“What’s your vision for this company?” That’s usually the first question I ask founders. Some are incredible at answering it — but others struggle.

Let me show you how to do this like a pro…

One Clear Sentence

You should be able to get the vision for your company down to a single sentence that is very clear. Don’t use jargon or buzzwords.

You may not “democratize” or “supercharge” anything. You may not make anyone “bionic” or even “AI enabled.” And your vision cannot involve anything “in a box.”

I sometimes use this technospeak myself! And I have to watch it.

These terms are vague and meaningless. They don’t say what your vision for the company actually is.

Tell us what you do and where you’re going. Be as concrete and specific as possible.

Taking Uber as an Example

Let’s try an example. Uber is the most successful company of the last vintage, so we’ll go with that.

Travis could tell investors: “The vision for Uber is to get anyone a ride anywhere, any time.”

That’s darned compelling! Immediately, I see the value in Uber.

Everyone needs a ride sometimes!

As an investor, I am imagining the massive market for transportation transformed. I can almost see the dollar signs.

An Example of What to Avoid

What you don’t want to do is give investors a whole paragraph. A vision must be tight and punchy.

You also shouldn’t dig into every single thing you do. We’re going for the overall vision for the business, not a feature list.

Let’s imagine another way Travis could’ve pitched this:

“Well, we got here because I noticed I could never get a taxi in the rain. And did you know they actually have shared rides in Zimbabwe? It’s so cool! I actually did it once. You should really try it. So I had an idea and I talked to my buddy Garrett, and he started working on an MVP. Right now we have black cars, we actually have 12 of them. And later we’re going to add more black cars and even people’s regular cars, but only if they’re nicer and newer. The regulators won’t like it but I think we can win.”

This is not a tight statement of the founder’s vision. This is a brain dump.

There’s some valuable info in there, but it’s too deep into details. Keep it punchy.

Wrap-Up

Once you nail your vision, you’ll do way better pitching investors. You can also use this vision to inspire employees and attract customers.

People want to be a part of something big. Give that to them!

What’s your vision for your startup? Leave a comment and let us know!

There will be no blog on Monday for Memorial Day. Have a great holiday weekend everyone!🇺🇸🍔

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