Rick Rubin: A Zen Master of Niching Up
If you feel your diverse skills donāt make sense, youāre not alone.
Some of the most successful people in history had this same problem.
At 21, Rick Rubin started Def Jam Records in his NYU dorm room.
ā No music production experience.
ā
Just a four-track recorder and a lot of curiosity.
Two years later, he produced hits for the previously unknown LL Cool J, Beastie Boys, and Run-D.M.C.ārevolutionising music by blending genres to create new sounds:
š„ Punk Rock + Hip-Hop ā Beastie Boys (First rap album to hit Billboard #1)
š„ Rock + Rap ā Run-D.M.C. & Aerosmith ("Walk This Way")
š„ Country + Alternative ā Johnny Cashās American Recordings
š„ Heavy Metal + Rap ā Slayerās influence on nu-metal
At 63, Rubin still canāt operate a studio mixing deskāyet heās one of the most successful producers of all time.
His genius?
Spotting gaps and blending different genres to create new sounds that stood out.
Instead of "narrowing down," he rebranded his diverse skills into a niche of oneāmaking him remarkable.
You donāt have to start from scratchāyou can rebrand your diverse skills to create your niche of one.
This is Niching Up: taking your diverse skills, passions, and philosophies and rebranding them into a rebel personal brand that:
Gets you noticed
Gets you paid
Gets you purpose
ā
David Bowie ā Science Fiction + Avant-Garde Theatre + Mime = Ziggy Stardust
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Marie Curie ā Chemistry + Physics = Radioactivity
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Steve Jobs ā Design + Tech + Philosophy = Apple
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Melanie Perkins ā Design + Business + Accessibility = Canva
ā
Maya Angelou ā Poetry + Memoir Writing + Civil Rights Activism = A Literary & Cultural Icon
"Creativity is just connecting things." ā Steve Jobs
Your Diverse Skills Are ValuableāBut They Need Rebranding
You see gaps in the market that others donāt.
You have diverse skills, and philosophies.
But they arenāt branded in a way that solves a profitable problem.
Letās look at Marie Kondo as an example of how to rebrand your skills into a profitable, impactful niche of one ā WITHOUT niching down!
Marie Kondo: Rebranding Minimalism
Most minimalists focus on decluttering.
Marie Kondo made it about joy and mindfulness.
ā
She blended decluttering with philosophy ā "Does this spark joy?"
ā
She blended Japanese minimalism with emotional intelligence ā Created a global movement.
She didnāt just tidy homes.
She turned decluttering into a lifestyle brand
Sold 13 million books š±
Landed a Netflix series
And built a multi-million $ empire.
Her success wasnāt about āniching downā to be a decluttering expert.
It was about rebranding her diverse skills + philosophy into a movement to remove emotional stress and live with intention by decluttering.
šThis is rebranding diverse skills and solving a profitable problem for your younger self ā positioning is everything!
How to Rebrand Your Diverse Skills for More Money & Impact
ā Old Advice: "Just pick one thing and focus on that."
ā
New Reality: "Rebranding your diverse skills and philosophies to create a niche of one."
The highest-paid, multi-talented misfits solve profitable problems for their younger selves.
Your niche isnāt one thing.
Itās the intersection of your diverse skills, passions, and philosophies.
But thereās a problem.
You canāt see it because youāre too close.
You canāt read the label when youāre stuck inside the jar.
Iām the same, which is why I hire coaches to help me see my blind spots.
This requires multiple sessions and is expensive, so using 30+ years of my frameworks, we have built a quicker and cheaper alternative
How Niche Creator AI (MaxiMouse) Helps You See What You Canāt Seeā¦
Inside Niche Creator AI, thereās a section called "Niching Up."
Hereās how it works:
ā Step 1: Enter the problem you solve
ā Step 2: List your skills, passions, and philosophies.
ā Step 3: MaxiMouse rebrands your diverse skills into a rebel personal brand.
šÆ No second-guessing. No overthinking. Just clarity.
MaxiMouse bases this on:
šÆ Your creative strengths
šÆ Your creative archetype
šÆ Your core values
Test as many variations as you want until it clicks.
Already know your niche but struggling to execute your idea?
MaxiMouse helps with that too!
From Confusion to Crystal Clarity
With MaxiMouse, youāll get crystal clarity on:
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Your niche ā No more second-guessing
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Your ideal client ā Deep research into their pain points & limiting beliefs
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Your marketing plan ā A step-by-step roadmap
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Your lead magnet copy ā A strategy to attract & convert clients
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Strengths & weaknesses analysis ā Know exactly where to focus on your idea
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An irresistible offer ā Something people want
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Your landing page copy ā Written for you without being sales-y
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Content templates ā TikTok/IG reels hooks, writing prompts, email sequences
š„ No more wasting time.
Just a rebel brand strategy built around YOUR core values.
So you can help your ideal clients (your younger self) solve a profitable problem.
From Idea to ExecutionāWithout the Existential Crisis!
This isnāt about white-knuckling your way through executive dysfunction with productivity hacks.
Itās about removing the root problem thatās kept you stuck, spinning your wheels for monthsāmaybe even years.
If youāre a neurodivergent multipotentialite, you know this cycle:
š§ Your biggest strength? Generating endless ideas.
ā ļø Your biggest weakness? Executing on them.
Why? Fear of picking the wrong idea. Fear of wasting time. Executive dysfunction.
š” MaxiMouse liberates you from this cycle.
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From idea to execution in 90 minutesāno more wasting time ā try as many ideas as you likeā¦
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Removes the bottlenecks (niche clarity, ideal client avatar, lead magnet copy, sales copy, etc.) that trigger your overthinking and executive dysfunction.
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Done-for-you strategy built around your unique skills, core values, and strengthsāso you can move forward without the second-guessing!
Right now, itās just Michael and me running this full-time. Weāre keeping the second phase release small.
š If youāre ready to stop overthinking, become an action taker and bring your creative business to life, join the waitlist now.š