Start a Business – One Sentence Pitch

Feb 26, 2025

In the previous article, ​“Start a Business – Revision”​, we conducted a detailed review of all previous steps with the ultimate goal of identifying a real problem, a real solution, a good business model, and a clear understanding of who your customer is and who will actually buy what you are selling. After completing this step, we can more confidently say that you have a much clearer idea of what your business is doing.

The Elevator

Now imagine entering an elevator and meeting an investor willing to invest in your business. He asks you a simple question: “What does your business do?” Unfortunately, you have only 30 seconds to explain because you will soon reach your destination, and you probably will never see each other again.

One Shot

This metaphor is not far from reality because, in general, people don’t have long attention spans. If you cannot quickly explain what your business is doing, they will eventually stop listening.

They will smile and probably respond politely with “Yes,” “Yes,” desperately waiting for you to stop and leave them alone.

This brings us to the ultimate conclusion that you must be able to explain your business in one sentence—short and informative. This sentence must explain your whole business so that a person who is not aware of what you are doing can immediately understand what you do.

Not only that, but your explanation should provide clarity that moves them to the stage where they can make a decision: “Do I want to buy this product?” or, if the person is an investor, “Am I interested in investing in this business and person?”

In essence, I would say that:

Template

Ideally, the one-sentence pitch must answer the following key questions:

1. What is my product?
2. Who is my customer?
3. What problem does my product solve for the customer?

By answering these questions, we have a clear idea of what your product is, who will buy it, and why they’d like to buy it. Of course, there are many more details the listener may be interested in, such as the cost of manufacturing your product, the overall expenses, and whether you have storage facilities, etc. But remember, you don’t have the time to answer these questions.

Your main goal is to catch the listener’s attention and lay the foundation for further questions and conversation.

This is why we’re going to use the following structure for your one-sentence pitch.

Examples

To make that clearer for you, I am going to give you a few examples.

This one-sentence pitch gives a clear idea of what we’re doing, who we target, and the problem we solve.

As you can see, I did not follow the template strictly. In fact, that is not necessary. We can be flexible, as long as we answer the key questions I listed above.

Let me give one more example.

Exercise

Now, it is your turn. Use the template above and write a few versions of your one-sentence pitch. Choose the one that, in your opinion, explains your business in the best possible way.

Once you’re ready, the next step is to stress-test it. Meet with your colleagues or friends and present them with your one-sentence pitch. Ask them if they understand what your business is about. Ensure that they don’t have prior knowledge of your business; they should be hearing about it for the first time. If they don’t understand the pitch, refine it and try again.

The ultimate goal is to have a clear one-sentence pitch that answers the questions I listed above. And remember, you cannot move on to the next steps in building a business if you haven’t clarified this step!

Need Help?

If you feel uncertain about your one-sentence pitch, feel free to contact me by reaching out via this ​contact form​.