“I” vs “We” Pitches
Do you pitch as an “I” or a “we”?
Your choice of pronoun is such a simple thing, yet it might be one of the easiest ways to improve how you pitch your startup. That’s because you’re likely to choose your pronoun unconsciously, oblivious to how it’s coming across to your listener. And even though it rolls off your tongue unwittingly, without awareness or intention, unfortunately, it can really grate on our ears!
“I have a technology that can make leather from mushrooms that I’ve been working on in the lab with my cofounders”
“I am raising a seed round of capital so that I’m able to launch a pilot”
“I got Big Customer to agree to some trials and after that, I’ll have a better idea of my go-to-market”
It may sound like rookie stuff but you’d be amazed how many founders with substantial teams (20+ people) are still pitching to us with a singular pronoun!
The challenge is that when you use “I” to describe a business that’s clearly a team effort it can be distracting, we’re wincing a teeny tiny bit inside, and then we have to work harder to really listen and follow your train of thought. Whereas, founders who use the “we” pronoun are naturally baking in a sense of collective experience and shared achievement to their narrative.
There are (at least) two exceptions to this rule of thumb:
- If you’re truly working on your own, a sole operator, building a company as a lone wolf on a desert island. In this scenario perhaps “I” is the only accurate pronoun
- If you’re taking the blame for a mistake. In that case, go for your life! Using “I” signals that, as founder, you’re taking accountability for a misstep
But for the most part, when you switch from “I” to “we”, it elevates the way you pitch and, in all likelihood, improves the way your company interacts with customers and talent as well. And after a little while, you’ve built that muscle and a plural pronoun becomes pretty effortless.
Ps. I am far from perfect on this one, please don’t hesitate to pull me up when you hear me inadvertently using “I” instead of “we”!
