Know your audience

Ever notice when certain lessons that seem to only apply in one context

Then begin to pop up EVERYWHERE?

"Know your audience" is one of those for me.

In startups and small businesses finance, maybe the first obvious application is when you're trying to convince an investor or lender to give you money.

You need to really understand the motivations, fears, goals, and preferences of that money man

-(And yes, sigh... it's almost always a man 🙄)-

To get those funds.

But here's the thing: This lesson is EVERYWHERE.

In Finance,

In business,

And in life.

• Once you get that funding, how are you going to communicate those milestones you promised those investors to your team? Know Your Audience.

• When it comes time to sell to your enterprise customers and you're jumping on a sales call, how do you know what to say? Know Your Audience.

• When you're negotiating terms with a supplier, how do you approach their priorities? Know Your Audience.

• When you're designing your product, your report, or your email for someone else, how do you do it well? Know your Audience.

• When you're planning a surprise for your partner, how do you know what will really make their day? Know Your Audience.

• When you're sharing life news with friends, how do you know whether to go into the details vs. just give the headline? Know Your Audience.

• When you're helping a friend through a difficult time, how do you know when to talk and when to just listen? Know Your Audience.

And here's the tough thing: It's really hard to know your audience!

In all of these different contexts, it takes effort, practice, and a deepening understanding.

But the best thing about lessons like this?

Their universality

Makes learning them incredibly worthwhile.

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