📖 Read Time: 4 minutes
📩 What you’ll get out of this newsletter: the simple framework I’ve used with 1,000+ founders to figure out what they’re building, who it’s for, and how to talk about it without overthinking every word.
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I’ve done this exercise with over 1,000 founders.
It was one of the first things we talked about during Techstars.
It’s one of the first things we drill into and it’s one of the first things most people get wrong.
It’s why your offering feels off.
Why you ramble through your elevator pitch.
Why the wrong type of clients keep reaching out.
You don’t have a strategy problem.
You have a clarity problem.
Most people think they need better content, a sharper offer, or a pivot…
But really, they’re just unclear on who they’re for, what they stand for, and why any of it matters.
So they keep tweaking… Changing direction. Overthinking every next move.
Then wonder why it starts to feel heavy, exhausting.
What’s missing isn’t more effort…
it’s a Single Source of Truth.
What do I mean by Single Source of Truth?
It’s not a slogan. It’s not a mission statement.
It’s the throughline that ties together everything you’re doing…
how you sell, how you show up, what you say yes to.
When it’s clear, things speed up:
You know what to say. What to post. What to offer. What to ignore completely.
But when it’s missing? Everything feels messy and slow.
Here’s how to find yours…
These are the same questions I’ve walked through with 1,000+ founders during Techstars, in DMs, over coffee, in pitch decks.
1. Who are you actually for?
Not “creatives” or “entrepreneurs.”
Go sharper. Go three layers deeper. And once you think you’ve got it, go one more.
Like:
Creators with 10K+ followers but <$1K MRR
B2B SaaS founders hovering between $5M–$10M ARR
Marketing execs quietly job hunting for a role that actually excites them at fortune 500 companies
The more specific and niche, the better.
2. Why should they care?
What transformation do you help unlock?
What’s the before → after they can expect from you?
What do you not help with?
Mine sounds like:
“I’m not the person to help you scale to $10M.
But I am the person who can help you get your first 1K followers, $10K in sales, and real clarity on what you’re building.”
3. What does your audience really want?
Not what they say they want… what they really want. Subconsciously or consciously.
Josh Jones-Dilworth has a great framework for this:
The “Founder Mother Value Propositions.” Almost every offering / brand / business maps back to one of these:
Save Me Time → lens: systems, prioritization, automation
Make Me Money → lens: sales psychology, offer clarity, audience growth
Let’s Have Fun → lens: creativity, experimentation, playfulness
Give Me Status → lens: brand, visibility, credibility, positioning
Pick the one that feels most true.
Then make sure your lens — the values or methods you lead with — supports it.
That’s what your work is really doing underneath the surface.
When you say it clearly, people instantly get what you’re about.
4. What’s your offering?
This is the part most people skip directly to and where a lot of friction starts.
You’ve clarified who you help, what they need, and why it matters… Now: how do you actually deliver that transformation?
This isn’t just about your “offer.” It’s about choosing the right vehicle for your clarity… whether that’s a product, a service, a piece of content, or a whole company.
Same insight… different shapes:
A 1:1 coaching offering for deep transformation
A 30-slide storytelling workshop that builds credibility and trust
A paid Substack series that reframes how people think about their niche
A startup studio that co-builds with solo operators
A recruiting agency for execs burnt out by big orgs who want roles that actually align
The right format is the one that matches your audience’s headspace, your energy to deliver, and your lens.
When those line up… clarity becomes scale.
Want to develop your statement?
Try this…
I / We help
specific person or group (who are you actually for?)
solve this problem or unlock this transformation (why should they care?)
by focusing on
your lens aka your values, skills, or themes you lead with (what does your audience really want?),
delivered through
your offer, content, product, or platform (what’s your offering?).
Examples:
I help solo SaaS founders with a working MVP but no traction get their first 50 paying users by focusing on positioning, founder-led sales, and direct outreach strategies, delivered through a 4-week async growth sprint
I help early-stage startup teams with no in-house designer create consistent branding by focusing on design systems, founder aesthetic, and speed over polish, delivered through a Figma-based brand kit subscription
We help B2B SaaS startups with low activation rates increase conversion by focusing on onboarding UX, in-app prompts, and microcopy, delivered through an embeddable no-code onboarding widget
I help seed-stage founders hiring their first 5 roles avoid costly mis-hires by focusing on founder DNA, role clarity, and storytelling-driven job descriptions, delivered through a fractional head of talent recruitment service
This becomes your filter.
If something doesn’t align with it… it doesn’t launch, it doesn’t post, it doesn’t stay on your calendar.
TL;DR:
If your content or sales or fundraising feels off, it’s probably your clarity.
The more specific your “who,” the easier everything else becomes.
Most “strategy pivots” are actually just clarity catching up to your gut.
Your offer, your voice, your energy… all of it runs smoother when you know your throughline.
The best filter isn’t a tactic. It’s knowing who you’re doing this for (and why).
An unsponsored founder highlight:
Having trouble getting your kid to brush their teeth?
So was Carley Hart… until she created Brushing Buddies, a story-driven book that makes brushing fun (and actually happen).
It’s playful. It’s clever. It works.
Sometimes the best products aren’t software... they’re stories.
Want to be featured in our newsletter for freeeeee? Reply and let us know what you’re building. We read every email… for real… even the mean ones lol
Just remember…
If you’ve been feeling scattered lately during your fundraise, or sales cycle, or content journey… this is where I’d start.
find your source of truth, and use it as your compass.
what’s yours right now?
— alex 💭 (@heyalexfriedman)
P.S. are you interested in how this applies to your personal brand?
We made this short form to help (it’ll take 2 - 3 mins max). Fill it out and let’s chat :)
