The REAL Truth About Business · 2026-05-27 · 13 min
Key moments - from our scoring
Substance score
31 / 100
Five dimensions, 20 points each
Michelle Denial uses personal examples and client stories to challenge entrepreneurs to stop hiding their differentiating expertise behind conventional job titles. She shares how she reframed herself from 'business coach' to 'profit strategist' - leveraging her accounting background that most growth consultants lack - and how a content strategist client actually operates as a 'revenue and content strategist' focused on diversifying influencer income streams. Another client, Marie, who runs the Cocktails and Clothes community, was leading with generic deliverables instead of selling the unique community-building and hype-generating capability that actually drives her success. Denial argues that in 2026, when AI-generated content makes everything sound identical, the only way to break through is to own what makes you genuinely different. Rather than fitting into established boxes, entrepreneurs should give themselves titles that demand explanation - ones that reveal their unique lens, whether that's profit optimization, revenue diversification through content, or exceptional community leadership. This authenticity and specificity is what converts prospects and creates real differentiation in a commoditized market.
Create a title that reflects your unique differentiator and requires explanation - like 'profit strategist' instead of 'business coach' or 'revenue and content strategist' instead of 'content strategist' - because the explanation of what makes you different is what actually converts prospects.
Because her accounting degree and profit-focused lens differentiate her from most growth consultants who lack accounting knowledge; this background means she views every business decision through profit impact, not just growth, which is her actual competitive advantage.
Stop leading with generic deliverables and instead highlight what makes your approach unique - whether that's your specific background, how you generate results differently, or the outcomes clients experience because of your particular expertise and way of working.
She was selling generic deliverables instead of selling herself - the real draw was her ability to connect people, create engagement, and generate hype, which is what made people join, not the tangible features.
AI-generated content makes every standard positioning sound identical, so the only way to break through is to own what genuinely makes you different; differentiation and specificity are now more valuable than seeming familiar or professional.
Our reviewer’s read on each dimension, with quotes from the episode.
The episode centers on one core idea - stop downplaying your unique skills and avoid generic positioning - which is repeated across multiple client examples but not deeply explored. While the personal anecdotes (accounting background, content strategist client, podcast manager Marie) provide some texture, they primarily illustrate the same point rather than introducing novel frameworks or counterintuitive insights. Most B2B operators are already familiar with differentiation and positioning advice; the episode lacks data, research, or surprising angles that would challenge existing thinking.
downplaying your expertise, you're downplaying your knowledge, you're downplaying how you show up. Because we feel like we need to fit in a box of what everybody else calls themselves
We are living in 2026, where AI is taking over. Everybody freaking sounds the same. Everybody's content sounds the same.
The advice to own your unique value proposition and differentiate yourself is standard positioning doctrine found in countless business podcasts and marketing courses. The framing - that AI commoditization makes differentiation urgent - is timely but not novel. The host doesn't offer contrarian thinking, first-principles analysis, or frameworks that meaningfully deviate from established USP/positioning wisdom. The examples reinforce conventional thinking rather than challenge it.
stop selling all the tangibles and start selling yourself
let's just get over and, like, be done with all this vanilla copy paste shit
This is a solo episode with no guest interview. The host, Michelle Denio, references clients and anecdotes but does not bring on a practitioner or operator with demonstrated expertise or track record to validate claims or provide direct experience. The absence of a substantive guest limits the episode's credibility and learning potential for B2B operators seeking to learn from someone who has built or scaled something significant.
I've had this thought, I haven't done one of these in a while
My name is Michelle Denial. If you're new here, I'm so happy you are here.
The episode relies heavily on anonymized or vaguely attributed client examples ('a client,' 'she was like') and lacks concrete metrics, timelines, or measurable outcomes. One named example is 'Cocktails and Clothes' (Marie's community), but even that lacks specifics - no user counts, retention rates, revenue figures, or quantified results. The accounting background claim is not supported by case studies showing how it drove client results. No dollar figures, percentages, or hard data substantiate the positioning argument.
she was like, the one thing I love about Michelle is that she literally always makes sure every single thing drives back to revenue and profit
I have literally been in the world of accounting since I was 15, okay? I have an accounting degree.
