Did you ever notice how casual conversations are often the start of things that make you say, “hmmmm” (thanks, Arsenio)? It happens to me all of the time. Someone will make a random comment that sticks like a jingle you didn’t ask for but now can’t forget. Yeah… me too!
That’s the funny thing about ideas—they don’t always arrive in your inbox or appear in a brainstorming session without warning. Sometimes, they sneak in through the side door, wearing sneakers and cracking jokes. And sometimes, what starts as a throwaway remark can become the seed for a powerful truth about your business, especially regarding messaging.
I’ve been working with a startup. They are brilliant people focused on a groundbreaking application of AI to help manage multiple chronic conditions. Due to advancements in medicine, what used to be fatal no longer is. This is beneficial, but it leaves the entire healthcare ecosystem—from patients to payers, and everyone in between—grappling with how to achieve better outcomes, each defined differently by each market segment.
Here’s where things get messy—and interesting.
When survival is no longer the benchmark, the definition of “success” becomes a moving target. For patients, success might mean fewer hospital visits or better quality of life. For providers, it might mean care plan compliance or reduced ER utilization. For payers, it might mean fewer claims. Everyone is playing a different game on the same field, and they are all keeping score in their own way. This brings us to the challenge of creating a clear message.
Miles’ Law (where you stand depends on where you sit) is at work, threatening to turn your message into a choose-your-own-confusion adventure. A startup still trying to find its core constituency complicates this by an order of magnitude. As we discussed in last week’s post, the client is now chasing a fluffle of rabbits. However, this time it isn’t a simultaneous reach to different avatars, but rather the need for a message that aligns with your growth stage.
This isn’t just a startup problem. It’s a growth problem. As your company evolves, your messaging has to evolve with it. Each new stage brings new audiences, new priorities, and new expectations. And each one demands a different message—crafted, tested, and aligned to where you are, not where you were.
Let’s break that down.
Stage 1: Seed
At the seed stage, your job is to prove the problem is real—and that someone cares enough to pay to fix it. Messaging here is raw, often scrappy, and focused almost entirely on pain. That’s okay. Your audience is small: early believers and risk-taking investors.
But even here, clarity wins. If you can’t explain what you do in a sentence, you’re already underwater. You’re Baby Yoda—powerful potential, but still mostly babbling.
Stage 2: Startup
Now the chaos begins. You’re sprinting to build, test, iterate. The product shifts. The pitch shifts. Everyone has feedback. Everything feels urgent.
This is where companies often try to talk to everyone—listing every use case, feature, and persona. Resist that urge. Choose one audience. Speak their language. Your message should narrow, not expand. That focus is what will guide you through the noise.
Stage 3: Growth
You’ve got traction. Customers are arriving. Revenue is increasing. This is the moment to codify your messaging.
You need consistency across sales, marketing, support, and product. You require a playbook that includes concise language, structured benefits, and a clear tone. The founder’s voice can no longer carry everything; the entire company must convey the message.
Think of it like Jedi training. You’ve got the Force—but now it needs discipline.
Stage 4: Expansion
This is where messaging gets political. You’re launching new products, entering new markets, and targeting new segments. Now you’re juggling competing priorities: internal alignment and external relevance.
You can’t be a different company for every audience, but you also can’t use one voice for every channel. Personalization and segmentation are essential. You’re not changing what you do—you’re changing how you say it, depending on who’s listening.
Stage 5: Maturity
You’ve made it. Brand equity is strong. Recognition is high. But here’s the twist: messaging risk increases now.
Companies at this stage either cling to outdated language or chase trendy nonsense; neither approach works. You need to revisit your message regularly and ask: Is this still true? Is this still bold? Does it still resonate?
Are you still talking like Baby Yoda when the world expects Boss Yoda?
At every stage, messaging must evolve. It should reflect who you are, anticipate where you’re headed, and—most importantly—speak clearly to the people you want to reach next.
So if your story feels stuck, if your pitch sounds scattered, or if you’re talking like a Jedi Master while wielding a plastic lightsaber… pause. Refocus. Get clear.
Because the right message, at the right time, in the right voice?
That’s how companies grow up.
And how they win.
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