Elevator Pitch Makes Me Want To High-rise Dive

Over the summer, I attended this event where Jackie Joyner-Kersee spoke to BCA Philadelphia about how she dedicated herself and persisted through adversity to win six Olympic medals during her track and field career. Afterward, one of my fellow members introduced me to a non-member attendee she felt might do something like what my firm does. I listened to his elevator pitch, and ten seconds into it, I was thankful we were standing on the ground floor of the Kimmel Center. Had we been in a high-rise office tower nearby, I may have eyed the balcony as a means to escape what must have lasted five minutes before I got the chance to ask clarifying questions.

This experience reminded me that the most pressing challenge for many innovative growth companies generating less than $10MM annual revenue is just effectively describing WHAT THEY DO.

I believe that the purpose of an elevator pitch is to quickly pique the interest of either qualified prospects or sources of qualified prospects to the point where they want to ask follow-up questions. It should accomplish this within thirty seconds. No, the elevator pitch won't tell a prospect HOW you deliver your product or service, but it should provide some color around the WHAT and WHY. Yes, it will feel strange the first few times you practice your elevator pitch. Hence, I recommend writing a script, practicing alone, rewriting and re-practicing until you feel comfortable, and then practicing, rewriting, and re-practicing with 3-5 people outside your company that you trust until you have something you're confident presenting to a stranger.

For example… MSC is a management consultancy whose mission is to help innovative growth companies solve their most pressing challenges—our FinOps service sources investment capital, and our RevOps service sources incremental revenue. Our ideal clients generate at least $1MM annual revenue, have at least six months of runway, and want to increase their company values by 2x to 10x over 3 to 7 years. Our business growth experts want to help entrepreneurs build sustainable, market-leading businesses so that our next generation of stakeholders may prosper.

In summation, your elevator pitch is often your first impression, and in the fast-paced business world, it's crucial that it leaves a lasting impact. Whether you're seeking to connect with potential clients, investors, or partners, succinctly explaining what you do and why it matters is a powerful tool for driving meaningful conversations. By refining and practicing your pitch, you ensure you can communicate your value clearly and effectively—without losing your audience's attention. Remember, a great pitch opens doors and invites opportunities, making it worth every second of preparation.

Our business growth experts can help you craft the elevator pitch you need to reach your business goals successfully. Discover the power of FinOps to diversify and redefine your capital sourcing potential and ensure a successful financial model for growing your business.

Need expert support? Contact Marion Street Capital today.


In our “Solve It” short stories segment, we want to connect (hopefully) entertaining professional experiences to insights that Marion Street Capital derives from pursuing its MISSION, VISION, and PURPOSE. I chose "Solve It" as the title of this series because the MSC mission is helping innovative growth companies SOLVE their most pressing challenges, and because as a child, I was addicted to mysteries like Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie, The Hardy Boys, and Encyclopedia Brown.

At MSC, our mission is to help innovative growth companies solve their most pressing challenges. We aspire to be the first name that Founders, CEOs, and Board members consider when thinking about how to best solve material challenges for innovative growth companies. MSC exists to help entrepreneurs build sustainable, market-leading businesses so that our next generation of stakeholders may prosper.

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MSC Huddle: Future of Intelligent Company Performance Management