Same Questions; Different Founders

"It's that through that team, through that group of incredibly talented people bumping up against each other, having arguments, having fights sometimes, making some noise, and working together - they polish each other and they polish their ideas, and what comes out are these really beautiful stones."

Steve Jobs

It may sound surprising, but it's completely natural for cofounders to view their startup differently based on their own experiences, pain points, and the utility they believe their value provides.

And that's actually what gives us the raw material to fine-tune the message and copy.

It's an important part of the process - which is why different stakeholders must take part, and why it's essential for each to fill out the brief independently.

We end up with different answers to the same questions. Those differences help us find common denominators, avoid piling on too many features and benefits, cut inappropriate promises, and give founders the talking points to sharpen their value proposition and focus better.

No, they aren't all smiling and having a good time. This process is usually a pain. But it's also crucial in getting to the point. It helps figure out their true motivation, clarifies the offering, and drives us to dig deeper - often surfacing new directions and ideas, since great copy can come from anyone and anywhere.

Embrace the friction. Walk through it, dig further, and you'll find those rough edges getting polished into something absolutely beautiful.

The end result: your ideal audience can actually understand WTF your startup does.