I help technical founders and smart thinkers sharpen how they pitch, explain, and persuade, so their audience finally sees what they see.
Your ideas aren’t broken—they’re just out of focus.
🤓 Have the solution but can’t explain its value to your buyers?
😵💫 Is your messaging all over the place, overwhelming your audience?
😶 Feel like you look and sound just like everyone else?
Dip your toe in.
Start with a quick, five-question Vision Check
Cannonball!!
Check out the interactive Vision Exam Simulator
For every stage of growth (and panic)
Startups
“We built something incredible … but no one outside Slack knows how to talk about it.”
Enterprise
“We’ve outgrown our original story … but no one knows what to say instead.”
Soloists
“I’m great at what I do … but every time I talk about it, I sound like everyone else.”
The MessageSpecs Vision System
1. Vision Scan
See what you’re really saying
Audit your content across channels to surface every message you’re putting out — the good, the confusing, and the forgotten gems — to gain a clear view of how your brand actually shows up.
2. Clarity Calibration
Better one? Better two?
Using the MessageSpecs process and workshop, organize and balance your messaging — aligning logic, emotion, and credibility to speak directly to your audience’s head, heart, and gut.
3. Prescribed Messages
Everything in one place
Define a structured messaging system: your master reference for every future campaign, presentation, and piece of content.
4. Frame Selection
The right lens for the right time
Equip your team with powerful, audience-ready messaging tools — so everyone tells the same strong story, everywhere it matters.
What people say about working with Joel
“I really enjoyed chatting with Joel, and took away some really great insights. He listened to what I’m currently working through and gave me advice and inspiration, specifically pertaining to specializing and understanding my own story, thinking about the big picture, and figuring out my core pillars. Highly recommend!“
“Some ‘messaging’ exercises can feel routine, and uninspired – the MessageDeck sparked more creative conversations. Even after the MessageDeck crash course, I left feeling empowered to tweak some of my messaging.”
“Ya’ll, go grab Joel’s MessageDeck. He’s a freaking wizard who can help turn your messaging from a hot mess sh*t show into brilliant copy that converts.”
“My session with Joel exceeded my expectations! He asked some great questions that showed he paid close attention to my situation and is genuinely interested in helping me. I walked away with several actionable tips. Joel’s had a long, successful career and I highly recommend taking advantage of this opportunity to meet/learn from him!”
“Many people claim to describe the complicated and technical simply. Joel is one of the rare professionals who can deliver on this promise. He synthesized ideas from many enthusiastic, over-caffeinated cyber marketing professionals, and birthed the More to MD Cyber Than You Think campaign to highlight the strength and diversity of the cybersecurity ecosystem in Maryland.
Like a ninja, Joel quickly identified the CAMI voice and brand personality and produced shorts that integrated perfectly with our identity: collaborative, forward-thinking, and a bit playful (who says cybersecurity can’t be fun?!).”
“So cool! Pure gold. I’ve used it myself already. It really helped me think about Category design.”
“In our experience, cybersecurity companies can really struggle to communicate their mission and value proposition to various stakeholders, including investors and customers. It’s a huge pain point for our members.
When it came to creating an event around this topic, Joel was my first call. Again, he executed a very on-brand, high-quality product for our organization, from event ideation to follow-up call-to-actions.”
“It seemed like every 2 minutes you were dropping an “aha” moment into my hands when we last spoke. 🙌🏾”
“Because of Joel’s experience on both sides of the equation, he really is an advocate for the vendor and the buyer. And that is why I think his approach is so powerful.“
“EVERYONE should take advantage of this. Your stuff is killer, dude.”
There’s plenty more where these came from. See more here.
What the heck is MessageSpecs?
It’s vision care for the way you communicate.
The MessageSpecs Method helps founders and teams see their message clearly—no fog, no filters, no buzzword glare. Together, we diagnose what’s distorting your story and prescribe sharper language that makes people get it.
Emotion:
Refocuses your message around what your audience truly cares about.
Logic:
Uses a structured clarity method grounded in how perception and persuasion really work
Credibility:
Sharpens language until it reflects confidence and competence behind your work
Vision Checkup Simulator
Check out this fully-immersive MessageDeck Workshop simulation experience that steps you through a sample of the same messaging prompts that I use in my client workshops.
In about five minutes, you’ll be able to reflect on some sample prompts that can help you discover unique approaches to messaging you’ve probably never considered.
Plus, you’ll unlock a FREE 30-minute Message Vision Checkup session!
Ready for open eyes instead of blank stares?
Now is the time to bring your vision into focus.