What's Your Contribution to Life?

“… Yo, either you a part of the problem

Or part of the solution

What’s your contribution to life?

So many people complain, always talk about change yo

But what’s your contribution to life?”

— Jurassic Five

“So… What Do You Do?”

One of the first questions people ask when they meet me is: What do you do for a living? It’s a polite, almost reflexive part of conversation—right up there with comments about the weather.

My answer is often, “Management consulting,” which is technically true and also possibly the most ambiguous response I could give. After all, what does a consultant actually do? It could mean almost anything.

Why the Vague Answer?

There are a few reasons I tend to keep it vague.

First, a big chunk of my career has been in the agile space—coaching, transformation consulting, scrum mastery, and the like. But try explaining agile to someone outside the tech world, and you often sound like you’re recruiting for a niche cult.

Second, like many consultants, I’ve worn a lot of hats in a lot of industries. Financial services? Legal search? Healthcare? Transportation? Product management? Testing? Portfolio management? Yep, all of the above. So my career has been more like a buffet than a set menu.

All of this leads me to say “consulting”—a word so bland you can practically see people’s eyes glaze over. It’s the conversational equivalent of, “These aren’t the droids you’re looking for.”

Now, that’s fine if you’re trying to sip your cocktail in peace. But it’s a terrible way to start a conversation—or heaven forbid—land a new client or job.

The Real Problem: The Pitch Gap

This ambiguity can be more than awkward—it can be professionally limiting. You can actually make a decent living and go years without being able to clearly explain what you do or why it matters.

But when you’re trying to build a business, attract clients, or even just have a decent networking conversation, not having a clear, engaging explanation becomes a problem.

So I’ve been working on fixing it.

My Working Pitches

Here are a few versions I’ve been testing:

• “You know how today’s rapid changes can leave small business owners feeling overwhelmed? I help them assess risks, design better strategies, and build resilient business models so they can adapt and thrive.”

• “Most small businesses are one disruption away from decline. I help owners rethink their strategy, upgrade their business model, and turn uncertainty into a competitive edge.”

• “In a world of constant change, small businesses need more than grit—they need strategy. I help business owners evolve their model, upgrade their skills, and become unstoppable in a shifting market.”

• “When the pace of change feels like a threat, I help small business owners find clarity, build adaptive strategies, and future-proof their business.”

• “You know how fast change can derail even strong small businesses? I provide assessments, agile training, and co-designed strategies to help owners stay ahead—and grow stronger through change.”

• “Small businesses are struggling to keep up with change. I help owners assess their situation, make smart adjustments, and build a business that’s ready for what’s next.”

These are better than “consulting,” and they usually spark some interest. But here’s the catch: after the hook, people often get confused. Terms like “strategy,” “assessment,” or “future-proofing” don’t always land. They’re too abstract.

So I started digging deeper.

Looking at the Competition

I looked at what other consultancies (some of which are doing very well) are saying. Here’s a sampling of their positioning statements (abbreviated for clarity):

• “We improve business performance by developing leaders and aligning teams–helping organizations thrive amid constant change.”

• “Our clients don’t come to us with abstract goals. They come with urgent needs—make AI real, reduce cloud costs, secure the software supply chain, modernize legacy platforms…”

• “We enable leaders in growing learning organizations. We tackle the most challenging problems, extending the application of Agile values and principles to enable end-to-end transformations.”

• “We help organizations fundamentally disrupt the way they do business.”

• “We merge cutting-edge AI capabilities with adaptive development strategies to deliver scalable, sustainable impact.”

• “Your people need to adapt. Help them. Don’t just focus on the top—everyone needs leadership development.”

• “We help people change their mindsets for greater resilience and better results—at work and in life.”

• “We help companies—big and small—identify inefficiencies, strengthen team alignment, and improve delivery predictability.”

Some are jargon-heavy. Others are specific and outcome-focused. But all of them try to connect what they do with what the client urgently needs.

Bringing In AI for Help

Next, I fed these examples into ChatGPT to look for themes and test new ideas for my own business, Disruption Dynamics. Here’s what came back:

1. “We help small business owners facing rapid change adapt their strategy, evolve their products, and build a healthier business—so they can thrive no matter what comes next.”

2. “We work with small businesses who refuse to get left behind—using agile strategy, smart training, and co-design to build resilient businesses ready for the modern market.”

3. “We turn disruption into an advantage for small businesses by helping them assess risks, reimagine their business models, and lead with clarity in a chaotic world.”

4. “When change outpaces your strategy, we help you catch up. Disruption Dynamics offers rapid assessments, practical training, and hands-on support to help small businesses pivot fast and grow stronger.”

Honestly? These are better than where I started. They’re clearer, more structured, and more tangible.

So… Which One Wins?

Good question. And I’m still testing.

Here’s my plan:

1. Run a poll on LinkedIn – Let the crowd vote on which pitch resonates.

2. Email friends and associates – People who know me (and have seen me in action) can tell me what feels most “me.”

3. Test in the wild – I’ll try them at my next Chamber of Commerce event and watch what lights people up—and what doesn’t.

Final Thought: From Obscure to Obvious

What I’m learning is this: figuring out what you do—and how to talk about it—isn’t just a branding exercise. It’s a contribution to life. Because when you can explain what you do in a way that helps people see how you can help them, that’s when the work really starts to matter.

Your move.