How do I know when my pitch is ready?
When someone who's never heard of your business can repeat it back accurately after hearing it once.
Your pitch is ready when it passes the repeat-back test. Say it to someone who has no context on your business. Then ask them: "What do I do?" If they can repeat it back accurately in their own words, you're done.
If they pause, ask a clarifying question, or describe something different from what you meant, the pitch needs more work. The problem is rarely that the person didn't listen. It's that the message had too many ideas competing for attention.
A ready pitch is also one you can say confidently without reading from notes, that works in a casual conversation as well as a formal introduction, and that makes the right person lean in with a follow-up question.
Don't wait for perfection. A pitch that's 80% clear and gets used is worth more than a pitch that's 100% polished and sits in a Google Doc. The one-sentence guide covers the structure, the common traps, and the testing method.