Breakout Builders
Market Movers
Smart Soloists
(Startups and emerging companies with great tech or ideas looking for traction or pivoting)
Need quick wins and early advocates?
You’ve built something cool. Now the market needs to understand why it matters. Whether you’re finding first traction or making a pivotal shift, I help early-stage teams nail their story so customers lean in, not tune out.
Common problems I help with:
- Struggling to explain the product clearly to non-technical audiences
- Pivoting and need new messaging to match the new direction
- Getting blank stares from investors or early customers
- Founders too close to the product to see the bigger story
Start with these
But you don’t have to take my word for it
Hear from some of the founders and startups I’ve mentored.
Joel has worked with founders in our Techstars Founder Catalyst program and has proven to be extremely valuable in helping pull story and clarity to the forefront of their pitches.
Tech startups typically have talented, you guessed it, tech teams, but they aren’t always as polished when it comes to communicating their brand voice or the benefit their tech solution or service brings to the world.
Joel has helped our entrepreneurs tell their stories and share their value in ways that are digestible and compelling.
[Joel’s] presentation … left me with something to think about very early on in my career (a very technical and nerdy career), how to effectively spread my message so it is understood by everyone.
[He] explains it in his book ✍️ … It is a guide for all the nerds out there who have a hard time communicating their nerdy ideas💡.
As a deep tech cyber and cybersecurity focused
Had the best time working with you. You helped us simplify our pitch deck, and tell the story behind BRCĒ.
You made sure that we just didn’t talk about how cool our tech is, but what is the benefit of it and how this is changing the world and adding value to people.
The difference in our storytelling and crowd engagement is night and day! Joel has continued to be a mentor when it comes to impactful public speaking and pitching our vision in a flash.
If you’re building a startup and trying to get your crowd pitch right, or even a professional getting better at public speaking, we couldn’t recommend Joel more. The best in the business, and the only NERD THAT TALKS GOOD!!!
“Big shout out to Joel Benge who helped me work on company messaging yesterday. He has a gift for teasing out the value your company offers, and expressing that effectively, concisely and powerfully.
“If you have an amazing service but are wondering “Why doesn’t anyone get it?“, then march yourself right over to Joel and he’ll take it from there.”
“It seemed like every 2 minutes you were dropping an “aha” moment into my hands when we last spoke. 🙌🏾”
I really believe that anyone who has a complex tech product and needs to pitch their product needs to work with you.
You understand what the listener needs to hear and see.
“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!“
“Very nice talking to Joel. He has offered a lot of help and was very motivational. I am looking forward to our next meeting.”
“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!”
(Established companies going through change, growth, complexity)
Looking for messaging that sticks and scales?
You’ve built something cool. Now the market needs to understand why it matters. Whether you’re finding first traction or making a pivotal shift, I help early-stage teams nail their story so customers lean in, not tune out.
Common problems I help with:
- Outgrowing old messaging that no longer fits
- Mergers, pivots, or new leadership driving the need for new stories
- Complex offerings with too many messages scattered across the org
- Internal teams struggling to align on “what are we really saying?”
Start with these
But you don’t have to take my word for it
Hear from some of the companies and organizations I’ve worked with.
“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.“
“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.”
“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?!).”
“It seemed like every 2 minutes you were dropping an “aha” moment into my hands when we last spoke. 🙌🏾”
“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.”
“So cool! Pure gold. I’ve used it myself already. It really helped me think about Category design.”
“EVERYONE should take advantage of this. Your stuff is killer, dude.”
“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.”
“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!“
“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!”
(Consultants, experts, creatives, founder-led brands)
Smartest person in the room nobody understands?
When you are the brand, every word matters. I help consultants, advisors, and creators sharpen their voice, so their message sounds like them (but clearer, bolder, and built to win clients).
Common problems I help with:
- Struggling to describe what you do in a way that clicks
- Too close to your own work — messaging feels muddled
- Growing but your website or pitch hasn’t kept up
- Wanting a story that feels authentic but sells
Start with these
But you don’t have to take my word for it
Hear from some of the individuals I’ve mentored or coached.
Joel has worked with founders in our Techstars Founder Catalyst program and has proven to be extremely valuable in helping pull story and clarity to the forefront of their pitches.
Tech startups typically have talented, you guessed it, tech teams, but they aren’t always as polished when it comes to communicating their brand voice or the benefit their tech solution or service brings to the world.
Joel has helped our entrepreneurs tell their stories and share their value in ways that are digestible and compelling.
[Joel’s] presentation … left me with something to think about very early on in my career (a very technical and nerdy career), how to effectively spread my message so it is understood by everyone.
[He] explains it in his book ✍️ … It is a guide for all the nerds out there who have a hard time communicating their nerdy ideas💡.
As a deep tech cyber and cybersecurity focused
Had the best time working with you. You helped us simplify our pitch deck, and tell the story behind BRCĒ.
You made sure that we just didn’t talk about how cool our tech is, but what is the benefit of it and how this is changing the world and adding value to people.
The difference in our storytelling and crowd engagement is night and day! Joel has continued to be a mentor when it comes to impactful public speaking and pitching our vision in a flash.
If you’re building a startup and trying to get your crowd pitch right, or even a professional getting better at public speaking, we couldn’t recommend Joel more. The best in the business, and the only NERD THAT TALKS GOOD!!!
“Big shout out to Joel Benge who helped me work on company messaging yesterday. He has a gift for teasing out the value your company offers, and expressing that effectively, concisely and powerfully.
“If you have an amazing service but are wondering “Why doesn’t anyone get it?“, then march yourself right over to Joel and he’ll take it from there.”
“It seemed like every 2 minutes you were dropping an “aha” moment into my hands when we last spoke. 🙌🏾”
I really believe that anyone who has a complex tech product and needs to pitch their product needs to work with you.
You understand what the listener needs to hear and see.
“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!“
“Very nice talking to Joel. He has offered a lot of help and was very motivational. I am looking forward to our next meeting.”
“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!”
Looking for something else?
Interested in improving your or your team’s messaging? Want more information about MessageSpecs? Wonder where I get my amazing glasses from?
Contact me today and you’ll be on your way to answers by tomorrow. I’m really looking forward to talking with you.