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15 Elevator Pitches from 14 Good Looking People and 1 Ugly One

By crooky | August 6, 2008

As someone with a very diverse consulting practice, I often struggle with how to describe what I do for a living. I usually tell people:

“I help companies and government agencies turn their questions into answers using research such as surveys, focus groups and interviews. After they’ve got their answer, I also help them figure out how to act on their new knowledge.”

That’s my elevator pitch and yes, I’m the ugly one. That’s a pretty generic way to describe what I do and if I catch their attention with the first bit, I usually follow up with some specific examples that relate to their situation. If you’re interesting in knowing what I do at a more complex level, check out my main website.

It has taken me nearly six years to come up with a succinct description of what I do for a living so I can sympathize when people say it’s hard to develop a killer elevator pitch. Today’s post isn’t about my elevator pitch alone – it’s about how people with interesting careers describe what they do. I e-mailed a number of my colleagues this morning, begging for content.

Specifically, I asked them to tell me where they grew up, what they wanted to be when they were a kid, what they do for a living and how they would explain what they do for a living to someone unfamiliar with their industry. Fifteen of these lovely people got back to me within a few hours with their information. I’ve listed each of their elevator pitches below but if you click on their name, it takes you to a new page with more detailed information about them:

Note: I’ve received a few replies that I don’t have time to squeeze into today’s post. If this posting ends up being popular, I’ll do another one with a different group of people in September. If you’re interested in being profiled on my blog with an accompanying mini bio, drop me a line (link).

I’m the project manager for a 50-person game development team working on a cool action/platforming adventure game for kids.



I work with people and companies that have paper everywhere and they can never find anything when they are looking for it. By the time I leave – approx. 80% of the paper is discarded and the remaining 20% is put into a filing system that the individual or company can understand so that things are no longer lost and they don’t waste their time looking for stuff. Companies save a lot of money by hiring me as they actually pay employees to work rather than just shuffle paper.

I figure out what problems people and businesses have, and what kinds of software my clients could build that solves those problems, how they could tell people about their software, and how they could help the people who sell their software sell more of it.

I’m a communications manager for a technology company. I am responsible for our internal newsletter for staff, pitching stories to the media to get press for our company, website content, podcasts (audio recordings of me interviewing experts in our field), case studies with our clients, monthly webinars, award submissions and client communications.

I work with computers to create new and different ways of doing things.

In science and technology I help decision makers to ask the right questions, and help them understand the risks associated with their decisions.

I help manage computer or technology based training programs for adults at UBC. UBC Continuing Studies focuses on professional development and is more career-oriented and hands-on than a more academic degree program.

I work as a management consultant, mainly with government agencies, in the areas of economic development, competitiveness, program evaluation and strategic planning.

I am a marketing consultant that provides insight and direction from research, data and information. For example, I could help companies like Nintendo understand how it can become “cooler” and sell more consoles and games than its competitors. I would find out what people like to play, what they think is“cool”, what other gaming companies are doing and then help Nintendo decide how to become the best gaming system in the market!

I invest other people’s money and deal with inheritance, divorce and other issues. I’m also a real estate investor.

I help companies get money to start and grow by describing the business in a strong business plan.

I help people who invent things to make money from them, by helping them invent a business to sell them. I also help existing high tech businesses to grow faster and make more money.

I help SFU students understand that the academics complement who they are but it is a combination of their academics, personality, experiences and life that determine who they are. I build on the practical experiences because employers are saying that it is great that you have the marks, but what about the experiences.

I help business people gather and analyse information so they can make better decisions.

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Aaron “Crooky” Cruikshank is the Principal and Founder of Friuch Consulting. He has written professionally about science and technology for over ten years.

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Topics: Business of Consulting |

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