Hmm. I need to get better at describing my business to people. When I describe it haphazardly it sounds like a little of everything and, at the same time, a lot of nothing. Yikes. I was caught off guard today when a professor I really admire asked me about my future goals. I kinda balked. I wanted to make it clear it was about writing and speaking primarily, but I ended up awkwardly talking a lot about the money aspect to validate that it’s a substantive career path. Then, I also started talking about comedy and improv and, looking back, it was a hot mess. I was trying to just say it all so quickly and it came out too quickly. Like word vomit. Not grool.
I seemed to have forgotten the basic rules of an elevator pitch. You give just a snippet, and if they’re interested, they’ll ask for more. Then you can feed it to them one digestible bite at a time. I know that I am capable of doing this with my business plans, because I’ve done it many times before. In fact, I did it masterfully just last week. After chatting with a colleague for a while about Find Mind Space (FMS) he said this in a follow up email, “Big props to you on taking your personal insight, packaging it, and delivering it in a digestible format for so many people that could use it. Definitely sign me up.”
So why did I screw it up this time? I think it happened for 2 reasons; 1) I was excited (and probably a little nervous) and 2) Because my plans are approaching unicorn status
Unicorn status, I’m intrigued. Tell me more. (Didn’t you know I’m a mind reader?)
I’m borrowing this term from the world of startup and venture capital. A unicorn simply refers to a startup that is valued over $1 billion. Today I read about a company called Zwift that is attempting to merge video games with group fitness. The CEO recently said the company is “approaching unicorn status” due to its latest round of funding and because of its big ambitions. They want to make home workouts more interactive, immersive, social and eventually “bring Zwift to the Olympics.” Whoa.
Those are some big goals. And when I read the blurb about it in The Hustle and Techcrunch I kept thinking, “dude slow down a sec.” They went from 0 to 100 so fast that I couldn’t keep up. I could track the initial popularity of the company, but admittedly I struggled with seeing how this could have anything to do with the Olympics. And that’s coming from someone who is very open to big ideas. Then it hit me that this is the same issue I’m having when describing FMS, my new project.
I have been developing the ideas for FMS for the past 3 years. There are so many potential avenues to explore and areas where we can make a real impact. So when people ask me what’s next, it all comes gushing out. I’m talking about the Olympics and they’re really just wondering what I plan to do after I graduate. Moving forward it’s going to take a lot of self-control to not dump all my long term plans and ambitions on people all at once.
When I think about Find Mind Space and our future I see us approaching unicorn status (not so much the $1 billion valuation part, but more the huge ambitions of changing the world and making a real lasting impact part). Nevertheless, it isn’t my job right now to convince anyone of that trajectory. Right now my job is to explain who we are and what we’re about in a clear and concise manner.
So for my future elevator pitches, here’s my brief explanation:
Me: I’m not planning to go the traditional route in academia once I graduate.
Person: Oh, so what are you planning to do?
Me: I am starting my own company that will focus on science communication and student advocacy. I’m very passionate about increasing academic success and improving graduate student quality of life.
Person: So how will you do that? How will you meet those goals?
Me: I will mainly create digital resources across a variety of platforms (e.g. podcasts, blogs, online courses, ebooks, etc) and also do in-person advocacy in the form of speaking engagements and workshops.
Person: What about your research?
Me: I still plan to research how people can successfully navigate various social contexts and environments. It’s basically taking my current research with voles, and looking at a more applied perspective in humans.
Person: That sounds really cool! And it sounds like it’s a great integration of your interests and expertise.
Me: Yeah, I’m very excited about it all!
Then once I’ve laid the groundwork, it’ll be up to whoever I’m talking with to inquire about more specific details concerning where FMS is headed. Huzzah!
After some reflection I feel a bit better about my train wreck of an explanation earlier. At least I turned it into a teachable moment and was able to salvage something from my embarrassment. And at the end of the day, deep down, I truly do believe that FMS is approaching unicorn status, but I’m fine with not trying to convince anyone anytime soon.
So you’ll just have to take my word for it.