We meet and work with brilliant founders who’ve been taught that credibility comes from complexity: dense posts, technical talk, immaculate detail.
The truth is… it doesn’t.
It may have been the case 20 years ago, but the modern way of communicating has drastically changed.
In a noisy world, the people who get chosen by new clients, new hires, new business partners, are the people who are seen and understood by their buyers.
That isn’t necessarily fair, but it is human.
Buyers make decisions using signals, shortcuts, and stories long before they compare technical specifications. Which is why an invisible, or (indecipherable) founder costs a business more than missed likes on LinkedIn. It looks like lost intros and lost deals, while a competitor who’s half as competent but twice as clear gets the credit.
Visibility isn’t vanity.
Done right, visibility is a strategic tool for founder-led businesses.
Picture this:
You spend hours on writing a thoughtful post on LinkedIn. It's full of all your industry knowledge and the language that you'd use in your business to talk to colleagues and peers every day.
Comments flood in.... from colleagues and peers.
Debates start.
One-upmanship follows.
Lesson: Your industry technical knowledge gets respect from people who will never buy from you.
Meanwhile, the buyer is thinking:
If your content can’t answer those questions in plain words within seconds, attention slips... and so does the opportunity.
I got bored just writing this.
Because it's all great for being the expert in your field. But it's totally useless for your buyer who needs fewer headaches, lower risk, and visible ROI.
Being seen isn’t enough; being understood is the bridge to being chosen.
Most founders try to prove they’re good (credibility) before they’ve made themselves easy to understand (clarity).
Flip the order:
Lead with #1 and #2 so you’re understood.
Earn #3.
Make #4 easy.
Pain → Plain Words → Proof → Next Step.
Use this everywhere: posts, emails, website hero etc.
Before (data/tech):
“We implement event-driven microservices to optimise throughput and resilience.”
After (ops leader):
“Your platform won’t fall over on busy days, and new features won’t break the rest.”
—
Before (HR/OD):
“We deploy an evidence-based, capability-led framework to transform leadership behaviours.”
After (CEO):
“Your managers will hold better 1:1s in four weeks, and you’ll see fewer escalations by quarter-end.”
—
Before (marketing):
“Full-funnel attribution with MMM and incrementality testing.”
After (CFO):
“We’ll show which channels actually move revenue so you can stop wasting 20–30% of ad spend.”
Rule of thumb: If a bright 14-year-old wouldn’t get it, it’s not clear enough. Simple isn't the same as shallow.
If your presence is seen and your message is understood, you’re on the shortlist, even in a tough market.
Day 1 — Listen first: Collect 20 phrases your buyers actually use (calls, emails, RFPs, comments). Build a “buyer language” doc.
Day 2 — Fix your headline & hero: One pain + one outcome.
Day 3 — Post #1 on social media (Pain → Plain → Proof → Next Step): 120–180 words.
Day 4 — Rewrite a website or sales deck page: Remove 50% of acronyms; replace features with outcomes.
Day 5 — Social proof, simply: One before/after or a 3-line client quote.
Day 6 — Buyer room > peer room: Comment where buyers hang out, in their language.
Day 7 — Mirror check: Ask two clients: “What did you think I did before we worked together?” Close that gap.
Track the phrases buyers mirror back to you. Do more of that.
When you’re clear, everything compounds:
Peers might prefer precision. Buyers reward clarity they can act on.
You’re not changing who you are, you’re making it easier for the right people to see and understand what’s already true.
You don’t have to share anything back to get value.
Clarity isn’t a tone choice. It’s a growth strategy.
Make it effortless to be seen and understood, and you make it effortless to buy from you.