Someone asks: "What does your company do?"

You launch into a 3-minute explanation. You mention features, industries, use cases, and value propositions.

Their eyes glaze over.

They nod politely. "Cool, sounds interesting."

And they forget about you 10 minutes later.

This is the positioning problem. Not because your product is bad. But because you haven't answered the most important question:

"Who is this for, and what problem does it solve?"

Positioning isn't complicated. But most founders overcomplicate it.

Today, let's fix that.

Let me tell you about Rachel, founder of a 5-person productivity software company.

When people asked what her product did, Rachel said:

"We're a productivity platform that helps teams collaborate, manage projects, and track time. It's great for agencies, consultants, freelancers, remote teams, startups—really anyone who wants to get more done."

Sounds comprehensive, right?

Wrong.

When you're for everyone, you're for no one.

Rachel's marketing was scattered:

Result:

Then Rachel read "Obviously Awesome" by April Dunford. The core lesson:

"Positioning is the act of deliberately defining how you are the best at something that a defined market cares about."

Rachel narrowed her positioning:

Before: "Productivity platform for everyone."
After: "Project management for design agencies billing $500K-3M/year."

She went from serving everyone to serving one specific customer.

What changed:

Month 1:

Month 6:

"I was afraid that narrowing would shrink my market. Instead, it made my market notice me."

Positioning = Who it's for + What problem it solves + Why you're the best choice

It's not about features. It's not about benefits. It's about context.

Think of positioning like a GPS pin.

If you drop a pin in the middle of the ocean, no one knows what they're looking at.

But if you drop a pin on "Italian restaurant in Brooklyn," people instantly understand: where it is, what it offers, and who it's for.

Bad positioning: "We're a cloud-based solution that leverages AI to optimize workflows."

Good positioning: "Automated invoice processing for construction companies with 10-100 employees."

The first is vague. The second is a GPS pin.

Big companies can afford to be everything to everyone. They have massive marketing budgets, sales teams, and brand recognition.

You don't.

Here's why sharp positioning is critical for teams looking to scale with leverage, not labor:

The best microteams don't try to serve everyone. They own a specific niche.

Here's how to position your product in a way that cuts through the noise.

Don't say: "Small businesses."
Say: "SaaS companies with 5-20 employees doing $1M-5M ARR."

The narrower, the better.

How to narrow:

Ask:

Example:

If you can picture 100 specific people who fit your description, you're narrow enough.

What's the one problem your customer is desperate to solve?

Not the problem you think they have. The problem they actually lose sleep over.

How to find it:

Option 1: Talk to 10 customers. Ask: "What was the problem you were trying to solve before you found us?"

Option 2: Read reviews of competitors. What do people complain about?

Option 3: Join communities where your customers hang out (Slack, Reddit, LinkedIn groups). What do they ask for help with?

Example:

Your positioning should solve one specific, urgent problem.

Why should they choose you over competitors (or doing nothing)?

Three ways to differentiate:

1. Niche specialization

2. Unique approach

3. Better outcome

Avoid generic claims:

Be specific:

Combine steps 1-3 into one sentence.

Template:

"We help [specific customer] solve [specific problem] with [unique approach/outcome]."

Examples:

Good:

Bad:

If a stranger can repeat your positioning after hearing it once, it's good.

Imagine you're at a networking event. Someone asks: "What does your company do?"

You say your positioning statement.

Good positioning:

Bad positioning:

If it passes the cocktail party test, your positioning works.

Once you've nailed positioning, update:

Website homepage:

LinkedIn/Twitter bio:

Sales deck:

Email signature:

Consistency builds clarity. Clarity builds trust.

If you're still not seeing results after 90 days, you're probably not narrow enough.

Go narrower:

Before: "Marketing consultants"
After: "LinkedIn ghostwriters for B2B SaaS founders"

Before: "E-commerce fulfillment"
After: "Same-day fulfillment for Shopify stores selling perishable goods"

The riches are in the niches.

Mistake 1: Confusing features with positioning

Mistake 2: Being too clever

Mistake 3: Targeting too broad

Mistake 4: No clear problem

Mistake 5: Following competitors

Reposition if:

Don't reposition if:

You don't need to overhaul your entire brand today. Just clarify your positioning.

Here's what to do in the next 10 minutes:

That's it. One sentence, 10 minutes.

Next week, update your homepage headline. In a month, you'll see if it resonates. If not, narrow further.

Bad positioning sounds like everyone else.

Good positioning makes people say: "Wait, this is exactly for me."

Most founders resist narrowing because they're afraid of leaving money on the table.

But here's the truth:

When you try to be for everyone, you're memorable to no one.

When you're laser-focused on a specific customer solving a specific problem, you become the obvious choice.

That's not limiting. That's leverage.

So stop trying to serve everyone.

Pick your niche. Own it. And watch what happens when people finally understand what you do.

A hands-on positioning workbook that walks you through the exact 7-step framework from this week's deep dive—turning vague "we help businesses" messaging into a razor-sharp positioning statement you can use on your website, in sales conversations, and everywhere else that matters.

Most microteam founders know their positioning is weak. They just don't know how to fix it. The free article gave you the framework. This workbook makes you do the work—with prompts, examples, and a before/after view of your positioning at every stage.