About a year ago, I discovered Black Rifle Coffee Company.

All their ads were over-the-top cheesy. And the founders all had big trucks, tattoos, and a lot of guns.

Since I’ve first discovered them, they’ve grown exponentially. They now employ over a hundred people. Most of them veterans. Their content is often “offensive” if you’re not from that world. But a certain subset of the market finds it entertaining.

I’m not here to comment on the ethics or appropriateness of their content.

But they created and own a niche market in the coffee segment. If you’re into big trucks, guns, the military, or the good ‘ol USA 🇺🇸, you’ll likely love their content.

They took a coffee culture that was largely dominated by hipsters ‍, handlebar mustaches , and fancy Italian words, and they built their own niche. Now they are a rapidly growing company, producing a ton of content, and helping a segment of people they care about deeply.

But what do they sell? Coffee.

That’s it. Everything else is brand. Their coffee isn’t that much different than any other of the hundreds of the coffees on the market.

So here’s a thought exercise. If you were to make a coffee company, which niche would you sell to? Here are a few ideas I wrote down:

• Hunters and outdoors people
• Motorcycle riders
• Working moms with young kids
• Teenage video gamers
• Musicians
• Skiers
• Stylists/fashionistas
• Age 50+ females
• Classic car enthusiasts

That’s just a list I came up with in a few seconds. All of those people drink coffee. And each could be engaged with the right content.

Almost all big companies started with a small, niche market.

Facebook launched at Harvard. Twitter launched to influencers at SXSW. Uber launched to rent black cars from the 1% in San Fransisco.

One of the fastest growing cosmetics brands is targeted at women over 50.

The point is, the niche market is where growth is. Your little company won’t beat the major players unless you find your niche. Once you do, own that niche.

And if you’re preparing to launch a company, don’t ask what you should sell. Ask who you should sell to.

There are thousands of companies selling coffee. There is one company selling coffee targeted at army vets.

Whether you’re selling cosmetics to 50 year old females or coffee to Iraq war vets, find and own your niche.

That’s the quickest way to success.

P.S. Get more awesome content like this weekly by subscribing to our blog. We seek to provide massive value and respect you deeply. We won’t spam you.