Welcome to One Thing Better. Each week, the editor in chief of Entrepreneur magazine (that's me) shares one way to achieve a breakthrough at work — and build a career or company you love.
Today's edition is sponsored by Kick, my favorite bookkeeping software (for real!). See details at the end of the newsletter.
"What do you do?"
It's a simple question. But we often botch the answer.
Maybe your answer is vague and boring. Or long and confusing. Or you just say your job title and hope people understand the rest.
That's a massive, missed opportunity.
Every time someone asks what you do, it's a chance to build your business or advance your career — by showing how valuable you are to others.
So let's get it right. You need a simple, clear way to explain what you do — and the stakes are high.
How to say what you do
I am obsessed with the work of Donald Miller, author of Building a StoryBrand. He teaches people how to communicate their value in ways that convert.
I especially love his formula for what he calls the perfect one-liner. It's like a shorter elevator pitch — deceptively simple, but incredibly powerful.
A great one-liner has three parts, he says:
The problem you solve
The product (or skill) you offer
The result people get
The key here is leading with the problem. People value things that solve problems, he says — so if you articulate the problem that you solve, other people immediately see how you're valuable.
He offers an example that really stuck in my head:
Imagine being at a cocktail party and meeting two chefs. They do the same work, at the same price, but they explain themselves differently.
Chef #1 says: "I'm at at-home chef. I come to your house and cook."
In response, you probably… ask some questions about his favorite foods?
Chef #2 says: "You know how most families don't eat together anymore — and when they do, they don't eat healthy? I'm an at-home chef. I come to your house and cook, so that your family can actually connect with each other over a meal and not have to think about cooking or cleaning up afterward."
In response, you probably… think to yourself, "Wow, I could use that! Maybe I should hire this guy."
As Donald explains on this great podcast episode: "You're doing two things: You're raising the perceived value of what you offer, and you're decreasing cognitive dissonance in the mind of the person you're talking to."
In other words, they don't have to wonder things like: What does this person do? What's that like? Should I ask a follow-up question? Instead, your value is crystal clear.
Now let's apply it to someone else
I recently met a friend of a friend. He said he's a photographer.
"Oh, what kind of photography do you do?" I asked.
"Corporate headshots," he said. "But that sounds boring, so I often just say I'm a photographer."
Lots of cognitive dissonance! I thought: This guy needed Donald Miller's solution.
So I told him he was missing a massive opportunity. Then I tried to apply Donald's framework to his work.
I told him: Instead of saying you're a photographer, what if you said this...
"You know how everyone's headshot on LinkedIn is super awkward? That's because professionals don't get the headshots they need to stand out, and that can lead to missed job opportunities. I solve this problem — because I specialize in professional headshots that make anyone look confident and compelling."
As I said this, his face lit up. He imagined walking around networking events and introducing himself. Now he'd no longer be a random photographer with a boring-sounding job. Instead, he'd be the solution to all everyone's problems!
He could get work just by explaining what he does.
The real insight: It's not about you
Here's what Donald's framework really teaches us:
When we explain what we do, we often focus on ourselves. But we really need to focus on the person we're talking to.
When you create your one-liner, you gain clarity on your own value. You start thinking: "How am I useful to other people? What problem do they have, which I am uniquely qualified to solve?"
And when you know the answer to those questions, everything about your work becomes easier. It's easier to pitch yourself, market yourself, and even just talk about yourself.
So the next time someone asks what you do, remember: Lead with them, not you.
That's how to do one thing better.
I stopped avoiding my bookkeeping
I hate bookkeeping.
For years I let transactions pile up, panic-categorized before taxes, and paid my accountant extra to clean up the mess.
Then I tried Kick.
What surprised me most: I actually set it up the same day. Connected my accounts, answered a few questions, and it just started working. No tutorials. SO simple.
Now it just runs. Transactions are categorized automatically. Real accountants review everything. When my CPA asks for my books, they're clean. First try.
Honestly, this saved me at least 20 hours last year.
If you run a business, freelance, or do contract work, Kick has a wild tax-season offer: Sign up before March 1st and they'll do all your 2025 bookkeeping for free, plus 25% off 2026 — a deal worth over $2,000.
I don't usually promote tools, but this one genuinely fixed a problem I'd been avoiding for years. If you've been putting off your bookkeeping, this is your excuse to finally deal with it.
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