I’ve had a lot of fun talking to entrepreneurs at OpenCoffee and other local events. In addition to meeting dozens of interesting people, you answer the inevitable:

So… what are you working on?

InstaCalc is one of my projects (there’s others and some yet to be announced) but it’s a bit strange to say “I work on a calculator.”

In practicing my elevator pitch I try to emphasize the following

• Faster than Calc, Easier than Excel
• Web 2.0 goodness: instant results, grab live currency feeds, embeddable widgets
• Avoid “spreadsheet bingo” like E12 + D43
• Link and share any result, no need to login, send attachments or install software

I then try to jump into a scenario like sharing numbers about the YouTube deal.

I’ve still not perfected my pitch, and frankly I prefer a demo. It’s hard to say “This calculator is really fun and unlike anything out there!” and have people believe you without seeing it

But here’s the problem: You can’t pitch everyone.

Most people will visit the site without ever having met me. They don’t know it’s fast, easy and shareable. They don’t know you can do unit conversions or use variables or share links. So, I’ve revamped the homepage with:

• Explanatory text / feature list
• Pre-loaded examples (you can still bookmark a blank calc)
• A cleaner overall layout, including a “Clear” button in the top row.

It’s an experiment in not making people think about what InstaCalc can do. Hope you like the new look.