Finding clarity: making your business work for you
At our June Creatives Like Us event, we kicked off with something every business owner struggles with, clarity. Not just knowing your ‘why’ (hopefully you've got that sorted), but truly understanding how to communicate what you do in a way that connects, converts, and feels authentic to who you are.
I led this session, and began with a simple question: "In one word, how do you feel about introducing your business to clients right now?"
The response in the room? Let's just say ‘confident’ wasn't the overwhelming answer.
It all starts with you
Here's what I shared that got people thinking - “your business should work for you, not against you.” That means building on what you're naturally good at, what feels easy, and what energises rather than drains you.
I shared a simple framework of three interconnected circles:
understanding yourself and your business
messaging & targeting
positioning.
Here’s a podcast episode and handouts where I delve more deeply into messaging, targeting and positioning.
I started with the circle that covered understanding you and your business. You can't craft compelling messaging if you don't understand your own strengths, and you can't position yourself effectively if you're not clear on what makes you different.
Crafting your elevator pitch - myth-busting
Your elevator pitch is a brief (think 30 seconds) way of introducing yourself, getting across a key point or two, and making a connection with someone. And most importantly, she said: “your elevator pitch isn't one thing - it's a menu.”
I shared how I adapt my introduction depending on the room I’m in. Sometimes I lead with my experience working with top-tier firms like Arup and Mace. Other times, I focus on specific client results I’ve achieved. And sometimes, I simply say I’m a marketing consultant who works with architects and engineers.
The key is having those variations ready and knowing which one serves the moment I’m in.
What surprised people most?
During the partner sharing exercise, the patterns were fascinating. Many attendees realised they'd been underplaying their strengths or focusing on what they thought they should be good at rather than what actually came naturally to them.
One participant mentioned feeling ‘robotic’ when networking because they'd been using the same script everywhere. Sound familiar?
Your three words matter
Another powerful exercise was defining how you want your business to be perceived in just three words. Professional? Creative? Innovative? Bold? These aren't just nice-to-haves - they're your North Star for every piece of communication you put out there.
I said: "How do you want to show up in the market?" Because if you're not intentional about it, the market will decide for you.
The real work begins now
The session ended with reflection: What's one way you're going to use clarity to make your business work better for you after today?
Because here's the thing - workshops are great, but transformation happens in the implementation. Whether it's finally crafting that elevator pitch menu, getting clear on your natural strengths, or simply being more intentional about how you introduce yourself at the next networking event.
The Creatives Like Us community
This session perfectly captured what Creatives Like Us is all about. We're not here to give you generic business advice you can Google. We're here to create space for you to work on your business alongside other Black and Brown business owners who get the unique challenges we face.
Sometimes that means addressing the fact that walking into predominantly white spaces requires extra energy. Sometimes it means acknowledging that we might need to code-switch our messaging depending on the audience. And sometimes it just means giving ourselves permission to build businesses that actually work for our lives, not against them.
Thanks for reading
I’m Ayo and I’m a built environment marketing consultant who has worked with many construction firms both large and small. Contact me to talk about how we can get your digital marketing converting more ayo@abbasmarketing.com
