Be a real user of your market

Morning Routine

I was on my way to a Jiu‑Jitsu practice that turned out to be a really hard class. Earlier that morning I had been working and took some time to read, keeping the habit I’ve built of reading 30 pages a day. I’m using a web app I built called The Boring Reader because it makes it easier for me to pull in newsletters, articles, and other content. Yesterday I was even reading the Pope’s recent encyclical through it.

The Boring Reader

While I was reading, I noticed a few bugs and errors, so I used Cloud Code to fix them on the spot. It reminded me that the app is getting better simply because I use it daily. I’m not selling it; it’s just for me right now. If it ever becomes good enough, I might consider a small subscription, but for now it’s a personal tool that solves a real pain point I couldn’t find elsewhere.

User Insight

Being the primary user of my own system made me think about my work as a freelance developer. I realized I never really had market experience. Over the past four years I’ve worked with many different clients and projects, but I never chose a specific niche consciously. I chased whatever work appeared, using my skills without focusing on any particular market, so I never built deep, field‑specific knowledge.

Freelance Reflection

I’ve recorded audio about this before because talking helps me structure my thoughts. Listening back, I realized that the whole time I’ve actually been interested in digital marketing. I saw it only as a way to promote my own services, not as a market to specialize in. Yet I’m a real consumer of digital marketing: I buy online courses, I follow daily content about it, and my clients use digital marketing strategies to sell their products. I’m inside that world, but I hadn’t recognized it as a niche I could serve.

Digital Marketing

Understanding that I’m a true user of digital marketing makes it clear that I could focus on solving problems for clients in that space, info products, online sales, and related services. I could help people who teach digital marketing, create online courses, or sell digital products. I could also package the operational skills I use, like automating video edits with Cloud Code or creating Instagram reels, into practical services.

AI Perspective

I don’t see AI as a separate market for me to focus on. I use AI daily, but I’m not an expert who could build a full course on it. I could teach beginners or intermediate users, but my strength lies in using AI to enhance my digital marketing work, not in positioning AI as a competing niche.

Niche Decision

If I had to pick a niche, I’d double down on digital marketing. I have experience, I enjoy it, and I’m a genuine user of the tools and strategies involved. That’s the main takeaway for today: as a freelancer, you need to be a real user of the market you serve.