Your Business Does 3 Things? How Cute.
How to Say More Than Just What You Do
Let’s start with a mental exercise.
Picture this: you’re watching TV and a commercial comes on for your favourite NBA team. And let’s say your favourite team is the same as mine, the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The screen fades in dramatically. Music swells. A deep, gravelly voice declares:
That’s it. That’s the pitch. You good?
No mention of teamwork, strategy, playmaking, defence, hustle, or heart (Ant, no mention of him). Just three of the most basic, obvious things they have to do to participate in the sport of basketball. Cool.
Now let’s flip that over to the business world, specifically, the world of service-based businesses. Tradespeople. Landscapers. Contractors. Every third van on the highway. You’ve seen it:
And more?! You mysterious beasts. What else could there possibly be in the vast, shimmering realm of plumbing? Is it… pipes? Say it ain’t so.
The thing is, this kind of marketing isn’t bad because it’s untrue. It’s bad because it’s redundant and safe and says nothing about who you are or why someone should call you.
It’s like going to see a new band and the promo poster just says:
Okay, so you’re a band. Technically true, deeply forgettable. Are we talking sweaty punk in a dive bar, or four dudes in vests covering Fleetwood Mac at a winery? Do you shred or just kind of… strum? No one knows. And no one’s buying tickets based on that list.
Why Does This Happen?
Because I know you have more to say. I also know you do more than three things. But, here’s the deal, business owners, especially in the trades, are told to “keep it simple.” Fair. But somewhere along the line, “simple” turned into “soulless.” The website says the same thing as the truck says the same thing as the business card, which ultimately says the business exists. Check.
But… so does your competition. And Google. And DIY YouTube tutorials with 2.3M views.
The “Three Thing” model is supposed to clarify. Instead, it compresses your entire business into a vague burrito of assumed competence. That’s not a brand. That’s a shrug. Meh.
What Customers Actually Want.
They don’t really know what they want, but trust me, and Meatloaf, they don’t want that.
Customers want to trust that you’re not going to ghost them, overcharge them, or accidentally pull the roses instead of the weeds. They want to feel something even faintly resembling confidence that you know your stuff and care about doing it well.
Here’s what they don’t want: a checklist of three chores they could’ve guessed already.
Tell us what you’re actually good at. Tell us how long you’ve been doing it. Tell us what weird jobs you’ve tackled that no one else would touch. Tell us how you save people money, or headaches, or the awkwardness of watering their lawn with a garden hose while muttering profanities under their breath.
Some Alternatives (That Aren’t Terrible)
Instead of listing three generic services, what if you said:
- “Keeping Okanagan lawns greener than your neighbour’s envy since 2003.”
- “We fix the stuff that’s leaking, stinking, or making your partner give you that look.”
- “We show up. We clean up. We don’t make you chase us down for an appointment.”
Or hell, lean right into it:
- “Yes, we do mowing, irrigation, and leaf blowing. And yes, we know you already assumed that.”
It might be longer, but it’s way more interesting to read than your boring bullet points in traffic.
Beige is Still A Bad Word in 2025.
So, if your entire brand can fit into three bland and beige words, it’s time to get a little uncomfortable and start telling your real story. You don’t need a flashy tagline or a brand strategy with mood boards (although… hi, we do that). You just need a little voice. A little edge. A little something that sounds less like an AI-generated list and more like a human who gets the job done.
We get it. You’re busy. You don’t have time to sit around dreaming up metaphors for mulch. That’s where companies like Atomic 55 come in. We’ll help you tell your story in a way that lands, and maybe even makes someone smile while they’re trying to figure out who to hire to fix the thing that’s currently flooding their crawl space.
So get in touch. We’d love to help.
