Rewind- How I found my niche and what I am doing about it.

Ready, Fire, Aim

Decisions are pretty simple for me. I either study something to death and master all the reasons why it won’t work or why now is not the right time to do it or I just plunge in with no planning or organization and flounder along. So, if I have accomplished anything in my life it is from making snap judgments , taking impetuous actions and making the best of it.

The Need to Blog

Ralph Carlson Blog was one of those ready, fire, aim decisions. I couldn’t explain why it was important. I didn’t really understand what I was doing. I did feel confident that it was important and I started. I didn’t know any of the technical aspects of blogging. I had never been an effective communicator or somebody you liked to be around but somehow I felt that I had something to communicate and that I would find an audience. I had a mission.

One Last Obstacle Remained

From that naive start, fast forward to one year later. Over that time, I have learned much about the technical aspects of blogging. I self host my blog, work hard to understand SEO and carefully study the advice of the big guns. My blogging has become, arguably, technically competent. I have some returning readers and the number is growing but until last week, a big obstacle still blocked the path. I hadn’t defined my audience. I didn’t know my niche.

Documenting a big adventure

Last week, the fog cleared. I realized that I was on a life mission to recover from bad career decisions and even poorer financial ones over my life. Choosing the path of an employee left me powerless to control my life. Starting the blog was a continuing part of my transition from employee to entrepreneur that began in 1995 when the world changed on me.

I know that many people face the same difficulty because my generation and the baby boomers that followed were lulled by the false promises of employment. Now as their careers wind down and they can no longer avoid facing the limitations of a retired lifestyle, I think that many people are just like me. They are not ready to give up. They are not willing to accept the limited income that their life choices so far have given them. They are looking for fulfillment, whether from making more money or helping other people. I don’t have all the answers but I am already on the trail and I know that my experiences can help others who are ready to start.

This blog like my life is a work in progress

I will be revising Ralph Carlson Blog to reach this audience. As I said earlier, this is another ready, fire aim act so don’t expect a sudden and dramatic change. I will be working this out on the fly. The first step is a new about page giving a more detailed account of my back story and direction for the blog. The second step will be a series of posts highlighting decision points along my path. I will look at the potholes that caused me to change course and about my thinking then and now. A possible third step is talking about developing an action plan – but maybe that should go elsewhere.

Be a part of the adventure

As I move forward, I will appreciate comments and suggestions because I still need lots of help. I need better marketing to help my audience find me. I continue to mess up with technical issues. Finally I need to develop my activities as a business owner with an eye to producing income. So I ask my readers to join me on the journey, either as guides and advisers or contributors and trail-mates. Leave comments or send emails and be part of the adventure.