Families share stories of adventure, obstacles, and heroism, passing down these tales along with photos, mementoes and often-repeated tales that become part of who we are. Some families pass along narratives about how great-grandparents made their way to a new nation or state. They’re origin stories and every tribe has one, including yours.
When you capture your business story and share it with others, two things happen. First, you invite people to understand who you are, not just what you know or your expertise. Second, you inspire them to conspire in your favor and help you manifest a new future that doesn’t currently exist. Simply put, you light up those who are your people while repelling those who would otherwise waste your precious resources.
Writing a company story is not about boosting your own ego. It is about establishing a profound trust with your audience by inviting them into the multi-dimensional journey of your company’s ups and downs.
Intimacy is a Dirty Word in Business
And yet, we know that people make decisions based first on emotion and then on logic that supports that emotion. Emotion becomes available when you authentically invite readers in. The gritty struggles that make your business the one it is today are paramount. Few people can relate emotionally to a linear story of sequential successes. That isn’t authentic to our experience of life. Just try and get emotional when reading a resume!
Instead, it is in our falling that we see ourselves in each other. Share the times you fell and then how you rose again. People will literally curl up in bed with your book if you allow them to see your business for who and what and why it is.
Corey Blake, founder of Round Table Companies, points out that readers will snuggle under the covers with a story and hope for a profound enough experience that they wake up the next morning feeling changed. If your story resonates with them, you’ve created a fan for life. These are the people who become your future partners, investors, or new talent.
A Lasting Legacy
Your story is a building block, a reference for future stories. Let your failures and successes inspire others to fail better and faster on their own way to impacting the world.
As a company, you want to articulate the core essence of your purpose in a way that demonstrates the contribution you are making to the world. Imagine the impact your story could have on current and future readers. What lessons could you teach? What innovations could you instigate?
Your business story matters. Write that book. Share that journey. Change the world.
If you’re interested in writing your book and publishing it through Conscious Capitalism Press, you’ll find more information here.
