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I have my own micro business where I make equipment for high energy physics machines. I have yet to figure out a way to tell people what my business is in a wa

I have my own micro business where I make equipment for high energy physics machines. I have yet to figure out a way to tell people what my business is in a way that is even slightly accessible. Everything about it is so esoteric and multiple steps removed from regular life. It's not necessarily complex, it just contains a ton of details that the average person has no familiar contact with, and don't really have everyday analogues.

wasabi991011 1y ago
Isn't "I have my own micro business where I make equipment for high energy physics machines" a good description already?
xorcist 1y ago
> I make equipment for high energy physics machines > I have yet to figure out a way to tell people what my business is in a way that is even slightly accessible. You ... just did? In a remarkable short, concise, and very accessible way. I can ask as many follow up questions as I want and we might even have an engaging conversation. Sounds interesting!
- Workaccount2 1y ago
  It doesn't really tell you much, and frankly my audience is mostly non-tech people. And no doubt some people really are curious and keep asking questions, but most people you can kinda see their head uncomfortably spin. I also obfuscated it a bit by giving the most general name just for privacy reasons since not many people do it. But rest assured it is a "Retro Encabulator" type machine, and as you add details it just becomes more and more alien. This is not at all what I do, but its similar esoteric-ness to "I make differential gear sets for calibrating ion trap interferometry systems". A collection of words where every one of them the average person struggles to place.
  - grogenaut 1y ago
    Help me that you're not a doctor a lawyer accountants software engineer working for a large company. It tells me you're a small business owner and you work on advanced things. You're not manufacturing knick knacks or toys. Really if we're at a party that's more than enough unless I want to ask you more and you want to talk more about it. If you were a lawyer I'd probably ask what area of law that I probably stop and talk about something else. So I agree with others that you said was a very good distillation of what you do to the level that most people probably care about
  - stavros 1y ago
    "I have a small business that creates parts for machines used to do physics research" is perfectly understandable, though.
fuzzy_biscuit 1y ago
My cousin has his own metrology business, and it took me a long time before I understood how he was doing so well financially. Kinda get it now.
Izikiel43 1y ago
I make gear for machines that throw energy beams/lightning/lasers?

wasabi991011 1y ago

Isn't "I have my own micro business where I make equipment for high energy physics machines" a good description already?

xorcist 1y ago

> I make equipment for high energy physics machines > I have yet to figure out a way to tell people what my business is in a way that is even slightly accessible. You ... just did? In a remarkable short, concise, and very accessible way. I can ask as many follow up questions as I want and we might even have an engaging conversation. Sounds interesting!

Workaccount2 1y ago
It doesn't really tell you much, and frankly my audience is mostly non-tech people. And no doubt some people really are curious and keep asking questions, but most people you can kinda see their head uncomfortably spin. I also obfuscated it a bit by giving the most general name just for privacy reasons since not many people do it. But rest assured it is a "Retro Encabulator" type machine, and as you add details it just becomes more and more alien. This is not at all what I do, but its similar esoteric-ness to "I make differential gear sets for calibrating ion trap interferometry systems". A collection of words where every one of them the average person struggles to place.
- grogenaut 1y ago
  Help me that you're not a doctor a lawyer accountants software engineer working for a large company. It tells me you're a small business owner and you work on advanced things. You're not manufacturing knick knacks or toys. Really if we're at a party that's more than enough unless I want to ask you more and you want to talk more about it. If you were a lawyer I'd probably ask what area of law that I probably stop and talk about something else. So I agree with others that you said was a very good distillation of what you do to the level that most people probably care about
- stavros 1y ago
  "I have a small business that creates parts for machines used to do physics research" is perfectly understandable, though.

fuzzy_biscuit 1y ago

My cousin has his own metrology business, and it took me a long time before I understood how he was doing so well financially. Kinda get it now.

Izikiel43 1y ago

I make gear for machines that throw energy beams/lightning/lasers?