This is a monologue with no guest to interact with, eliminating the possibility of sharp questioning, follow-ups, or productive disagreement. The host repeats her thesis multiple times without interrogating pushback or nuance. There is no intellectual sparring, no exploration of counterarguments (e.g., when does generic positioning actually work?), and no evidence of the host challenging her own assumptions. The delivery relies on enthusiasm and anecdote rather than rigorous dialogue.
All right, so let's talk about, like, downplaying yourself, downplaying your skills.
so many people are downplaying all of these amazing things that they are doing
Computed from the transcript - who did the talking, and the words that came up most.
If your content sounds like everyone else’s and your sales feel slower than they should, this episode is going to call out exactly why. In this episode of The Real Truth About Business podcast, I’m breaking down how downplaying your unique selling point is quietly hurting your business strategy and revenue growth. This is for service-based entrepreneurs who are blending in, using generic titles, and wondering why their offers aren’t standing out in a crowded market. After 9 years of experience, I can tell you this isn’t about needing better tactics. It’s about owning what actually makes you different. Inside this episode, I walk you through how your background, experience, and perspective are the key drivers of your sales process, and why trying to “fit in” is costing you clients.
Transcribed and scored by The B2B Podcast Index.
Today's episode's a little bit like just kind of this impromptu. I've had this thought, I haven't done one of these in a while. I really have been trying to, like, really structure these podcast episodes, but once in a while, I just have these thoughts that I got to get out to you. And this one is about downplaying your skills, downplaying the things that you bring to the table and trying to fit in when, like, you literally were not designed to fit in, and really utilizing that, like, unique value proposition or like that unique selling point in your content that really draws people into you.
All right, so this is kind of my own personal realization. Conversations I've been having with clients a lot lately. Conversation, post, discovery, call. You know, I love when people reflect back to us what we are not seeing.
And that's what this episode is for. So hopefully this is going to reflect something back to you that you are not seeing in yourself. All right, so that's what we're talking about today. Let's dive in.
All right, we're back. My name is Michelle Denial. If you're new here, I'm so happy you are here. You're listening to the Real Truth About Business.
And I want to just real quick remind you that Back Pocket Insights, the free private podcast, is now free. I said free private podcast. It didn't used to be free, but now it is. And I'm having so much fun with that, where I'm just sharing these, like, little voice memo stuff style coaching nuggets in there.
I'm also sharing, like, pieces of actual live coaching episode or coaching calls that we've done. So anyway, if you haven't. If you have not opted into Back Pocket Insights yet, please do so. All right, so let's talk about, like, downplaying yourself, downplaying your skills.
And I'm going to give you a personal example because I literally had this call. I had this conversation with a client, and I, like, I had to catch myself after it. I was like, this is exactly what you've been doing, right? So I sent an email out about how I often get called a business coach, right?
And I reply to posts where people say, I'm looking for a business coach, right? And for the longest time, I have always said, like, I need to call myself a business coach because that's what people are hiring, right? And so I did. And then I was like, actually, the reality is I'm not.
And so I sent out an email a while back reintroducing myself and telling everybody, like, the True role that I am playing is like, strategic growth consultant, right? And that felt really good, and I still feel really good about it. But here's where I downplay things. And like, literally this.
This just happened because a client literally said to me, she was like, the one thing I love about Michelle is that she literally always makes sure every single thing drives back to revenue and profit. And here's the reality of it. I have literally been in the world of accounting since I was 15, okay? I have an accounting degree.
I bring the accounting knowledge to the strategy. And so really, what I am doing is more profit strategy, right? It's not just growth strategy, it's profit strategy. How are we taking what you are doing and increasing the profit on every single thing that.
Every single dollar that's coming in. That was. That was how I was raised. That is what my background is in, is like, how can we make this more profitable?
