Describe the problem it solves

You've got a working version of your proposition. Good. Now it's time to find out if you've been lying to yourself. Not deliberately, but the way we all do when we dress up our ideas in borrowed language because we think that's what "real" businesses sound like. This step is about stripping your idea naked and seeing if it can still stand up.

Spot the jargon:
  • Jargon - Words that sound impressive but mean nothing. "Synergistic solutions." These are the business equivalent of saying "utilise" instead of "use." They don't make you sound smarter. They make you sound like you're hiding something.
  • Unearned claims - Promises you can't prove yet. "Revolutionary." "Game-changing." Unless you've actually revolutionised something, you're just another person with an adjective problem.
  • Hidden costs - Commitments that will break you. "Available 24/7." "Unlimited revisions." These aren't features. They're future resentments.
Quick red flags:
  • If a stranger couldn’t repeat your problem sentence after hearing it once, it’s not clear enough.
  • If your claims need caveats to sound true, they’re not earned yet.
  • If your wording would make your exact person roll their eyes, rewrite it in their language.
Compare for yourself:
"Our innovative, game-changing service revolutionises the way purpose-driven wellness entrepreneurs synergise their unique nutritional propositions with dynamic consumer demands."
"Our app helps busy parents find healthy meals their kids will actually eat."
The first version is all performance and borrowed language. The second is plain English and gets to the point. The difference? One is pretending. The other is solving a real problem someone woke up with.
Say it out loud: Does your proposition sound like something you'd explain to a mate at the pub, or like you're auditioning for Dragon's Den? Rewrite it using only words you'd use in real conversation.
Final challenge: What problem does your idea really solve? Not the noble version. The actual, specific, maybe-kind-of-small problem it solves today. Write that. If you can say what your business solves, in plain English, without a single borrowed buzzword, you are already ahead of most founders.
+ What This Step Is For
Why this panel? Most people never do this work. They keep their idea dressed up in business drag, hoping no one notices they don't quite believe it themselves. The problem isn't the idea. It's that they're trying to sell something they can't even describe honestly.

This isn’t about being “casual” or flippant. It’s about making sure you can actually say, in your own words, what your business fixes for someone else. If you can’t, neither can your customers.

Try this: If your business only sounds believable when you put on a suit or an accent, it probably is not.
+ Case Study: Facebook's 'Little Red Book'
This story builds on borrowed language: In Careless People, Sarah Wynn-Williams exposes Facebook's internal culture through their infamous "Little Red Book". This was a manifesto demanding total dedication. "Move fast and break things." "Done is better than perfect."

It sounds inspiring until you realise "things" included democracy, mental health, and their employees' marriages.
The Misfit Perspective: This is what happens when you borrow someone else's language for too long. You forget what you actually think. Your proposition might not be a cult manifesto, but if you are using words that are not yours, you are already starting down that path.

So what? If your proposition feels like a slogan you would roll your eyes at if you heard it from someone else, it needs stripping back to something you would actually say.
+ AI Buddy Prompts
How to use these: If you get stuck writing your proposition in plain English, use these prompts to push past business-speak.
  • "I've written my proposition but it sounds like I swallowed a business textbook. Help me rewrite it like I'm explaining it to my skeptical best friend."
  • "Point out every word that sounds like I'm trying to impress someone rather than help someone."
  • "My proposition is technically accurate but has no soul. How do I make it sound like a human wrote it?"
Tip: If you feel awkward reading your proposition out loud, keep rewriting until it feels like you talking and not a LinkedIn influencer.
+ Misfit Insight & Reflection
This reflection builds on the final challenge: If you cannot explain your business without air quotes, you are not ready to build it.

When you strip away all the borrowed language, what is left? Is it enough to build on, or were the fancy words holding up an empty frame?

Bottom line: The moment you can name the real problem you solve in words your mates would understand, you are building something real.