“When you share your story through your business, you are presenting the world with your values, experiences and personality. By doing so, you will undoubtedly attract people who believe in what you believe in.”
When I first started my business I was never told how important it is to incorporate my story in it. In fact, all the suggestions shared with me when it came to my branding and marketing were:
“Create a sense of scarcity”
“Use sensationalistic words”
“Send out flyers to complete strangers”
“Repeat yourself over and over again”
And because I had no idea who was right, I tried them all. But nothing worked. Nothing felt like me.
That’s when I started doing something that felt revolutionary at the time: I started sharing my story. And everything changed.
What it means to incorporate your story into your business
Before I delve into the wonders of sharing your story as part of your business, I want to make it clear what it means to actually include your story into your business. In one sentence, it’s about sharing your whys.
- Why did you open your business?
- Why are you the most qualified person to run it?
- Why were you inspired to start – What event/person/book brought you to the decision of opening your business?
Sharing your whys is crucial for your business storytelling. It is not just about taking pictures of your everyday life or bombarding people with your traumas, issues and life events. Though aspects of this can, of course, play a part.
It’s about taking the time to know your story, own your story and eventually share it during conversation with prospective clients, online, at job interviews or even for pitch competitions. It’s about sharing with them why you do what you do and not what you do.
Three reasons you should bring your story into your business
The process of knowing your story, owning your story and sharing it, sounds like a lot of work. And it is. So why would anyone go through so much trouble to bring a story into their business when hen you can simply say: I sell postcards, full stop?
I could give you so many reasons but I’ll stick to three.
- Business Storytelling is liberating
Incorporating your story into your business means knowing exactly who you are, where you came from, where your idea came from and brings that package in front of an audience. It means, you don’t have to fake it. You don’t have to be someone you are not. You are you. And in a world that doesn’t allow us to be ourselves very often, sharing our story is a liberating action.
2. Business storytelling helps you attract the right audience
When you share your story through your business, you are presenting the world with your values, experiences and personality. By doing so, you will undoubtedly attract people who believe in what you believe in, which ultimately is the most important trait your ideal client can and should have.
3. Business storytelling brings you clarity
Incorporating your story into your business is more than performing the story: how you speak, how you move your hands, the words you choose. It’s about discovering the story itself. That process brings clarity on: your mission, who you want to attract, what you want to do and what you don’t want to do as part of your business. Once you have that, all that is left is sharing it with your audience.
Your story matters
As much as I’d like to stick to three reasons why you should incorporate your story into your business, I can’t help but share another one: your story matters.
As a black female entrepreneur, I know I have been silenced for way too long. That’s true for anyone with an unheard and underrepresented background. We need your stories, we need to be seen on our own terms.
So, next time you are thinking about how to share your services or products, start with the story.
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