About twenty years ago, I was well entrenched in my role as an HR Director for a very large company. It was a job I truly loved. HR work is complicated and wide ranging, and it deals with just about every aspect of people in an organization.
One evening my oldest child, who was about eight years old at the time, asked me a very simple question.
“Daddy, what do you do at work every day anyway?”
Now that might sound like an easy question, but I remember standing there for a moment thinking about how in the world I was supposed to answer that. How do you explain human resources to an eight-year-old?
How do you explain hiring, discipline, insurance benefits, workers compensation, performance improvement, recruiting, retention, forecasting, strategy, employee relations, management coaching, legal compliance, and about fifty other things that all revolve around people in a company?
I loved what I did. I had a real passion for it. But none of that sounded like something an eight-year-old would understand. So, I thought about it for a minute and tried to break it down.
I said something like this. “Buddy, I’m the guy people go to whenever there is a question or a concern at work. If someone gets hurt at work, I help make sure they go to the doctor and that everything is taken care of so they can focus on getting better. If someone goes to the doctor outside of work, I help make sure they have insurance so they do not have to worry about the cost. If someone has questions about their pay, I am the person they come talk to. If someone wants a raise, I am usually the person who hears their case and helps make the decision. Sometimes people come to me when they are having a problem with another employee. Sometimes I have to remind employees to do their job, kind of like when I have to remind you to clean your room. Sometimes I have to tell people they no longer have a job. And sometimes I get to hire someone and they get to go home and tell their family they got a new job. Sometimes I get to promote someone into a new role and watch them grow.”
Then I finished with something like this. “In essence son, if it has to do with people, I try to make sure they are taken care of and that things run as smoothly as possible so everyone can focus on doing their job.”
He looked at me for a moment. Then he said something that stuck with me for years.
“So you are the daddy at work. You take care of your employees and your people like you take care of us.”
I smiled and said, “That is pretty much it buddy.”
And then like most eight-year-olds, he went right back to playing like the conversation never happened. But I thought about that moment for a long time. He took something complicated and made it simple. He was curious.
And he helped me realize that sometimes we overcomplicate things when the heart of the matter is actually very simple.
So, what does this have to do with running an online business? Well, I’m glad you asked!
One of the biggest mistakes people make when building an online business is overcomplicating how they explain what they do.
We know our work inside and out. We know the tools, the systems, the strategies, the funnels, the platforms, the analytics. But when we try to explain it to someone 
else, especially a customer, it often comes out sounding confusing.
Clarity matters. Your audience does not need a technical explanation of everything happening behind the scenes. They need to understand how you help them, what problem you solve, and why it matters.
That eight-year-old’s question reminded me of something important. It is not enough to understand your work. You also need to communicate it clearly. If your customers cannot quickly understand what you do, they will move on to someone who explains it better.
Good communication builds trust. It removes confusion. It helps people feel confident that you understand their problem and that you can help solve it. Even complicated businesses must be explained in simple terms.
If an eight-year-old can understand it, your customers probably will too.
Five Reasons This Matters In Online Business
- Clear Communication Builds Trust. People buy from businesses they understand. When your message is simple and clear, trust grows quickly.
- Simplicity Reduces Confusion. Confused customers rarely take action. Clear explanations make it easier for people to say yes.
- Your Message Becomes More Memorable. Simple ideas stick. Complex explanations are forgotten.
- Communication Connects You To Your Audience. When you speak in a way people understand, they feel like you are talking with them rather than at them.
- Simplicity Creates Confidence. When you can clearly explain what you do and how you help people, you show confidence in your work and your value.
Running an online business does not require complicated language or technical jargon. It requires clarity. Know what you do, who you help and be able to explain it in a way that anyone can understand Is key!
That simple conversation with my son reminded me that sometimes the best explanations are the simplest ones.
If you are building an online business and you want a place where you can learn how to communicate your value clearly, build the right systems, and grow with the support of people who are doing the same thing, the Internet Profits Academy is a great place to start.
It gives you the tools, the training, and the community to help you build something meaningful without feeling like you are trying to figure everything out alone.
Sometimes all it takes is the right guidance and a clear explanation to turn something complicated into something achievable.
Now if you will excuse me, I just wrote an entire article about communication and keeping things simple, and my wife just called from the other room asking why I still cannot follow the simple instructions on how to load the dishwasher. Apparently, I still have room for improvement.
“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” — George Bernard Shaw
“The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn’t said.” — Peter Drucker
And of course, a few VERY BAD Dad jokes:
My wife says I do not communicate well. Or something like that.
My wife says I make things too complicated when I explain them. Which is strange because I prepared a forty five minute presentation on why that is not true.
Until next time, STAY FRESH, Friends!
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Hey Ernie!
This is such a good reminder. It’s so easy to take something you understand really well and turn it into a long, complicated explanation without meaning to.
That moment with your son was perfect. He heard everything you said and still brought it back to something simple and clear, and honestly, that’s what most people need.
It made me think about how I explain what I do too. Especially working with AI and marketing, there’s a lot behind the scenes, but none of that matters if someone can’t quickly understand how it helps them.
This actually helped me realize I need to tighten up how I say things and focus more on the result instead of the process. It’s a good way to pause and ask, “Would this make sense to someone hearing it for the first time?” If not, it probably needs to be simpler.
Funny how the simplest perspective can cut through all the noise. This was a good reminder. Thanks, Ernie!
Meredith – I really appreciate this. You said it perfectly about how easy it is to take something we understand and turn it into something complicated without even realizing it. I especially liked your point about focusing on the result instead of the process. That shift makes all the difference, and that question about whether it makes sense to someone hearing it for the first time is one we should probably all be asking ourselves more often.
It is funny how it took an eight year old to remind me of that, and I am glad it connected with you. Sounds like you are already applying it, which tells me you are on the right track. Appreciate you sharing this. Have a fantastic week!