How to Create an Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) Template and Find Your Target Market
Written by Dr. Annie Cole, Lead Researcher │5 minute read
If your business feels hard to sell, it’s usually not because you need “better marketing.” It’s because you’re not 100% sure who you’re talking to. Once you get clear on your ideal customer, a lot of things start to click.
Below is a simple, friendly guide to help you figure out who your best customers are and what to do with that information, so you can start seeing real progress in your business.
Table of Contents
What is an ideal customer profile (ICP)?
Think of an ideal customer profile (ICP) as a short “cheat sheet” for your perfect customer.
It’s a one-page summary of:
Who they are
What they want
What problems they’re trying to solve
Why they’re a great fit for what you sell
You’re not trying to list everyone who might buy from you. You’re picking the people who get the best results from your work and are the easiest to help.
Ideal customer vs. target market
People often mix these up, so let’s keep it simple.
| Buyer Type | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Target Market | The big group you could sell to | “Small service businesses in the U.S.” |
| Ideal Customer | The small group inside that big group who are a dream to work with | “Solo coaches and consultants who already have a few clients and want more consistent leads.” |
Your ideal customer profile lives inside your target market. When you focus on that smaller group, your message gets much clearer and more powerful.
Why an ICP matters for new business owners
When you’re new, it’s tempting to say “I can help everyone.” But that actually makes things harder.
Getting clear on your ideal customer helps you:
Talk like a real person
You can write your website, posts, and emails like you’re talking to one friend, not a crowd of strangers.Pick your next move
You know where to show up, what to say, and which offers to create first.Stop wasting time
You can stop chasing leads that were never going to be a good fit anyway.
This isn’t about limiting your business. It’s about focusing long enough to actually gain traction
Step-by-step: How to find your ideal customer
You don’t need fancy tools here. You need a quiet moment, a notebook, and maybe a spreadsheet if you like them.
Step 1: List your favorite people you’ve helped
Think about 3–10 “best fit” people you’ve worked with already (or at least talked to in depth), even if you helped them for free.
Ask yourself:
Who got great results?
Who was easy to talk to?
Who paid you (or would have) without a ton of drama?
Who would you be happy to work with again?
Write down their names. This is your “dream list.”
Step 2: Write down basic facts about them
For each person on your dream list, jot down simple details like:
Don’t guess. Use what you actually know.
Step 3: Note what they wanted when they came to you
Now think back to the moment they reached out.
What did they say they wanted?
What were they trying to fix or improve?
Were they trying to grow, save time, save money, or something else?
Write their goals in plain language, the way they would say it.
For example:
“I want more people booking calls from my website.”
“I’m tired of guessing what my customers want.”
“I need to know if this new offer will actually sell.”
These goals will show up again and again.
Step 4: Find the “breaking point” that made them take action
Most people don’t hire help right away. Something usually pushes them over the edge.
Ask yourself:
What finally made them say, “Okay, I need help”?
Did something go wrong (a launch flopped, sales dropped, a client left)?
Did something change (new job, new product, new pressure)?
Write down those “breaking point” moments.
They often sound like:
“We tried to do this ourselves and it didn’t work.”
“I can’t keep doing it this way.”
“I promised my team/partner/investor I’d fix this.”
Those moments help you spot future ideal customers earlier.
Step 5: Look for patterns across your list
Now look at all your notes at once. Circle or highlight anything that repeats.
You might notice:
Most of them are in the same type of business
Many are at a similar stage (just starting, trying to grow, stuck in a plateau)
They have similar goals and similar “breaking points”
Those repeated details are the heart of your ideal customer profile.
Anything that only shows up once is good to know, but the patterns are what you build from.
How to create a one-page ideal customer profile
Now you’re going to turn those notes into a simple one-page profile you can use every day.
Use this fill-in-the-blank style template:
Who they are
“My ideal customer is a… (type of business / person)
They are usually… (solo / small team / bigger team)
They’re based in… (place or time zone, if it matters).”
What they’re trying to do
“They want to… (main goal, in their words),
without… (main thing they’re trying to avoid, like wasting time, burning out, or spending a ton of money).”
What’s not working now
“Right now, they’re struggling with… (main problem),
and they’ve already tried… (what they’ve done on their own that didn’t work).”
The breaking point
“They usually reach out when… (breaking point, like a bad launch, lost client, missed goal, or big change).”
Why you’re a great fit
“They’re a great fit for me because I help with… (your main outcome),
and I do it in a way that… (how you work: fast, hands-on, simple, etc.).”
Write this out in a Google doc or note. This is your working ideal customer profile.
MYTH: I should serve everyone.
TRUTH: Focusing on your ideal customer increases your likelihood of business success.
