Dr. Christiane Schroeter [00:00:00]:
Well, hello there. Welcome back to the Happy, Healthy Hustle podcast. I'm your host, Christiane, and I'm super excited you're here today. In today's episode, we are going to identify and connect with our ideal client, or as I like to call it, our "unicorn." And I'm going to reveal a little about why I call it a unicorn. But first things first—my birthday month in July actually included a unicorn. Yes, my husband, instead of giving me flowers, gave me a beautiful unicorn balloon.

Dr. Christiane Schroeter [00:00:34]:
And that kind of inspired today's episode because when I looked at that unicorn balloon, I thought, it's kind of like what we're doing in our business. We're thinking about something fun, something unique, as the word "unicorn" suggests. And of course, we're also thinking about something that may be only in our imagination. So whenever we think about our clients, we're trying to imagine somebody, almost like we're imagining a unicorn. And it's quite challenging sometimes. We really struggle with questions like: What does our client do? What do they look like? What do they care about? What are they struggling with? And this makes it difficult to put your messaging together. So in today's episode, we're going to identify three different strategies that will help us identify and connect with our ideal client—our unicorns.

Dr. Christiane Schroeter [00:01:32]:
Let's get started. My first strategy is to think about my ideal client as myself. Yes, that's one of my absolute favorite strategies. As an entrepreneur, you started your business because you struggled with something, and then you created something to solve that problem. This particular solution helped you, and now, as an entrepreneur, you're helping others. By helping others, you're also helping yourself.

Dr. Christiane Schroeter [00:02:08]:
Many successful business ideas often come from the fact that you struggled with something, it didn't exist, so you created it. And this solution wasn't just unique to you; others struggled with it as well. So you started sharing it, and because it helped you, you shared it passionately, which helped you succeed. Think about it—your ideal client might be you, two to five years ago, when you were struggling. Maybe that's around the time you started your business. Scroll back through your phone, and look at your pictures from two to five years ago. What were you doing then? What were you wearing? What were you eating? And most importantly, what emotions were you experiencing?

Dr. Christiane Schroeter [00:02:49]:
Think about the transformation that has occurred between then and now. What would you tell yourself back then? What would you tell yourself not to worry about? What shortcuts would you give yourself? This "time travel" idea can be helpful in imagining what you would have done differently. Sometimes, we take routes that lead to failure, but the persistence to keep going is what gets us to where we are now. That "you" from two to five years ago is a great starting point for your ideal client avatar.

Dr. Christiane Schroeter [00:04:55]:
Now, given that you've overcome those challenges, you can teach others to overcome the same problems. The second way to find your ideal client is by looking at Facebook groups. They're perfect for seeing what topics people are discussing, and what questions they're asking. Often, people post questions that don’t get answered. If you know the answer, you can position yourself as an expert. It's also helpful to collect these questions in a Google Sheet so you can use the exact wording your ideal client uses.

Dr. Christiane Schroeter [00:05:59]:
When people post these questions in Facebook groups, they might also be Googling them. The closer you are to their exact language, the more likely they are to find you through a blog post or lead magnet. You're positioning yourself as the guide to help them through their problem, and when they find you in their search, you're guiding them to become the hero in their own journey.

Dr. Christiane Schroeter [00:07:14]:
The third strategy is to look at reviews on Amazon for books related to your niche, whether it's wellness, gut health, or marketing, like how to grow your email list. Read what people liked or didn't like about the books. What did they feel was missing? This gives you insight into what your ideal client values and needs. Amazon reviews often reveal common themes, and you can also see what else those reviewers have purchased. This helps you build a more detailed picture of your ideal client, like adding more colors to a unicorn.

Dr. Christiane Schroeter [00:09:41]:
By understanding these common threads—whether from yourself a few years ago, Facebook group questions, or Amazon reviews—you start to see recurring patterns and can position yourself as the expert who meets those needs. You might notice that people want a step-by-step guide or a checklist, or that they prefer a 15-minute video over an hour-long one. You're addressing the problem in a way that's unique to you, but that resonates with many others.

Dr. Christiane Schroeter [00:13:01]:
So, to recap:

Look at yourself from two to five years ago.
Check out Facebook groups and collect the questions people ask.
Read reviews on Amazon to find gaps or opportunities.
The more closely you can match your ideal client's language and needs, the easier it is to describe your unicorn.

Dr. Christiane Schroeter [00:13:57]:
Let me know if you have any questions, and be sure to check out my other episode on the power of the eight-second hug! It's a quick way to improve your mood, and there's a lot of science behind it. Let me know in the comments if you have any questions. I’d love to hear from you! Otherwise, subscribe to the podcast, and I can’t wait to see you on the next episode of the Happy, Healthy Hustle podcast.