you can achieve if you just focus , the sad part is I never got my book out to the web as I never managed to get my sales page to work properly with paypal.
which is another story,
when I joined Alex I got back on track. but with all that’s going on at the forum, blog hopping, and deleting the spammers , I have again lost my focus.
It might be time to use the advice that kevin gave me
and unsubscribe from all the gurus & their affiliates,
except Alex of course hes the main man.
cheers josh
ps like the way your blog is shaping up .
,
.-= michael fallon´s last blog ..SOCIAL MEDIA =-.
Hey Josh,
Wise words master, as you say it’s probably something we have all fallen into at some point. Until you find what you want to focus on you will be going round in circles wondering why everything you try fails. Without a focus you cannot have a plan without a plan you will fail.
Take it easy,
James
.-= James Howard´s last blog ..How To Get Website Traffic =-.
Hey Josh
You are right. I have definately been overwhelmed at times. I am trying to learn everything that I can about Internet Marketing trying to take in all the information I can, but I soon got the feeling of being totally overwhelmed. To the point that I was like I can’t do this there is just too much too learn. Then I try to think to myself just focus. Focus on what I want to do. What I like to do and do that. I think at first I was trying to focus on too many things at once and basically lost total focus. You can get burned out fast if you are focusing on too many things.
So now I just take it one day at time and focus on moving forward in my career as an internet marketer. That is my hope anyway.
Hey Josh,
This is a great post, as I know I’m guilty of this topic.
Personally, it seems that when you start out and begin learning how to create products online and understand how to market them, your mind goes switches to overdrive. All of the lights come on and you begin to see so many possibilities where you think you could dominate the competition. And that completely sums up the first saying you mentioned.
I’m finally focusing on one product and promotion right now, but this post will keep me on track so I don’t branch out too far.
I’m learning from YOU, the master!
Thanks dude!
Joe
.-= Joe Fier´s last blog ..My First eBook Is Released andWaiting for You To Read! =-.
Hey Josh,
Hit the nail on the head
I call it headless chicken syndrome …. and I have been that chicken lol !!
Definately need to keep the focus ….
Oh, by the way, great talking to you the other night (or lunchtime for you ha ha !! )
Keep up the great work
Speak soon
Tommy
.-= Tommy McLaughlin´s last blog ..Review Templates Monthly – Readymade Clickbank Affiliate Review Sites Membership is launching today! =-.
Hi Josh
Sooooooo RIGHT. I am a AJ student, still chasing my tail. WILL stick to what I know and follow that.
Thank you.
Jane
Hey Josh,
In a lot of this post (especially the beginning), I felt as if you were talking directly to me.
You’ve certainly experienced what I’ve recently been going through and I can really relate to everything you’re saying here.
For me – and I suspect a lot people, they need to dive in and swim around a bit, before they can actually identify that particular core area that they should focus on.
But I’ll keep one eye open for it and maybe it’ll find me in due course.
Cheers Joe,
Andrew.
.-= Andrew Vaughan´s last blog ..Is Your Strategy Online, Right for Online Marketing Success? =-.
Hello! Quick question that’s totally off topic. Do you know how to make your site mobile friendly? My blog looks weird when viewing from my iphone4. I’m trying to find a template or plugin that might be able to fix this issue. If you have any recommendations, please share. Thanks!