Startups phrases and words in English

Silicon Valley jargon that's escaped into everyday English — pivot your plans, grab the low-hanging fruit, bootstrap your way through, and spot when someone's drunk the Kool-Aid.

10 phrases · meanings & example sentences

“Move fast and break things”

Early Facebook's internal motto, now shorthand for acting quickly and accepting the mess that comes with it. It captures a whole attitude — speed over perfection — and people use it about cooking, parenting, even relationships, usually with a wink because everyone knows the things sometimes stay broken.

Launched the app with three bugs and fixed them live — move fast and break things
She rewired the whole kitchen herself in a weekend. Very move fast and break things
My approach to IKEA furniture is move fast and break things, mostly the things

“Pivot”

To make a sharp, deliberate change of direction while keeping one foot planted — borrowed from basketball, where you swivel on a stationary foot. The word escaped startup culture and now covers any life U-turn: a career change, a conversation rescue, a recipe adaptation mid-cook.

He studied law for two years, then pivoted to baking sourdough full-time
She saw the topic killing the mood and pivoted hard to something lighter
The band pivoted from metal to folk and somehow gained fans

“Drink the Kool-Aid”

To buy into a group's beliefs uncritically and often blindly. The dark origin is the 1978 Jonestown tragedy; the phrase now describes anyone swept up by company culture, a fitness trend, or a political movement — usually said with a warning, or in hindsight.

Three months in and the new hire had completely drunk the Kool-Aid
I drank the cold-plunge Kool-Aid and now I can't shut up about it
Don't drink the Kool-Aid just because everyone in the room is nodding

“Boil the ocean”

To attempt something hopelessly huge or over-broad — you can't actually boil the ocean, so the phrase warns against trying. It's a polite way to say someone's plan is too ambitious to ever finish, and it works for any over-scoped project, from spring cleaning to writing a novel.

Let's fix one feature first — we don't need to boil the ocean
Trying to learn five languages at once is boiling the ocean
Her wedding plan was so detailed it basically boiled the ocean

“Eat your own dog food”

To use the very product or advice you're selling, so you feel its flaws like a real customer would. The odd image makes it stick. Beyond work it means practising what you preach: a personal trainer following their own programme, a chef eating their own menu.

The whole team uses the app daily — we eat our own dog food
He sells fitness plans but never works out. Time to eat your own dog food
If you're recommending the route, eat your own dog food and drive it first

“Bootstrapped”

Built with your own money and revenue, no outside investment — from 'pull yourself up by your bootstraps'. It signals scrappy independence and has escaped startups to become a flex anywhere self-funded grit beats outside help: a band on its own label, a side project, a trip funded entirely by yourself.

We bootstrapped the company on credit cards and stubbornness
She bootstrapped her whole tour — no label, just a van
Totally bootstrapped my way through uni with two jobs and no loans

“Runway”

How long your money lasts before you run out — like a plane needing enough tarmac to take off. Founders count runway in months of cash. The metaphor travels beautifully to personal finance, time, and patience: how much buffer you have before things get critical.

We've got six months of runway, so let's spend it wisely
Between jobs I had maybe three months of runway in savings
Give the new manager some runway before you judge her

“Low-hanging fruit”

The easiest wins available — tasks, deals, or changes that take the least effort but still move you forward. Named after the fruit closest to the ground. Used as a sensible starting point, but sometimes as mild criticism: going only for the low-hanging fruit means skipping the harder, more rewarding work.

Let's tackle the low-hanging fruit first and get some momentum going
The manager always went for low-hanging fruit and avoided the hard decisions
Clearing the low-hanging fruit from your inbox before lunch feels oddly satisfying

“Game changer”

Something so significant it rewrites the rules — a discovery, a habit, a decision that means nothing works the same after. Originally from sport (a play that shifts the whole match), now used for anything from an espresso machine to a career move.

That second coffee in the morning was an absolute game changer
The invention of the shipping container was a game changer for global trade
Getting a dog was a game changer for both our social lives

“Side hustle”

A secondary income stream running alongside your main job — freelancing, selling crafts, tutoring, driving at night. The word 'hustle' marks it as energetic and entrepreneurial, not just a second job. Everyone seems to have one now, or at least aspires to.

My side hustle ended up paying more than my actual salary
She turned her side hustle into a full-time thing after two years
He drives rideshare at weekends as a side hustle to fund the travel