I made a mistake that cost me 595 days.
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And all I have to show for it is: 193 followers and zero clients.
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The mistake was this: I believed "be yourself" meant "post whatever you're interested in."
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So I did.
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Some days about email marketing. Some days about fitness. Some days about chess, photography, guitar, parenting, or habits.
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I thought I was being authentic.
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What I was actually being was unplaceable.
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Nobody knew what exact problem I could solve for them.
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And when I look back, I can't blame them—I'd sure made it hard to know what to hire me for.

Why This Mistake Is So Seductive

You've probably heard this advice too.

Dan Koe says it. Tim Denning says it. And half of Twitter/X says it.

"You are the niche"

And it sounds liberating doesn't it?
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No choosing. No narrowing. No feeling like you're putting yourself in a box.

(I mean, if we were fine being in a box, then it's a whole lot less hassle to just work a 9-5, right?)

So we're seduced by this idea:

For someone like me (ambitious, multi-interested, allergic to the idea of being "just one thing"), this felt like permission.

Permission to write about everything without guilt.

Permission to explore without committing.

Permission to be interesting instead of useful.

So that's exactly what I did.

What Actually Happens When You "Just Be Yourself"

Here's what nobody tells you:

When you post about everything, people can't place you in a problem category.

Your content might look like a personality. But it doesn't look like a business.

And when someone stumbles across your profile, they can't answer the most important question: "What does this person actually do?"

And most importantly — what can this person do FOR ME?

Because we're all constantly scanning our surroundings for ways to improve our lives.
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Someone posting about paintings? "Doesn't help me. Ignore."
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Someone posting about construction? "Not my thing. Next"​
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Someone posting about content creation? "Okay... I'm trying to improve on that. Follow"
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And when I tried to create an offer? I had to face the truth: I'd gathered a very eclectic crowd.
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Some interested in fitness. Others in marketing. Others in parenting or chess.
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I had no clear offer to create because my content wasn't reliably solving a specific problem for anyone in particular.

I had confused "being interesting" with "being hireable."

And the market punished me for it: 193 followers. Zero clients. 595 days of effort with nothing to show for it.

The Realization That Changed Everything

Then I finally understood something:

Everyone who says they don't have a niche DOES have a niche.

Even Dan Koe. Even Tim Denning.

It may be broad enough to include tangential subjects like:

• Writing
• Business
• Freedom
• Psychology

(And that's great for not getting bored)…

But if you usually write about those things and suddenly pivot to homesteading tips and gardening advice for weeks on end?

Your readers will be confused. Your offers won't make sense. And you'll wonder why engagement dropped.

Here's what I missed:

A niche isn't meant to be a prison.

It's a compass. A guiding light.

A promise about what people can expect from you.

Dan Koe's "niche" is broad—but it's not random. Everything he posts connects back to building a one-person business around your interests.

Tim Denning writes about multiple things—but they all orbit the same outcome: financial freedom through writing and online business.

They have a direction. A through-line. A promise.

I didn't.

I just had interests.

What I'm Doing Instead (Without Putting Myself in a Box)

I still write about multiple things—fitness, discipline, freedom, email marketing, business.

(Maybe even chess, photography and parenting)

But they all point to one outcome: escaping my 9-5 via simple "ugly" emails—and documenting the journey so others can follow along.

Fitness supports that (because freedom is nothing without health).

Business supports that (because that's the vehicle).

Freedom supports that (because that's the goal).

Everything I post either:
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• Sharpens the skill (email, outreach, copywriting)
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• Builds proof of the outcome (client stories, lessons learned, revenue)
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• Shows the life that outcome enables (location freedom, schedule control, sovereignty, creative hobbies)
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The rule I follow now: 90% of what I post must point to that one outcome.

That way, my purpose is clear. To myself and others. And the objective is just to explain it in a 1,000 different ways.

I'm not "a man with interests."

I'm "a man with an outcome who has interests."

Big difference.

The Bottom Line

I don't regret the 595 days. But I wish someone had told me earlier:

"Be yourself" only works if you've already earned a reputation.

Before that, you need to be placeable first, interesting second.

So now my content has a compass:
I'm escaping my 9-5 via simple "ugly" emails—and documenting the journey so you can do the same.
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Almost everything I post now either sharpens that skill, builds proof of that outcome, or shows the life that outcome will enable.
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I'm not there yet. But at least now I know where I'm going.
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That's not a prison.
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That's strategy.
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And it's the difference between 595 days of posting into the void… and building something people will actually pay for.
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Until next week!
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Cheers,
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Bjorn