My blog challenge of the day is to define my “elevator pitch.”  My elevator pitch is meant to define what excites me (personal or business)? What I am building or want to build? It is meant to address the fun stuff in my life that I actually care about.

It is meant to help me as I meet new people and run a “mini experiment” to test out my ideas with others. It also designed to make conversations a ton more entertaining when the dreaded “So, what do you do?” question comes up.

Designing and using it will help me get in the habit of sharing what I am excited about and the difference I want to make in the world.

Throughout my life I have wanted to start my own business and make a difference so I am very excited to start this journey with this blog and share my progress,   I know some interesting things are going to start to happen as I put myself out there.

So after a few tries here is what I came up with for my elevator pitch:

“I am starting a business that helps people use technology to improve their lives and business.  Currently, I am in the exploratory stage of identifying areas where people want or need help the most.  Also, I am working hard to meet people with similar passions who can help me make it possible.”

To assist develop my elevator pitch the team at LYL provided the following 4 tips.  If you are curious about the process, my answers are included below each question.

Have you done something similar?  What is your elevator pitch?  I look forward to your comments. Cheers – Ben

1. Create a minimal viable pitch.

a. What am I excited about?

Helping people:

• Use technology to improve their lives or business
• Start successful businesses and growing them
• Start successful side gigs to help them get out of debt
• Do something they have always wanted to do. Starting with me!
• Live every day passionately. Have an awesome life.
• Goal setting and achieving
• Public Speaking
• Being a better leader / manager
• Improve their fitness
• Improve their writing skills
• Learn a language
• Learn to play an instrument
• Helping kids get a college or vocational education

b. Why am I excited about it?

• I love technology and ever since I was young I have wanted to run my own business
• I want to help others and myself enjoy life and all that it has to offer
• I want to build and get involved with vibrant smart people who have similar interests

c. How will it help people? Who does it serve?

• It helps people do the work the love faster and more efficiently
• It helps people reach their goals and saves them time and money
• It helps people lower the stress in life
• It will serve people who want to make a change and have technology work for them instead of vice versa

d. How does it uniquely tie into my story, passions, talents and/or experience?

• All my life I have been and enjoyed being an instructor
• I have had multiple leadership positions throughout my career
• I have been involved with technology my entire career
• I believe I have a talent for writing and public speaking that I need to nurture
• I have always wanted to start and run a successful business
• Teaching people new skills gives me energy
• I have always wanted to help people do better than me and learn from my mistakes

e. Why do I care and why should the world care?

• I am only here on earth for a short period and I want to do the most with the talents God has given me to help others and myself be the best we can be

2. Rapid prototype it in real time.

Get it in front of as many unbiased strangers as possible. If you know the specific type of people you’re trying to serve, spend as much time with them as you can. What really matters is getting the idea out of your head and into the world as soon and as often as possible.

3. Test it – a lot.

Do this as in-the-moment as possible. If your first pitch clearly doesn’t resonate, then modify the next few sentences. Try to keep going until something connects.

4. Refine, repeat and “perfect”.

Steps 1-3 are a constant cycle. I am told to expect I will get the blank “I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about” stare every now and again and I should welcome it and I learn from it.  My pitch is never meant to be perfect.  I am learning to treat every interaction with the people I am trying to serve as a new data point. I am advised to constantly create, test, learn, refine, repeat, and it will be pretty tough to fail.