THE PROBLEM
You open pitches talking about what you built.
"We help X achieve Y through Z."
Features. Benefits. Traction.
And people nod while their brain screams: why should I care?
Here's what you're missing: What you're building is only half the story.
The other half is what you're building against.
I've watched hundreds of founders pitch. Same pattern.
They explain solutions without ever making the problem feel urgent enough to matter.
Watch the difference:
BEFORE: "I'm building a financial literacy platform for young professionals. We provide personalized education and tools to help people make better money decisions."
AFTER: "I watched my sister drown in student debt while predatory lenders sent her congratulations cards for 'building credit.' The financial system profits from keeping people confused. I'm ending that."
Same business.
One makes you nod. The other makes you lean forward.
The difference? The second one has an enemy.
WHAT YOU'RE ACTUALLY FIGHTING
Every film worth watching has a villain you can point at. The Joker burning money. The shark haunting Amity Island. The system in The Matrix keeping everyone asleep.
Not abstract. Clear.
Your brand needs the same clarity.
But most founders skip this. They focus on their solution without naming what needs to die.
Excavate the truth you've been too polite to say.
Every founder building something real is running from something. Or running toward its destruction.
The ones who win? They name it.
THE FRAMEWORK
STEP 1: NAME YOUR VILLAINS
List 3-5 forces you're building against.
Not competitors.
Industry norms that make you angry. Societal beliefs you reject. Systems that deserve to burn.
Example:
Algorithms making human decisions without human judgment
Companies treating people as cost centers
Age discrimination disguised as optimization
The lie that data is always more objective than experience
Don't edit. Just excavate.
What actually pisses you off?
STEP 2: GIVE ONE A FACE
Abstract enemies don't move people.
Choose one villain. Make it specific.
Not "the healthcare system is broken."
But "Insurance executives who profit when they deny care, who've never sat in a hospital waiting room wondering if their kid will make it."
Not "education needs reform."
But "Standardized tests designed by people who forgot what it's like to be fourteen and terrified, reducing human potential to bubble sheets."
The more specific, the more people feel it.
STEP 3: YOUR REBELLION STATEMENT
Complete this:
"I do this because I refuse to accept that..."
No corporate speak. No softening.
Examples:
"I refuse to accept that brilliant people stay stuck because career advice is controlled by people who've never taken a real risk."
"I refuse to accept that we normalize sixty-hour weeks while pretending we value mental health."
"I refuse to accept that the only people who get funded look like they went to the same three schools."
This is your line in the sand.
STEP 4: YOUR MARKET MESSAGE
Compress it:
"In a world that [antagonist], I [your stance]."
Examples:
"In a world that treats employees as disposable, I prove loyalty beats turnover."
"In a world that accepts predatory lending, I make financial literacy unavoidable."
"In a world that only funds familiar faces, I back the outliers."
This becomes your North Star.
THE PATTERN IN ACTION
MENTAL HEALTH APP
BEFORE: "I'm building a mental health platform that makes therapy accessible through AI-assisted matching and flexible pricing."
AFTER: "I refuse to accept that 'I can't afford therapy' exists in the richest country in history. I watched my best friend spiral because a $200 copay was too much. That ends now."
SUSTAINABLE FASHION
BEFORE: "We create eco-friendly fashion for conscious consumers who want to reduce environmental impact."
AFTER: "Fast fashion companies convinced a generation that throwing away clothes every season is normal. Built empires on waste and exploitation, then blamed us for not being 'conscious' enough. I'm done with that gaslighting."
EDUCATION TECH
BEFORE: "Our platform personalizes learning to help students achieve better outcomes through adaptive technology."
AFTER: "The education system still operates like a 1950 factory. Thirty kids, one pace, same test. We call the ones who can't keep up 'slow learners' instead of admitting the system is broken. Every 'failed' kid I work with? Brilliant. Just not in the way schools measure."
See it?
The first version tells you what they do.
The second makes you feel why it matters.
WHY THIS WORKS
Humans are wired for conflict.
We don't remember lectures. We remember battles.
When you name your enemy clearly:
Instant Clarity - Your audience knows where you stand immediately.
Tribal Identity - People join tribes. The mental health founder isn't building an app. She's leading a rebellion.
Content Engine - Every day your antagonist gives you material. Every policy change, every scandal, every tone-deaf industry statement becomes content.
THE COST OF NEUTRAL
You think you can't afford to alienate people.
Wrong.
Trying to appeal to everyone guarantees you matter to no one.
Tony's Chocolonely didn't become the fastest-growing chocolate brand by making 'better chocolate.'
They declared war on slave labor. Put a map of West African child exploitation on every wrapper.
Ben & Jerry's didn't win by making 'premium ice cream.'
They fought systemic racism, corporate greed, and climate denial. Named enemies most brands won't touch.
Every movement that matters started with someone saying: "This. I will not accept this anymore."
Your story needs the same clarity.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
Your pitch has the pieces. The validation is there. The solution works.
But something breaks down between what you know and what they hear.
I can show you exactly where in 60 minutes.
The Story Fix Call:
I'll dissect why your message falls flat (it's not your product)
Walk away with ONE narrative shift that starts working immediately
Get a personalized plan showing what's broken and how to fix it
Free. One hour. 5 spots left this month.
