Tag: storytelling

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You Can Build Brand Loyalty with Good Storytelling

 

Want to keep customers coming back again and again? A good product isn’t enough. The real answer is storytelling.

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nce upon a time, brand loyalty came more or less on its own. A quality product or service was enough to keep customers coming back for more and spreading the word about you. No more.

Now consumers are bombarded with choices, and they often make purchasing decisions based on more than just the features and benefits of a product. They seek meaningful connections and resonate with brands that tell compelling stories. That means you don’t need to sit back and wait for brand loyalty to find you, you can go out and get it by figuring out how to tell your story right.

The Science of Storytelling

Before we dive into the practical aspects of using storytelling for brand building, let’s understand why storytelling is so effective in capturing the hearts and minds of consumers.

1. Emotional Engagement: Stories have the remarkable ability to evoke emotions. When a brand tells a story that resonates with its audience, it triggers an emotional response. These emotional connections are what foster brand loyalty.

2. Memorability: People remember stories much better than they remember facts and figures. If your brand’s story is memorable, it will stay with your customers, keeping your brand top of mind.

3. Humanization: Stories allow brands to humanize themselves. They give life to what might otherwise be seen as a faceless entity. A relatable story makes your brand seem more authentic and trustworthy.

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Think of your brand like a superhero - it needs a good origin story.

Steps to Building Brand Loyalty through Storytelling

1. Know Your Audience: Effective storytelling begins with understanding your target audience. What are their values, desires, and pain points? Tailor your stories to resonate with your audience’s needs and aspirations.

2. Define Your Brand’s Narrative: What is the central message or theme that you want your brand to convey? It could be about the origins of your company, your commitment to sustainability, or the positive impact your product or service has on people’s lives. Make sure this narrative aligns with your audience’s values.

3. Craft a Compelling Origin Story: An origin story can be a powerful tool in building brand loyalty. Share the story of how your company came into existence, the challenges you faced, and the passion that drives you. This story can humanize your brand and create a sense of trust.

4. Use Multiple Mediums: Stories can be told through various mediums, such as videos, blogs, social media, and even in-person interactions. Diversify your storytelling to reach a wider audience and engage them in different ways.

5. Consistency is Key: Your brand’s narrative and messaging should be consistent across all channels. This consistency reinforces your brand identity and makes it easier for customers to connect with your story.

6. Leverage User-Generated Content: Encourage your customers to share their experiences with your product or service. These user-generated stories can add authenticity and credibility to your brand’s narrative.

7. Show, Don’t Just Tell: Use visuals and experiences to illustrate your brand’s story. Visual storytelling can be more captivating and memorable than text alone.

8. Evolve Your Story: As your brand grows and evolves, your story should too. Don’t be afraid to update your narrative to reflect your current values and goals.

9. Listen and Respond: Engage with your audience and listen to their feedback. Use this feedback to adapt and improve your storytelling efforts.

Case Studies in Brand Loyalty

Let’s look at a couple of examples of companies that have successfully built brand loyalty through storytelling:

1. Nike: Nike’s “Just Do It” campaign is a classic example of effective storytelling. It conveys the message that anyone can achieve greatness through hard work and determination, aligning perfectly with their target audience of athletes and fitness enthusiasts.

2. Coca-Cola: Coca-Cola has been telling heartwarming stories through its holiday-themed advertisements for decades. These stories evoke feelings of nostalgia and togetherness, reinforcing the brand’s message of happiness and unity.

In an age where consumers have countless choices, building brand loyalty is more important than ever. Good storytelling can set your brand apart by creating emotional connections, making your brand memorable, and humanizing your business. By understanding your audience, defining your narrative, and consistently sharing compelling stories, you can foster brand loyalty that lasts a lifetime. So, start weaving your brand’s story today and watch your customer base grow, not just in numbers, but in loyalty and advocacy.

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Drop the Slides. Focus on Pitching Your Story.

 

PowerPoint slides serve their purpose, but they are not your pitch. Focus instead on telling your story.

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n the realm of business presentations, PowerPoint has reigned supreme for decades. It has become the default tool for conveying information, showcasing data, and attempting to engage an audience. However, as the world evolves and attention spans shrink, it’s time to question the effectiveness of this ubiquitous tool. Is PowerPoint really the best way to captivate your listeners and convey the essence of your story? It’s time to drop the slides and focus on pitching your story instead.

