Finding the ‘perfect fit’ is a feeling we often search for. It isn’t tied to arbitrary facts. It takes hands-on experimentation.

Back in college, I had lots of time and very little disposable income, so I spent hours wandering through the mall. I walked every store, flipping through clearance racks, and trying on dozens of clothes. There were no cheap alternatives like Temu or Amazon. If I wanted a good deal, I had to work for it.

But no matter how good the deal was, the shirt or jeans or dress would be a total waste of money if I wasn’t going to wear them. So I tried everything on, posing for the mirror, and critically examining the color, style, and fit.

Michelle Obama may think “Rare is the woman who can live 'off the rack.” But as a poor college student, that was all I could do.

Finding the right “fit” was work. If it looked “good” I still insisted it be comfortable. A shirt needed to be compatible with the pants in my closet. Jeans needed to fit whether I stretched or sat. And any strapless dress needed to stay on.

I was aiming for good looking, comfortable clothing from the clearance racks.

Finding a ‘good fit’ felt like finding a treasure. I’d look in the mirror and see a new version of myself that I had been searching for. It came together without distractions. I felt like a new, slightly improved, version of myself.

You may not be a shopper, but maybe you have found that same feeling of ‘fit’ when you discover a new talent - something that just comes easily to you. Maybe you were struggling through a bad day and by ‘coincidence’ just the right song plays on the radio. Perhaps you felt it when you met ‘the one’ person you could spend your whole life with.

Call it serendipity, a match made in heaven, letting the pieces fall into place, fitting like a glove - all these idioms describe a sense of satisfaction. We are always looking for affirmations that our small decisions align with the much bigger plan for our life.

I do the same in my business.

I’m working to secure clients and projects that fit with my skillset so I can be a catalyst in their project process. My goal is to fit with a project team like that missing puzzle piece, so that my clients see the whole project picture coming together.

Finding ‘fit’ is the ultimate goal of networking events, marketing campaigns, and sales procedures. Businesses devote significant time and money to pursue and pair with ideal clients. Because finding the right alignment is worth the effort. Working with ideal clients feels as great as that perfect pair of jeans.

In today’s digital economy, people have ready access to so many options. It’s tempting to cast a wider net and appeal to a broader audience. But when it comes to delivering value, less is more. In this situation, be more to less people.

The more niche, unique, and intentional we make our services, the easier it becomes for specific clients to recognize that we may be the right fit for their project.

Similarly, the House Wren explores many housing options before settling into the right fit. A male wren begins several nests in different cavities until the female wren comes along to choose her favorite. She examines all the possibilities, selects the one that fits best, and then helps complete it.

Too often, we try to fit the wrong clients into our services. Imagine a rooster settling into a tiny wren's niche. Or a woodpecker walking into an ostrich nest. Or a roadrunner settling into a puffin’s seaside cliff home. It’s preposterous, wackier than the Looney Tunes.

Visualizing birds outside their habitats emphasizes how unnatural some projects may feel when we try to fit them into our professional practice. We don’t make that same distinction with mismatched potential clients.

Too often we make an exception to try and fit an eagle-sized-ego client into our humble-swallow-hallow process. It’s only after the fact that we realize it would have been more profitable to complete several medium sized projects instead of slogging through an oversized project. Or maybe you are filling your eagle-nest-sized process with tiny-chickadee-budgets, leaving no time to pursue the big projects with long-term clients that sustain your firm.

It isn’t about what is better or worse. It’s about pairing your best services with clients who need that ‘right fit’.

Finding the ‘right fit’ with ideal clients takes time. It requires trying on projects, relationships, roles, and processes that ultimately belong back on the rack.

But when the right pairing of clients and our process comes along, we can feel it.

Then it is time to stop searching and start building that perfect nest together.

Keep Flying! Katie Kangas

​Feathery Fable​

House Wrens find the perfect fit in unlikely places: mailboxes, old shoes, drain pipes, or empty flower pots. These overlooked cavities provide just enough space for a perfect nest.

What overlooked niche is the perfect fit for your business? Perhaps you specialize in quonset hut plans, Red List-free specifications, or aging-in-place home renovations. Or maybe you remind potential clients not to ‘roll the dice’ on their design by mailing a custom D20 die. Oddities can become the defining feature of your firm.

A male House Wren searches high and low, building several starter nests for his mate to choose from. She has the luxury of choice before chipping in to build their new home.

What choices are you offering potential clients? How can they tell your services apart from any other designer?

It takes time and reflection to consider what makes your business distinct. Nothing is too odd to become a meaningful niche.

Your perfect niche may not be the largest or most conventional opening. Like a House Wren, you simply need to recognize the place where your distinctive work belongs—and begin building for your perfect client.

Winged Wisdom

“Your work is not for everyone. It’s only for those who signed up for the journey.”

Seth Godin, This Is Marketing

Flying Solo Podcast

Listen to the full interview with Ashley Mitlyng of Mitlyng Design on Flying Solo Episode 22 | Ashley Mitlyng (House Wren).

And check out @mitlyngdesign on Instagram, Facebook, Houzz, or their Website.

​Check out the Flying Solo Podcast on your favorite platform.​

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