Because revenue means nothing without profit. And I never wanted to be a bookkeeper. I did not want to stay in the accounting world. I always, like, even though that was the role I held in corporate, I always was in, like, another department as well.
So in the last role, I was in the operations. I was in the sales department. I was in the production business development side of it. I had my hand in all the pots.
But at the end. End of the day, I always came back to accounting. And that's what I bring to the table when it comes to business as well. And somebody just said to me, she was like, I don't understand why you don't talk about that.
Because that's such a differentiator for you, right? Most business coaches don't have the accounting knowledge, right? So, like, the fact that you understand and know and like, you're bringing that to the table. And I honestly think that is why when people work with me, they're like, oh, my gosh, why is number.
Why have I never heard this before? Why have I never had anybody tell me it from this angle? Because, again, they likely don't have the background in the accounting that I do, and so they're just not speaking from that same lens, right? And again, right, wrong or indifferent, it doesn't matter.
It's not about that. Every single person brings their own unique lens to it. And I was having this conversation with a client as well, because she calls herself a content strategist, all right? And she was asking somebody for some feedback, and he literally was like, this guy was like, such a douchebag.
And he was like, yeah, I wouldn't even I think it's time for you to, like, bring new skills to the table. Because as a content strategist, AI is replacing everything, which. That's a topic for another day in a rant that I could go on, and I likely will go on that rant in Back Pocket Insights. Like, that's the type of episode I would release in Back Pocket Insights.
But we had this conversation because she was like, I just don't understand it. Like, this is what I'm doing. This is, you know, I don't just create content. I'm looking at it from.
She works a lot with influencers and in the, like, travel industry. And she's like, I'm looking at it through the lens of, like, how is their content actually bringing more money to them? How can they diversify what they're doing with their content and repurpose it so that it actually drives more revenue into them and to their business? And so really I was like, you're not a content strategist.
Like, you are a revenue and content strategist. Because again, everything for her comes back to revenue. Same. Like, for me it's profit, and for her it was revenue of, like, how is what you are currently doing?
She looks at it through the lens of like, you're already doing all of these things. How can we take what you're already doing from a content perspective and turn that into revenue? How can we build out this entire revenue suite that diversifies where your revenue is coming in from so you're not waiting on the next brand deal or in her world, right? Because it's influencers.
Like, they're not just sitting around waiting for brand deals. They've got people coming to them. They're selling digital products, affiliate marketing, all kinds of things. And I was like, that is like, such a unique selling point.
And that's what I tried to tell her is like, you're not just bringing and talking revenue. You're talking a whole entire revenue strategy that involves their content. That's not just the content strategist. Right.
And so, again, that's completely different than somebody that's just writing content for. For a influencer. Right? Which, yes, in to some extent, AI will and can replace some of that.
Again, topic for another day. I'm not going there today. But I want you to really think about, like, what is the one thing that you are sitting on because you feel like you need to give yourself a title that everybod knows? Like, here's the thing.
It doesn't freaking matter what the fuck you call yourself okay, like, do people know what a profit strategist is? No, probably not. Is it different if I showed up to a networking call and said, like, hey, my name is Michelle Denio. I'm a profit strategist for small business owners.
Like, and I then dive into it, right? And what that means, again, it differentiates you. It really allows you to own that unique selling point that you bring to the table. And so many of you are downplaying your expertise, you're downplaying your knowledge, you're downplaying how you show up.
Because we feel like we need to fit in a box of what everybody else calls themselves and what everybody else does. And I'm here to say stop freaking doing that. I have so many clients that are so freaking ridiculously talented and bring so much to the table. I was talking to another client.
This is going to be like an episode where I give you an example, because that's the best way to learn is just through stories from this one. But she. So she's a podcast manager, but she also runs this freaking kick ass community. It's called Cocktails and Clothes.
Shout out. Marie. I really love this community. Don't stand behind a lot.
