What? So What? Now What?

Three Questions Every Business Needs to Grow

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What? So What? Now What?

Three Questions Every Business Needs to Grow

Many businesspeople I talk with want to grow their businesses. So they show me their ad campaigns, websites, demo reels, and social feeds. They ask how to make everything better. They wait for me to suggest a new logo, rewrite their taglines, or dissect their videos frame by frame. They expect me to point out the moment where their energy dips or an edit lingers too long.

And sure, those tweaks matter. But they’re not the real problem.

Simply put, the real problem is that most people can’t explain what they do.

Don’t believe me? Ask them this simple question:

“What do you do?”

They’ll start talking, and five, seven, even ten minutes later, they’re still going. They tie themselves in knots, offering buzzwords, metaphors, and lengthy explanations. When they finally do stop and take a breath, ask them this:

“If you cannot explain what you do, how do you expect to explain it to the people who might hire you? And if you cannot explain it to them, why would they bring you in to help in the first place?”

The Three Questions That Create Instant Business Clarity

I have had this conversation so many times that I employ a simple structure to help. It is only five words long, and it works every time.

But First, a Story

When I was a kid in Miami Beach, my father could explain building construction to me in language so simple that even a ten-year-old walking home from school could understand it. He would stand with me in the dirt and point out the foundation, the columns, and the beams. He always started with what I was looking at. Then he told me why it mattered. Then he showed me what came next.

I had no idea at the time, but he was teaching me the cleanest way to build a brand message, sell your value, and communicate what matters in any business.

Where the What? So What? Now What? Framework Comes From

This three-question structure is rooted in decades of educational and reflective practice. Its structure began in 1970 with educator Terry Borton’s book Reach, Touch, and Teach. Borton explained that every moment of learning follows the same path. You start by describing what happened. You explore why it mattered. Then you decide what should come next.

Today, these three questions have moved far outside their academic origins. You will find them wherever clarity and action matter: in strategic planning sessions, organizational programs, and communication training. The framework’s power lies in its simplicity. It mirrors how people naturally make sense of information by cutting through the noise, moving people forward, and helping organizations speak with purpose and impact.

How to Use the Framework in Your Business

Here are the three questions:

What?

What do you do? Not your title, not your childhood story, not your clever tagline or phrase. Say what you do in one clean line. If you cannot do that, you have found the source of your problem.

So What?

Why does it matter? Why should anyone care? How does it solve the problems your clients wake up thinking about? This is the place where your value becomes real.

Now What?

What do you want people to do next? Watch your video? Book a call? Bring you in to help their team? Buy your product? Hire you? If you do not tell them, they will not do it.

Three lines. Five words. A complete brand message.

What? So What? Now What?

You see, clear communication grows businesses. When people understand what you do, why it matters to them, and what the next step is, everything gets easier. These three questions give you the structure to make that happen.

If you anchor your website, social content, sales conversations, and outreach to these simple questions, everything will snap into place. People will understand what you do. They will understand why they need you. And they will know what step to take next.

What? So What? Now What?

That is how you grow a business.

Your Next Step Toward Booking a Keynote That Makes an Impact

If your organization is planning events in 2026 and you want a keynote that brings clarity, connection, and purpose to the room, let me know. I help audiences understand what they do, why it matters, and how to move forward with confidence. I would be honored to bring that message to your conference.