If Your Aunt Can't Explain What You Do, Neither Can Your Clients
The clarity problem costing you clients (and the 20-word fix)
Here’s the thing nobody tells you about starting a business:
The hardest part isn’t finding clients or figuring out the tech.
It’s explaining what the hell you actually do.
You know you can help people.
But when someone asks “So, what do you do?” their eyes glaze over before you finish your second sentence.
Worse: you can feel it happening while you’re talking.
They nod politely. They say “Oh, interesting!”
Which means “I have no idea what you just said.”
This isn’t just a communication problem.
It’s that you’re trying to do something impossible.
Your Message Is Trying to Do Four Jobs (And It’s Failing All of Them)
Every time you explain what you do, you’re trying to:
Prove you’re credible
Explain everything you offer
Appeal to everyone
Sound professional
Four jobs. One sentence. It doesn’t work.
Here’s what comes out:
“I’m a certified business consultant specializing in strategy, systems, and sustainable growth for busy professionals, entrepreneurs, and small business owners who want to scale without burning out.”
Your potential client just heard: word salad.
They can’t repeat it.
They can’t remember it.
They don’t understand it.
They definitely can’t refer you.
You’re Selling Ingredients When People Want Cake
Most solopreneurs lead with process instead of results.
You talk about your “proprietary framework” or your “unique methodology” because that’s what you live every day.
But clients don’t buy process.
They buy transformation.
When someone walks into a bakery, they don’t ask about butter-to-flour ratios.
They ask “Which one tastes like chocolate heaven?”
Your ideal client isn’t thinking “I need a 5-step framework.”
They’re thinking “I’m exhausted and I need this to stop.”
The gap between where they are and where they want to be is what they’re buying.
The North Star Sentence
One clear sentence fixes this:
“I help [who] go from [pain] to [result] using [method].”
What works:
Example for a Fitness Coach: “I help desk-bound professionals go from stiff and exhausted to strong and energized in just 30 minutes a day.”
Example for a Business Consultant: “I help scattered agency owners go from feast-or-famine revenue to predictable monthly retainers using packaged offers that sell themselves.
These name ONE person, describe their current pain, paint the after-picture, and hint at the method.
The test: your aunt could repeat this at a dinner party.
If she can’t explain it to her book club, it’s too complicated.
Why This Matters
Once you nail this sentence, everything clicks.
Your homepage is easier to write.
Your content has direction.
Your offers tie back to this mission.
Your ideal client finally sees themselves in your message.
Right now, you’re trying to appeal to everyone.
So you resonate with no one.
The desk worker with constant back pain scrolls past “holistic fitness solutions” because it doesn’t feel like it’s for them.
But “I help desk-bound professionals go from stiff and exhausted to strong and energized”?
They stop.
Their ears perk up.
“That’s exactly what I need.”
Clarity doesn’t cast a wider net. It makes the right people lean in.
Do This Now
Open your notes app.
Complete this sentence: “I help ___ go from ___ to ___ using ___.”
Say it out loud three times.
Stumble over the words? Too complicated.
Feels clunky? Keep refining.
Your aunt would get it? You’re close.
Don’t be clever. Be clear.
Then put it everywhere:
Social bios
LinkedIn headline
Website
Email signature
You don’t need the perfect message.
You need a consistent message people can actually remember.
You don’t need to say more.
You need to say less, with absolute clarity.
That’s the difference between forgettable and unforgettable.
Is your business built for freedom or frustration? Take the 2-minute “Unscale Me” quiz to find out what’s blocking your path to a calmer, more profitable solo business—and get a clear next step to fix it.