And I do stand behind this one. So I will make sure that the link is in the show notes. If you're looking for a community that is like, hype girl strategy, like all the things. Okay, so anyways, we were talking about the community and she was leading with like this super generic stuff of by about, like, you get this and you get this and all these, like, deliverables.
And at the end of the day, like, what makes the community so good is Marie? Like, it's her. It's her ability to connect people. She has this incredible way of connecting people, of getting people hyped up.
She has an incredible way of getting people to support one another. She creates a lot of engagement very easily inside of the community. So it's a very active community. And people are joining because they just freaking love her, right?
And so I told her, I was like, stop selling all the tangibles and start selling yourself, right? Like, start selling the results that are coming from it because of the way you lead and run this community. And so again, so many people are downplaying all of these amazing things that they are doing. And here's the reality of it.
We are living in 2026, where AI is taking over. Everybody freaking sounds the same. Everybody's content sounds the same. Everybody's offers sound the same, right?
Like, because there is so much AI and so like, call yourself something different, Talk about yourself differently, Share exactly what makes you freaking unique. Because that is what's going to show your audience that you're human, right? That you are coming through the lens of freaking experience. You're not just copying and pasting something that I spit out and said, here's how you go and make $10,000, right?
Like, you're bringing this knowledge and experience to the table. So freaking stand out, right? Do something, show people, like, no, I am this person. This is what I bring to the table.
And again, I'm saying this for my own expert, like, my own challenges of, like, why am I sitting here downplaying the level of accounting knowledge that I bring to the table when it is truly the one thing that differentiates me? Because there are not a lot of business strategists and growth consultants out there that have an accounting degree, right, that understand the numbers, that can read a P and L very accurately. Right? They.
That is what I look at. That is why, like, step one is know the facts. And people always say, like, I've never actually looked at the facts in this way because I present them through the lens of profit. How can we do more of what's working?
When we do more of what's working, we increase profit. So, yeah, you're going to start hearing me talk about my accounting background. You're going to start hearing me talk about how I really look at everything through the lens of profit. Because that is a differentiator for me.
And yes, I look at the growth strategy. I am. I understand business development. I understand marketing and sales.
That's. I bring all of that to the table too. But truly the differentiator for me is that profit piece. Okay?
That's what I want you to think about is like, what knowledge, what experience do you have from previous work that you're bringing to the table that you're just kind of like, yeah, but everybody knows this, or you're downplaying it because you don't think it's important or you don't think it's playing a role in it, and it is playing a significant role in the work that you do for your clients. Okay? So again, if you need somebody to mirror that back to you, I would be happy to do that.
That we can absolutely do that. On a CEO strategy call, they're completely free. But, like, I just want to see everybody stand in their power and freaking own their knowledge and expertise because to the world needs good people. And there were.
There's tons of amazing good people out there. But we are being overlooked and overshadowed by the people that are being loud, Right? And we need to do the thing that we need to do do to stand out. Right?
And that's how you're going to stand out, by differentiating yourself by owning, like, yeah, I bring this to the freaking table. Yes, I'm proud of this. Yes, I'm going to own this. No, I'm not just talking to you about content strategy.
I'm talking to you about how that's going to impact your entire revenue system as a whole. Right? Like, that's what we want to hear from you, and that's how you're going to grow and literally catapult your business, especially in 2026, where everything sounds the freaking same. Like, let's just get over and, like, be done with all this vanilla copy paste shit, because I'm sick of reading it.
You're sick of reading it. Everybody's sick of reading it. And it's causing sales to slow down simply because we're over here trying to fit in. No, don't fit in.
Like, I don't know. No, we're not doing that. We're not fitting in. I don't really care.
Like, give yourself a title that feels freaking amazing to you that requires an explanation, Right? Because the explanation is what's going to get people to lean in and be like, holy. I never heard of that before. Tell me more.
Right? So don't be afraid to, like, get creative and really own your genius. Okay? I love you.
I believe in you, and I will talk to you soon.
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