How to use your ideal customer profile to grow your business
Once you have this one-page profile, you can put it to work the same day.
Here are three easy actions:
Action 1: Rewrite your “about” or “home” page intro
Take your profile and turn it into a simple intro on your site or social bio.
Example:
“I help solo coaches and consultants who already have a few clients but want more consistent leads. If you’re tired of guessing what your customers want and you’re ready for a simple plan you can stick to, you’re in the right place.”
Now people can quickly tell if they’re in the right place.
Action 2: Use it to pick content topics
Look at your ideal customer’s main goals and problems. Turn each one into a content idea.
If their problem is “I don’t know how to find more of the right customers,” you might create:
A post called “3 Simple Ways to Find More of the Right Clients This Month”
A short email about “How to tell if a lead is worth your time”
You’re no longer staring at a blank page. You’re answering the exact questions your ideal customer is already asking.
Action 3: Use it as a filter for new ideas
Every time a new idea pops up (new offer, new platform, new lead) you can ask:
“Does this help my ideal customer?”
“Would my ideal customer care about this?”
“Is this the kind of person I want more of?”
If the answer is no, it’s easier to drop it or save it for later.
That alone can save you a lot of time and stress.
How to find your ideal customers “out in the wild”
Once you know who your ideal customer is, the next step is finding more of them.
Here’s how to start without overthinking it.
1. Trace where your favorite people came from
Look back at your dream list and ask:
How did each person find you?
Did they come from a friend, a past job, a community, or a post you wrote?
Which source gave you the best people, not just the most?
If you see that your best people came from a few specific places, double down there first. You don’t have to be everywhere.
2. Hang out where they already are
You don’t have to build a huge audience. You can borrow other people’s audiences.
Ask:
Which podcasts do they listen to?
Which newsletters or communities do they follow?
Which events or groups do they show up in?
Then:
Show up with value where your ideal customers already spend time.
3. Listen to the exact words they use
As you hang out in those spaces, pay attention to:
The phrases they repeat
The way they describe their problems
What “success” means to them
Save those phrases in a simple “customer language” doc. Use those exact words in your content, offers, and calls.
That’s one of the fastest ways to make people feel like “Wow, this person really gets me.”
Common mistakes to avoid
Here are the most common mistakes that new business owners make:
Being too vague
“Anyone who needs help with their business” is not an ideal customer. It’s a sign you need to get more specific.Making it up in your head
A guess is okay as a starting point, but you want to base your profile on real people you’ve helped or spoken to, not just who you wish you worked with.Never updating it
Your first profile won’t be perfect. That’s fine. The important thing is using it, then adjusting it as you learn.
When to update your ideal customer profile
You don’t have to change it all the time. But it’s smart to review it when:
You launch a new main offer.
You notice a new type of customer is getting the best results.
You’ve grown and want to move up to a different level of client.
When you update it, keep old versions in a folder. It’s helpful to look back and see how your focus has shifted over time.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
Not at the start. Begin with one main profile. Once you’re getting steady leads and income, you can create a second if you truly serve a different group with a different offer.
-
That’s normal. Remember, it’s a tool, not a prison. You can still work with other people if they show up. Your profile just helps you focus your main message and efforts.
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Borrow someone else’s audience for research. Talk to people you think you want to serve. Offer a few free or low-cost sessions in exchange for honest feedback. Use those folks as your starting examples.
Looking for more support?
If you’re reading this and thinking, “This all makes sense, but I don’t have the time or brain space to do it,” that’s exactly where Praxia Insights comes in.
We’ve done this for years, across lots of industries
Instead of staring at a blank doc trying to define your ideal customer, you can hand that work to a team that lives and breathes research, patterns, and clear stories. Decades of experience means we can often see what’s going on much faster than you can from inside your own business.
We make it feel simple, even when the work is complex
You don’t have to show up with perfect data or perfect answers. You can show up with, “Here’s what I’ve tried, here’s what’s not working, and here’s what I want.”
From there, we can design the right mix of:
UX, product research, and consumer insight work to see how real people use and react to your offers
Market research to sharpen your ICP, brand positioning, and competitive story
Dashboards and analytics to show what’s actually moving the needle, so you’re not stuck guessing month after month
If you’re exhausted by trial-and-error, we’re here to help
If you’ve been trying to do this by yourself (testing offers, rewriting your website, tweaking your message) and it still feels like nothing is working, it might be time to let a research partner step in and take the heavy lifting off your shoulders.
If that sounds like a relief, that’s your sign. Reach out, share what feels hardest right now, and we can take it from there so you can stop guessing and get back to building the business you actually wanted when you started.
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