Years ago, and I mean yearssssss ago, Walt and I attended a Brendan Bruchard conference. That’s where we recognized that we could create a business out of just about anything we pulled out of our backends. I mean, we met people who were making money doing the most outlandish things—painting angel portraits for spiritual guidance, selling dog training pamphlets on the net, you name it.

Our homework assignment one day was to come up with a list of things we were good at, our special areas of expertise, and then list some potential business ideas that capitalized on these skills.

I figured I could teach people how to run a marathon, or speak Vietnamese or Farsi, maybe cook ethnic dishes, or write.

Brainstorming further, it occurred to me that I could teach others how to get into Harvard, how to reinvent themselves, how to draw boundaries, how to say no, how to find the perfect mate, how to establish a love relationship that really worked, how to find a mate online… the list went on and on.

Yah, I’m that amazing.

We were then supposed to choose one of these skills, formulate a business idea around it, then work that business ‘like it’s your job’. Drive the fence post supporting that business deep into the ground before throwing some other offering into the mix.

Like, if you’re going to teach Vietnamese, teach Vietnamese, make a real go of it. Don’t go offering cooking lessons or worse, customized online dating profiles, on the side.

Walt and I were all gung ho. We decided to give this whole on-line business thing a go. He had his business idea; I had mine.

We were going to be deliriously happy MILLIONAIRES.

Unfortunately, one of us spent about zero seconds determining which of our listed skillsets were actually marketable. Meaning, one of us hadn’t considered whether anyone out there in the world at large would be willing to pay us for our chosen gifts.

Build it and they will come. Hahahahaha.

I’m not even going to talk about the first business iteration I chose and the eight million lessons I learned off the back of it. We don’t have all day.

Look, I teach coaches, speakers, and service professionals how to write expert-positioning books.  Half the time I have to break the bad news that they’re barking up the wrong tree with their book idea (usually one of about seven).  Either their target market is ill-defined, or they want to serve folks who don’t recognize they have a problem, or they’re not even sure what, exactly, it is they, or their book, can help people do, be, or have. (This is how I know they’re young in business. Not a crime, just not the best time to write a book to expand the ole’ influence.)

For now, let’s just focus on the target market issue.

Here’s where authors and entrepreneurs often get into trouble: we want to serve a target market that sounds fun or interesting—women in transition, people who like obscure languages, or poets. If this is your only criterion, you’re probably not going to find yourself in front of people willing to take out their wallets. Or readers who’ll want more of what you’ve got.

Choosing a target market, in other words, isn’t nearly as straightforward as it looks.

It was marketing expert Eben Pagan who said that, generally, people will pay for one of three things: getting laid, getting paid, looking fab. If you can hook your horse to one of these carts in some way, you’ll probably do all right.

Yes, there are other things that people will buy–hello angel portraits, and golf instruction, and dog obedience–but if you’re just starting out in business, you’d be wise to focus here.

If you can write a book that shows the reader how to get laid, get paid, or look (or feel) fab, you’re going to get read. You’re going to draw ideal clients to you who want more of what you offer.

Want some examples?

Jeff Walker’s Launch: getting paid

Serena Sterling’s Pain: A Love Story: getting laid (and feeling fab)

Marie Forleo’s: Make Every Man Want You: getting laid

Gary Chapman’s The 5 Love Languages: getting laid

Chris Voss’s Never Split The Difference: getting paid

JJ Virgin’s The Virgin Diet: looking fab

So if you’re looking to share your story to inspire women in transition……think long and hard about which cart you want to tie your pony to. Think long and hard about an urgent (recognizable) pain these women have and whether they’ll spend good money to get it fixed, or not. Because you’ll need the right angle, be it getting paid, getting laid, or looking (or feeling) fab. Otherwise your book will fall flat AND so will your business.