The problem with PowerPoint lies not in its functionality, but in its tendency to shift the focus from the storyteller to the slides themselves. Too often, presenters rely on flashy visuals and bullet points to do the talking for them. The result is a disengaged audience, drowning in a sea of text and graphics, struggling to stay attentive.

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Can you tell your story without slides?

Instead, let’s bring back the art of storytelling. Humans have been communicating through stories for millennia, captivating and inspiring listeners through the power of narrative. It’s time to embrace this ancient tradition and apply it to modern business presentations.

Pitching your story means placing yourself at the center of the stage, connecting with your audience on a personal level. It means crafting a compelling narrative that sparks curiosity and emotion. It means using your voice, body language, and passion to convey your message effectively. When you tell a story, you invite your audience on a journey, engaging them in a way that PowerPoint slides can never achieve.

So, how can you pitch your story effectively?

First and foremost, understand your audience. Tailor your narrative to resonate with their needs, desires, and pain points. Craft a story that speaks directly to them, capturing their attention from the very beginning.

Next, focus on the structure of your story. Start with a captivating hook that grabs attention and sets the stage. Introduce your characters, whether they are customers, employees, or even yourself, and establish their challenges or goals. Build tension and suspense as you describe the obstacles and conflicts they face. And finally, provide a resolution or a call to action that inspires and motivates your audience.

Don’t forget the power of authenticity. Be genuine, sincere, and passionate when delivering your story. Connect with your audience through eye contact, gestures, and facial expressions. Let your enthusiasm shine through, and your listeners will be drawn into your narrative.

Incorporate visuals sparingly and strategically. If you feel the need for visual aids, consider using props, prototypes, or even live demonstrations to enhance your storytelling. Engage multiple senses and create an immersive experience for your audience.

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How to Increase Your Sales With Storytelling

 

Ever get the feeling that you’re pouring too much money into marketing for too few results? Luckily, you can increase sales with storytelling.

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ffective marketing strategies are crucial to driving sales and growing your business, but in today’s fast-paced digital world, it’s especially important to focus on how to increase sales with storytelling. 

Consumers are constantly bombarded with information. It can be challenging to capture their attention and persuade them to choose your product or service over the competition. This is where the power of storytelling to increase your sales comes into play. By crafting a compelling narrative around your brand, you can create an emotional connection with your audience and significantly increase your sales. Armed with this knowledge, let’s explore how to tell a story that will resonate with your customers, cut out inefficiencies in your marketing strategy, and ultimately drive your business forward.

1. Know your audience:

Before you start crafting your story, it is crucial to understand your target audience. What are their needs, desires, and pain points? What are their values and aspirations? By gaining deep insights into your customers’ mindset, you can tailor your story to resonate with their emotions and experiences. Remember, your goal is to create a narrative that speaks directly to them and makes them feel understood.

2. Define your brand identity:

A strong brand identity forms the foundation of a compelling story. Your brand should have a clear mission, values, and personality. Define what sets your business apart from others and what makes it unique. This will help you shape your story and communicate your brand’s essence effectively. Are you a disruptive innovator challenging the status quo, or do you prioritize sustainability and social impact? Let your brand identity guide the narrative you create so you can simply increase sales with storytelling.

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Every Business is unique. How will you tell your story?

3. Uncover your origin story:

Every successful brand has an origin story, and this can be a powerful tool to connect with your audience. Share the journey of how your business came into existence, the challenges you faced, and the passion that drove you forward. Humanize your story by emphasizing the people behind your brand and the personal experiences that inspired your entrepreneurial journey. This authenticity will create trust and make your audience more likely to engage with your products or services.

4. Evoke emotions:

Great stories tap into the power of emotions. Craft your narrative in a way that evokes feelings such as joy, excitement, empathy, or even a sense of belonging. Emotional connections drive purchasing decisions, and by aligning your story with the emotions your audience seeks, you can motivate them to take action. Use vivid language, relatable characters, and relatable situations to elicit the desired emotional response.

5. Highlight customer success stories:

One of the most effective ways to increase your sales is by showcasing how your product or service has positively impacted your customers’ lives. Collect and share compelling testimonials and case studies that demonstrate the value and benefits your offerings provide. Use these success stories as a part of your larger narrative to create social proof and build trust with potential customers. When prospects see others achieving desirable outcomes with your product, they are more likely to choose you.

