The five questions behind a clear business story

Your business content should explain five things: your insight, the problem you want to address, why you’re suited to help, what’s distinctive about your process and the proof behind your claims. Together, those answers help a potential customer understand why you might be a suitable choice.

By Eric Yim, associated with Protocol Text, a marketing services business based in Lincoln, Nebraska.

I describe these as five questions behind a clear business story. They give you a way to decide what an About page, service explanation or connected series of articles needs to explain. I’m offering a storytelling framework, not five fields every AI system requires or a promise of search rankings.

1. What do you see in your industry that deserves attention?

The first question is, “What do you uniquely see that no one else has?” I’d use that to get past broad claims like caring about customers. What have you noticed that changes how you think the work should be done?

For a hypothetical example, imagine a local painting provider who notices that customers struggle to picture how a project will affect daily life at home. That observation could lead the owner to spend more time discussing access, room use and the order of the work.

This is an exercise, not a description of a business I’ve worked with. The useful part is the connection between an observation and a service decision.

Writing prompt: What do I notice customers struggling with, and what does that lead me to do differently?

2. What problem do you want to be the authority on?

My next question is, “What problem within what you see do you want to be the authority on?” A service label tells someone what category you belong in. The problem explains why they would need help.

In the painting example, “interior painting” names the service. Helping someone plan painting work around occupied rooms describes a more specific problem. That gives the owner something useful to explain before asking a reader to call.

Choose a problem you can actually address. Don’t expand a narrow strength into a claim that you can solve every difficulty a customer might have.

Writing prompt: What is the customer trying to accomplish, and what makes it difficult without the help I offer?

3. Why are you positioned to help?

“Why you?” asks for the reason someone should have confidence in your ability to address that problem. This is where relevant background, capabilities or availability can matter, provided they’re true.

For our hypothetical provider, being local and willing to visit the home could support a more personal planning conversation. Being local alone would not establish painting quality or prove that a project will finish on time.

Keep the reason tied to the problem. A reader shouldn’t have to work out how an unrelated biography makes you suitable for the service they need.

Writing prompt: What about my actual situation or capabilities makes me suited to this particular problem?

4. What is distinctive about your process?

Process means, “How do you actually do it?” Then comes the next question: why is that approach special? Describe what happens rather than relying on words like thorough or personal.

The hypothetical painting provider might propose a longer home visit to talk through which rooms need to remain usable and explain a possible work sequence. That would make the idea of a higher-touch service concrete. Higher touch here means more direct time and conversation with the customer.

A business should only present those steps as its process if it actually offers them. If you’re still designing an approach, describe it as a proposal rather than an established practice.

Writing prompt: What would a customer see me do, and how does that step address the problem I identified?

5. What evidence supports the claim?

The fifth question is “proof of why you.” A reason for confidence explains your suitability. Evidence gives the reader something to check.

As I explain in the interview, proof doesn’t always have to be specific results. A local presence can support a claim that you’re local. Evidence of an offered home visit can support a claim about availability for direct conversation. Neither proves an outcome the business hasn’t demonstrated.

For the hypothetical provider, a sample planning document could show what the conversation covers. It would demonstrate the planning approach, not prove that every customer experiences less disruption.

An early-stage business can keep its claims narrow and show what it can genuinely substantiate. There’s no need to fill a missing results section with invented success stories.

Writing prompt: What can I show that supports this exact claim, and what would it leave unproven?

Find the missing explanation before writing another page

I’d suggest putting your five answers beside your existing content. For each answer, identify the passage a reader could use to understand it. A heading that says “Our process” doesn’t count if the text never explains what happens.

Then choose the gap that most affects the customer’s decision. If the service is clear but the process is vague, explain the steps. If you describe a distinctive approach without support, narrow the claim or add appropriate evidence.

This gives the next piece a specific job. You can strengthen an existing page instead of creating another article that repeats the same introduction.

FAQs about using the five questions

Does every individual post need to answer all five questions?

No. An individual post can answer one useful question well. The larger body of content should help readers understand the business across all five areas. Where another page provides necessary context, link to it rather than squeezing the whole business story into every article.

How should I update the framework when my services change?

Revisit the answers affected by the change, then check the pages that use them. Update service descriptions, examples, availability and process details so older explanations don’t mislead readers. Review supporting evidence too, especially if it demonstrates an approach you no longer offer.

Can one interview provide material for several pieces?

Yes, if it contains distinct answers or examples that address different reader questions. You might develop a process explanation separately from a discussion of evidence. Preserve the speaker’s meaning and keep each piece useful on its own rather than manufacturing several repetitions of one point.

What if I cannot claim an insight nobody else has ever had?

You can explain a specific observation and why it matters without claiming exclusive knowledge. Describe what you’ve noticed, how it affects your decisions and where its limits are. Credibility doesn’t require pretending that an ordinary insight is unique in history.