Loud Thinking

Name 2 Things Your Small Business Has Accomplished

Early-stage entrepreneurs often dread the question, “How’s it going?” Whether it’s a potential partner, a VC, or even just a friend asking, you want to communicate that things are going well – but you don’t want to be vague or rattle off a memorized litany of achievements. Next time this question comes up, be ready to respond with two recent accomplishments. Choose things that are concrete and easy to understand. For example you might say: “Things are great! We just crossed 900,000 monthly active users and brought Facebook on as a hiring partner.” Stick to two things. If you only name one, it comes off like you want your audience to be impressed by that one achievement. With two, they can choose which one they want to react to, and you come off less like you’re baiting them to compliment any specific aspect of your business.

Adapted by HBR from “Every Entrepreneur’s Least Favorite Question,” by Kathryn