Clarity Over Everything
Small business owners are messy.
I was too.
Today I got together with a old friend from college. We have not talked in nearly 20 years.
Once the shock of the fact that college was 20 years ago wore off, we started swapping war stories.
Charlie Sells runs Clarity Over Everything, where he advises businesses on their messaging.
As we talked, Charlie shared some things he sees time and again with small business owners.
As you can probably tell from the name of his firm, they centered around clarity…or the lack there of in small businesses.
Here are some ways he sees a lack of clarity show up in new businesses, and why it quietly holds people back.
- Charlie said small business owners suffer from FOMO
He sees it all the time.
Owners chasing new ideas, new services, new opportunities… always looking for the next thing that might bring in more money.
And when he said it, I immediately thought, “Yeah… I have been there.”
When you are starting out, there is pressure.
You have financial goals. You want momentum. You want proof that this is going to work.
So when something new pops up that could bring in a few extra dollars… it is hard to ignore.
But Charlie’s point was simple.
Every time you chase something new, you dilute your message.
Now instead of being known for one clear thing… you become a little bit of everything.
And that makes it harder for customers to understand why they should choose you.
There was even a Seinfeld reference in there (Shoot me your guess which episode was brought up).
- Charlie said entrepreneurs try to do everything before they have proven one thing works
This one hit hard.
He talked about how business owners try to build out the full vision too early.
Multiple services. Full brand. Detailed systems. Complex offers.
All before they have even validated that one simple version works.
Again… I have done this.
It feels like you are being thorough. It feels like you need it or customers won’t take you seriously.
But Charlie’s perspective was that this creates complexity before clarity.
You end up managing a business that has not even proven its foundation yet.
Instead, he emphasized starting with one clear offer and learning from real interactions.
That is where clarity actually comes from.
- Charlie said most businesses are committing “random acts of marketing”
This was the phrase that stuck with me the most.
Random acts of marketing.
Posting here. Trying ads there. Changing messaging depending on the day. Talking about different things to different people.
From the business owner’s perspective, it feels like effort.
From the customer’s perspective, it feels like confusion.
Charlie’s whole philosophy is that clarity in messaging drives everything.
If someone cannot quickly understand what you do, who you help, and why it matters… they move on.
It is not that your business is bad.
It is that your message is unclear.
Bringing this together
Listening to Charlie talk through this… it was a good reminder.
It reinforced the things I have experienced and seen time and time again.
Before you try to grow…
Before you try to scale…
Before you try to do more…
You need clarity. You need to be concise, not just in your marketing, but in everything.
Don’t be like your average small business owner who is messy in all things.
Charlie advises from the messaging side.
I approach it from the business foundation side.
But we are both pointing you to the same thing.
If you do not have clarity, everything else becomes harder than it needs to be.
Weekend Exercise
This weekend, pull out one of those mailers or ads you usually throw away.
Then do this:
- Time yourself. Read it for 10 seconds
- Put it down
Now try to explain, out loud:
- What do they do?
- Who are they trying to help?
- Why should someone hire them?
- What is the next step to actually do business with them?
If you struggle to explain it clearly…
That business has a messaging problem.