Never rely on one single niche or market segment to make your business prosper.  The secret is to tap several niches and know that some pay off sooner than others.  If your business is in the slump, focus on the niches that give faster returns then focus on the longer return niches as your business begins to revive.  Here are some niches that you can tap:

1. Satisfied past customers:  If your business is just coming out of the slump, this is the fastest way to jump start your sales.  Entrepreneurs who don’t market to past customers are forced to reinvent their businesses every year.

2. Your close centers of influence:  You’ve met this network of  people in the course of your daily life; they really have no connection to the fact that you’re a business owner.  There’s nothing wrong with letting these people know what you do. Some people feel they have no right to ask business and acquaintances to do business with them.  However, there’s a difference with being pushy and being passionate.

3. Past Acquaintances: Get your old high school yearbook and other memorabilia.  Start taxing your memory for names of people from your past you can contact.  See if your old high school teacher is still holding down the fort at your neighborhood school.