6. Use visuals:

Incorporating visual elements into your storytelling can greatly enhance its impact. People are highly visual creatures, and images or videos can help bring your story to life. Utilize high-quality visuals that align with your brand’s aesthetics and values. Whether it’s through photographs, illustrations, or videos, make sure the visuals support and complement your narrative, making it more engaging and memorable.

7. Engage through multiple channels:

Your story shouldn’t be limited to a single platform or communication channel. To maximize its reach and impact, share it across various channels such as your website, social media platforms, email newsletters, and even in-person events. Tailor the story to suit each channel’s format and audience, while maintaining a consistent brand message throughout. By utilizing multiple touchpoints, you increase the chances of capturing your audience’s attention and driving them towards a purchase.

Remember, storytelling is an ongoing process, and it should evolve with your business. Continuously evaluate the effectiveness of your story and adapt it based on customer feedback and market trends. By telling a compelling narrative that resonates with your audience, you can establish an emotional connection, differentiate your brand, and ultimately increase your sales. Embrace the power of storytelling, and watch your business thrive in the hearts and minds of your customers.

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Words have power

We invest in ideas, in words, in the things we can imagine, believe, hope for, we do not invest in the tangible, we invest in words that can create a reality.

I had the pleasure of spending some time with a leader in a political party, running for the Turkish parliament. I loved her passion, her ideas, her hopes. As we spoke, we went on to discuss the hero’s journey and why most politicians believe they can save us. In reality, we do not believe them, we feel what they say is more of the same and we lose interest.

Words create worlds, remember that. You have the ability to achieve many things by using the right words, to build, create, swoop the people, destroy lives, it is all done with words.

Our conversation drifted and we started thinking about messaging the political ideas in such a way that invites the voters to be part of the hero’s journey.

One person can make a difference, one person can change the world. It would be interesting to see what happens in elections all over the world, whether good might still win. You see, good takes time, a long time to create, bad comes in and destroys it all with one sentence. Credibility, authenticity, integrity, those need time to build. Killing that truly takes minutes.

And we can make a change, we can decide to be positive, we can decide to wait before we pour our anger onto social media, we can ask to see more facts. We can decide we want positive instead of negative. The funny thing, I know many people who are actively trying to help but are using negative words to do it. I believe in everything we do, both sides have a part to play, so both have some fault when things go south.

I had the chance to spend an amazing time in Cappadocia, turkey. A one of a kind, special, even magical experience. During dinner, we are all happy, laughing, exchanging stories when a friend sent me an Instagram message. This was one of those moments that reminded me why I usually travel without my Sim card, to avoid these messages.

And it was small, even too stupid to mention but he saw one of my stories, without seeing the rest and mentioned not everything should be posted. He did not see the next stories for context, he did not say it in a nice or ugly way, he just said what was on his mind. One sentence, threw me off, I had to look, what did I post?

He could have said it in so many ways, but even when I said that’s fine, no need to comment on everything you see, he got angry.

Now choose, you can say things a certain way, you can get angry, you can be mindful, you can do whatever the F you want, but it will always be better to be kind. “hey, saw your story, would reconsider if it’s relevant here, seems a bit off” would probably get a different reaction and appreciation, but he wanted to tell me, not help me.

When we decide to fire away, and trust me, I’m pretty good at that, we have no control how the other sides will take it. What could be a short sentence for us, could be a long journey for our friends on the other side.

A similar experience with my cousin as we were driving around Istanbul and he mentioned he saw one of my talks: “yeah, it was OK, not bad”. I take pride in the work I do. My workshops and talks are being shared, my calendar is getting more bookings, I keep improving and all he had to say was OK?

He could have said love it, like it, it was very good but you know…. And give me feedback. But he did not say it for feedback, he said it to say it. Two years ago it might have even crushed me. I was concerned about my speaking, the amount, the subject. I had put in so much time and effort to improve and it is still and probably always will be a work in progress. But he could choose to do good, he chose not to.

It is the Jewish new year and it is time for resolutions.

For me, it is about doing better, less negative, accepting the other side in a certain way. I will always be happy to get feedback, this is how we can all improve but I do not want negative vibes. Positive words can elevate, can cure, can change people for the better, can bring people together.

It is not an easy ask or task, it is a daily effort. Make someone smile, compliment one word, say thank you. And more than everything, know this, the world tends to reward the good, not the bad.

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The Magical word of storytelling

storytelling

What is this buzzword, why’s everyone using it and how you could do it yourself.

