Be what you are

Some companies spend a lot of time and effort trying to please their various angels, VCs, analysts and other interested parties by trying to associate with multiple marketplace trends and working the latest buzzwords into their positioning, messaging and content - even when the connections between the problem the company solves, what the company actually does and those trends and keywords aren’t overly authentic and strong. 

WeWork is one infamous example. The company actually provides on-demand office space, and does a really good job at that. But for a time, its founder argued that it was actually more of a tech company with the goal of achieving a much higher valuation than could be achieved as an old school landlord. But the true nature of the main problem the company solves and the company’s operational reality, coupled with negative dynamics in the real estate industry, finally brought the chickens home to roost. The resulting late but accurate realization that WeWork’s core value proposition is that it leases flexible, temporary office space with perks, finally burst the reality distortion field around the company and lost an estimated $14 billion dollars of investor money.

James Hannon and I were the founders and principal positioning and messaging architects at 2010 Technology PR Agency of the Year, Atomic PR. We have worked with hundreds of startups (and big brands too)–and we’ve always advised them to be the best version of what they actually are. Our advice to startups is, “Be what you are.” Or more precisely, “Be the best, most differentiated, and most valuable version of what you actually are”.  

If you don’t have faith in the importance of the problem your company solves, what it truly is and does, then change the company, not just the words. 

Thanks for reading. I hope you found this helpful. Please get in touch with comments, questions, or additional thoughts.