How To Spot Market Gaps & Build Your Business Niche

Ever wonder how some people seem to find their calling and excel effortlessly? Let me share a story: Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith once researched, which movie genres made the most money. The answer? Action films. With this knowledge, “Will Smith the Action Star” was born. From I Am Legend to Independence Day and Men in Black, he carved out a niche and dominated the box office.

Finding your niche is a journey—one that starts with curiosity and evolves with experience. When I was 19, I began my journey with a small design studio creating one-of-a-kind dresses, wedding gowns, and tailored suits for women. My mother was my first customer. Then, one day, a man found me through the Yellow Pages (remember those?) and asked me to produce 400 bathing suits in under three weeks. That moment changed everything.

Suddenly, I was in the world of production. I said, “Sure, I can do that,” and scrambled to buy a mechanical cutting knife, hire professional sewers, and deliver on time. From this experience, I discovered two critical things:

1. What I was good at: manufacturing.
2. A market gap: the need for a domestic factory that could handle such orders.

I shifted from bespoke garments to domestic manufacturing, scaling my 500-square-foot studio into a 9,000-square-foot factory within three years.

But journeys evolve. I grew tired of mass production—10,000 identical units over and over. So, I sold my shop and headed to New York, where I launched a consulting firm to help emerging designers build their brands. Many of my clients went on to be featured in Saks, Bloomingdale’s, Oprah’s Favorite Things, and major fashion magazines.

Through this chapter, I uncovered another niche:

1. I was great at breaking down the complex formula of product development, manufacturing, and pricing for beginners.
2. There was demand for teaching these skills.

So, I launched a two-day workshop teaching others how to start their businesses. It was 2007, and these seminars were wildly successful. From there, I had the idea to create a portal for designers to source prequalified factories worldwide. With funding, I developed this factory-sourcing platform—but the market wasn’t there. Designers wanted answers but weren’t willing to pay. Alibaba was also entering the space, offering a far grander vision.

Four years and $2 million later, I shut the business down. What did I learn?

1. Know if your idea is scalable before you invest heavily.
2. Research your market to ensure people are willing to pay for your solution.
3. Be prepared to pivot—or walk away. Sometimes, the best decision is to let go and move on.

These lessons led me to create The Cut Design Academy, a bespoke design college dedicated to small class sizes, personal attention, and affordability—everything missing in traditional education. My niche is mentoring and teaching in a way that truly equips students for success. I saw a market gap where institutions treated students as commodities, focusing on quantity over quality. The result? Graduates with little to show for their education.

By “caring,” we graduate students who bring real skills and value to the table. Finding your niche is more than a strategy—it’s about understanding what you’re good at and how you can contribute to a market in a meaningful way.

Identifying Market Gaps

The internet provides endless data on market sizes and opportunities. Use it. Here’s how to get started:

1. Choose the market you want to enter.
2. Identify the gaps.
3. Determine how you’ll capture 10% of that market within five years.

When Chip Wilson founded Lululemon, he didn’t just see yoga—he saw a lifestyle. While Nike, Adidas, and Reebok focused on yoga as a sport, Chip created a lifestyle brand. The result? Athleisure was born—a market within a market.

It’s worth noting that Chip didn’t start with Lululemon. His success was the result of years of experience and persistence. Luck tends to find those who keep trying.

Top Tips for Finding Your Niche

1. Identify what interests you most—list five things.
2. List your top skills—these could be selling, strategizing, networking, or managing.
3. Research three industries that intrigue you and their market sizes.
4. Explore the roles within these industries.
5. Pinpoint where you could carve a niche for yourself.

Good luck on your journey—it’s all part of the process! —Liza Deyrmenjian, Owner & Dean of The Cut Design Academy