For years I gave a different answer whenever someone asked what I did. Clients heard that uncertainty.

The hesitation tax

A prospect must describe your work to someone else. Give them a sentence they can repeat accurately.

Decide what you want strangers to remember.

Trust is not a feeling you create. It is a decision you make first, then let people see.

The one slide

My one slide is a bracket containing two lists: what we do and what we refuse. Write both before designing anything.

Three things to do this month

• Ask five past clients how they described you to someone else. Write down the exact words. The position is usually already in there.
• Cut your bio to one sentence you can say without looking at it. Test it at dinner.
• Remove one thing from your site that is true but not yours. Notice how much better the rest reads.

A clear decision gives the design something to express.

The only diagram on my studio wall is a bracket. It asks two questions.

What the bracket does

What do you claim? What do you refuse? Together, the answers give the practice a recognisable shape.

A focused offer is easier to describe than a list of every capability.

The claim tells people what to expect. The refusal tells them to believe it.

Drawing yours

List your possible claims. Remove those any competitor could make, then those you would not want to keep proving.

Outside the bracket, write three requests you should decline. Say them aloud.

Keeping it

Keep the result visible in proposals, onboarding and discovery calls. Revisit it as the practice changes.

Start with the paragraph you use today. Keep the meaning while removing anything that does no work.

Pass one: remove the adjectives

Remove adjectives. If the sentence collapses, it needs a clearer claim.

Pass two: name the person

Name the person who buys the work: a founder, director or manager.

A sentence with a person in it can be tested. A sentence about audiences cannot.

Pass three: replace the verb

Use a concrete verb: write, draw, decide or build. Describe an action a client can recognise.

Pass four: read it to a client

Read the result to a past client without explaining it. Revise anything they misunderstand.

Keep the sentence short. Put the supporting evidence beneath it.