Your Business Is Not About You—It’s About Them
I just hit the ground running this semester, teaching business and public speaking, and there’s one lesson I try to ingrain in my students from day one:
Your business is not about you.
At all.
I know, that might sound counterintuitive—after all, you’re the one creating the product or service, pouring your heart into your business, and showing up online to promote it. But here’s the reality: Business is about your customer. It’s about the value your product or service brings to them and how it impacts their life.
Why So Many Businesses Miss the Mark
Too often, I see businesses struggle with marketing because they don’t actually know how to talk to their customer. They make their content all about them—their story, their wins, their process—without making it clear why any of that should matter to their audience.
The hard truth? If your message isn’t landing, it’s probably because you’re not making it about them.
People don’t just buy products. They buy transformation. They buy solutions. They buy stories they see themselves in.
And if you’re not speaking directly to their journey, their struggles, and their dreams, your message won’t resonate—no matter how many videos, emails, or posts you put out.
Getting to Know Your Ideal Customer (Yes, Even the Creepy Details)
So how do you fix this? You really get to know your customer.
And I mean everything.
I tell my students to dive deep—almost to the point where it feels a little creepy (but in a good way). Because the more you understand your audience, the more you can meet them where they are, speak their language, and genuinely connect with them.
Ask yourself:
✔️ Where do they hang out online? (Facebook? Instagram? TikTok? LinkedIn?)
✔️ What are their biggest challenges and frustrations?
✔️ What are their hopes, dreams, and life goals?
✔️ What kind of content do they consume? (Podcasts? Books? Blogs?)
✔️ What specific words and phrases do they use when talking about their struggles?
You can find many of these insights in your social media analytics, but don’t stop there—go deeper. Reach out to your audience directly and have real conversations. Interview them, ask open-ended questions, and pay attention to the exact words they use.
Bonus: Here are a few questions to ask in customer interviews:
What’s your biggest challenge when it comes to [your topic]?
If you could wave a magic wand and fix one thing, what would it be?
How do you usually look for solutions? (Social media? Google? YouTube?)
What’s something you’ve tried before that didn’t work?
What’s your dream outcome when it comes to [your topic]?
The way you communicate matters. If you’re not speaking directly to your audience’s pain points and desires in their language, your content will always feel like it’s missing the mark. Genuine connection is the key.
Your Next Steps
If you’ve been struggling to connect with your audience or feel like your message isn’t landing, take a step back. Are you making your content about you—or are you truly making it about them?
This week, challenge yourself to do a deep dive into your audience. Read their comments, listen to their struggles, and craft your next piece of content with them in mind.
When you shift your focus from “What do I want to say?” to “What does my audience need to hear?”—everything changes.
Who is your ideal customer? Drop a comment below and tell me one thing you know for sure about them!
