F the Elevator Pitch
You are a person of depth and substance. You know your craft inside out. You’ve earned the right to be taken seriously. So why is it that every time someone asks, “What do you do?”, your palms get sweaty and your brain hands you a generic, lukewarm answer that could belong to anyone in your field?
There are actually two likely reasons. The first is that insecurities emerge in pressure moments like this. If the question were more about your area of expertise, you would probably nail it. But if talking about what you do is not an area of expertise, then this insecurity emerges. The second answer is related: it is also likely because you’ve been taught that there’s a “right” way to answer. It feels rehearsed and scripted because it is. In this case, the sweaty palms are actually a signal that you aren’t being true to yourself.
That’s why I say “f the elevator pitch”. It promises that a connection happens when you present the perfect line, but it is just another formula that doesn’t fit who you really are. It sands down the edges that make your work unmistakable. But real connection happens when people get to experience your energy, the way you think, and your wisdom.
What Your Voice Really Is
Your voice isn’t a collection of clever lines. It’s the language that naturally flows when you’re deep in conversation about the things you care about most. It’s informed by your experience, your values, and your worldview.
When your voice is clear, it feels effortless. You can walk into any room, talk to any person, and know that what you’re saying will feel true to you and land with them. You don’t have to shift into “networking mode.” You’re the same person in every context.
Throwing out the pitch doesn’t mean being a cat walking across piano keys and calling it music. No, you are learning jazz. There is still a structure, but you get to fill it with music (language) that can only come from you.
The shift is simple, but it’s not easy:
Lead with what matters most to you, not just what you do.
Use the words you’d actually use in conversation with a peer you respect.
Let your answer be an invitation, so the other person steps into a real exchange instead of nodding politely and moving on.
In other words, you have to make them want to engage with you. Attention is expensive, and people are stingy with it. A “perfect” pitch might earn a polite nod. But a clear, confident voice earns curiosity, and curiosity is the gateway to deeper connection..
The more crowded the market gets, the more valuable your true voice becomes. It’s the ultimate IP; one of the things about you that can’t be duplicated, automated, or optimized by someone else.
How We Work on This in F the Formula
F the Formula is my new live brand coaching cohort for solo entrepreneurs, creatives, and independent pros. It is built on five principles of non-algorithm branding that strip away soulless tactics and replace them with language, positioning, and systems so true to you that no one could mistake your work for anyone else’s.
Module 1 is Finding Your Voice and is about closing the gap between who you are and how you talk about your work. We strip away the borrowed lines and the marketing-speak until what’s left is language you can stand on in any room and any platform.
One tool I teach is deceptively simple:
Write down the last three times you explained your work.
Highlight anything that could have come from someone else in your field.
Replace those phrases with the way you’d actually say it to someone who gets it.
Try this and see what happens. You’ll feel the shift immediately. Your words will have a weight to them that you didn’t feel before. That’s because they are your words, not an elevator pitch. They carry your wisdom, your clarity, your authority. And best of all, no more sweaty palms. Just a quiet confidence that says, in the words of Ron Swanson, “I know what I’m about.”
The Invitation
We will start the first F the Formula in early October with fifteen people who bring depth, originality, and emotional intelligence, and want to apply those traits to their brands. If you’re ready to “f the elevator pitch”, apply to be a part of the cohort here.
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