Every entrepreneur says they want to "change the world."
But the real question is:
Which part of the world? Which person in that world? Which wound in that person's life?
Because if you are not building for someone specific, you are building for no one.
And the market is brutally honest about that.
The Most Dangerous Sentence in Business
"I help everyone."
That sentence has buried more businesses than bad economies ever did.
When you say you serve everyone, what you're really saying is:
I don't know who needs me most.
I don't know what problem hurts deeply enough to be paid for.
I don't know where I fit in this crowded world.
And the market hears confusion.
Let me say this plainly: Clarity is currency.
If your message is foggy, your revenue will be too.
Every Great Business Is Built Around a Bleeding Neck
That's the hard truth.
People don't pay for information. They pay for transformation.
They pay when:
Their business is stuck.
Their marriage is crumbling.
Their confidence is shattered.
Their time is gone.
Their money is leaking.
As entrepreneurs, we must ask:
What urgent pain am I solving? And whose pain is it exactly?
Because a product without a defined problem is a hobby.
If You Don't Define Your Audience, The Market Will Ignore You
Let me be strategic here.
When you say:
"I help business owners grow."
That's weak.
But when you say:
"I help Nigerian professionals in South Africa reposition their expertise so they can attract premium clients without begging for jobs."
Now we're talking.
Specificity creates gravity.
The clearer the target, the stronger the pull.
As a brand strategist, I tell clients this all the time:
Positioning is not about what you do. It's about who you choose.
And that choice determines:
Your messaging
Your pricing
Your design
Your tone
Your marketing strategy
Your partnerships
Without that clarity, you are throwing arrows in the dark and calling it effort.
The Moral Responsibility of Building
This is where we move beyond tactics.
Business is not just profit. It is influence.
And influence without intention is dangerous.
When you build something, you are shaping:
Conversations
Culture
Mindsets
Behaviors
So ask yourself:
Are you solving a real problem... Or are you manufacturing desire just to extract money?
There is a difference between impact and exploitation.
The world does not need more noise. It needs solutions.
As entrepreneurs, we must resist the temptation to chase trends.
Chasing trends builds followers. Solving problems builds legacy.
The 3 Questions Every Entrepreneur Must Answer
Write these down.
1. What specific problem am I obsessed with solving?
2. Who feels this problem so deeply that they are actively looking for a solution?
3. Why am I uniquely positioned to solve it?
If you cannot answer these clearly, you are not ready to scale.
Because marketing does not fix confusion.
Funnels do not fix confusion.
Ads do not fix confusion.
Clarity fixes confusion.
And clarity starts with "Who is this for?"
If You Try to Attract Everyone, You Attract No One
There is something powerful about saying:
"This is not for you."
When you exclude, you attract. When you narrow, you dominate.
Look at any powerful personal brand. They don't speak to the masses. They speak to a tribe. And that tribe defends them.
Why?
Because they feel seen.
And people follow those who articulate their struggle better than they can articulate it themselves.
As a Brand Strategist, Let Me Be Honest With You
The question "Who are you building it for?" is not optional. It is foundational.
Your logo will not save you.
Your website will not save you.
Your social media consistency will not save you.
If you are unclear about your audience, you are building on sand.
But when you get it right:
Your messaging sharpens.
Your offers become irresistible.
Your content writes itself.
Your marketing feels natural.
Your sales conversations become easier.
Because you are no longer convincing. You are aligning.
Build for Someone. Not for Applause.
Don't build to be admired. Build to be useful.
Ask yourself tonight:
Who loses if I don't build this?
If the answer is vague, your mission is vague.
But if you can picture a specific person... If you know their fears... If you understand their frustration... If you can describe their daily struggle...
Then you are not just building a business. You are building a solution.
And solutions, when built with clarity and conviction, always find their market.
So I'll leave you with this:
Before you launch the product. Before you redesign the brand. Before you run the ads.
Sit down and answer the question honestly:
"Who are you building it for?"
Because the moment you answer that clearly... Everything else becomes easier.
Olofinyo Temitope Ben
Brand Strategist