 

I love coffee, people, and talking. Not necessarily in that order, but a significant portion of my life has been devoted to spending time with people, usually over coffee while we talked. They talked, told stories, and moved on to the next one. I enjoyed upgrading the best stories, making changes and tweaks, making them shorter or having a longer opening.

In everything I do, I enjoy telling stories. When I’m writing novels, creating brands, or creating articles or microcopy for my clients. When I teach, I especially enjoy incorporating a brand’s story into a lesson. Making a boring 90-minute class into a compelling story that inspires students to remember.

However, we abused this magical ability, storytelling.

We can no longer prevent anyone from claiming to be a self-proclaimed storyteller. There is no diploma, no minimum requirements, just someone who decides they want to teach. There are no numbers or KPIs to track, but storytelling is an ability, a skill, like being funny or being a businessman. You can’t claim to be funny or to be an entrepreneur. That should be said by someone else. I believe the same is true for storytelling.

An author is a storyteller who succeeds when others read, buy, and share his work. Too many people nowadays are self-proclaimed without putting in the effort. Yes, I know that many types of consultants feel the same way, and there are plenty of consultants willing to help you grow on social even if they have never done it themselves.

We are all storytellers

I know you might argue that there are different types of storytelling, long, short, video, audio, snarky, emotional, and so on, and I would agree, but I would also argue that we are all storytellers, just at different levels and abilities.

You get together with your friends and family? Stories

You tell your coworkers about last night’s wild party? Storytelling

You’d like to sell something? Story.

I was recently asked to listen to a podcast about startup storytelling. The lady identified herself as a professional storyteller. It was completed an hour later. Except for the fact that she kept selling herself, I couldn’t recall anything.

You might wonder why she didn’t tell any stories; she simply told the audience what had happened, but a good story has emotions, is thought-provoking, and has something to it. She had given us a lot of information without it.

You are all storytellers; whether you believe you are good or not is entirely up to you. It is also up to you to be able to improve quickly. You can easily improve, and it may even be enjoyable for you.

Here are some simple things you can do to enjoy sotries more, feel more, and improve a little more.

  1. Read novels and adventure stories. Read books on storytelling, such as Robert Mckee’s ‘Story’ or my new book F*ck the Slides.
  2. Watch television shows and notice what makes you move, then sit on the edge of your couch. Improving one of the most important life skills entails being a bit of a couch potato.
  3. Create a 60-word elevator pitch for yourself. What would you say to introduce yourself? What is your name and what do you do? How would you characterize yourself? Is it through your work? What is your family situation?
  4. Be in touch with your emotions. Things happen; talk to yourself and ask yourself how it affects you. What emotions does it evoke in you? You will quickly discover which types of feelings and emotions have the greatest impact on you. When telling a story, keep those in mind.
  5. Tell people what kind of story you’re about to tell them and see how they react. You have no idea what a crazy story I heard. If it’s not crazy, funny, or scary, it’s because you see things differently than you’re telling people. Improve by asking why.

True, some people may be better storytellers than others. However, using this buzzword for everything is counterproductive. It is time to teach people how to improve at something they already do.

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I left my life behind for 30 days and this is what I learned

I am writing this from London. It’s been just 30 days since I left my old life and apparently this trip will be cut short by a couple of days.

My time away has made me sit down and reflect on my life, the past month and where I’m going from here.

I feel blessed that I even have the ability to leave everything behind for a while and go find myself and the next step. Before I keep going, I need to thank my team at Streetwise, my agency. We do outsourced marketing services for major clients in different industries and I can’t thank them enough for stepping up. The last month has proven we have room to grow and a team to grow with.

Finding myself didn’t include 2 weeks of nature or silence or yoga sessions. I just needed to get out of my routine, be alone, think, write and read (or listen to as much audio content as I could).

Life takes its toll on all of us. Without even noticing, we pick up habits, big and small. Look at the week ahead you have planned for yourself, and you’ll see that we have ways of passing the time, the week, the year. All we need to do is fill up our calendar with things to do and we are good to go.

I love my morning habits – waking up, going to my favorite specialty coffee spot and enjoying some good conversations. Then there are morning meetings with clients, lunch and, look at that, the week is already over. Sometimes it’s busy and most days are like a rat race. The weekend is slower, habits are different but still a routine. I want to live my life on my time and my schedule. I want to own my time.

In order to do that, I felt I needed to go away and dream it all up again

An excuse

I needed one, and I found two good ones. The catalyst for this trip came from EO, the Entrepreneurs’ Organization, of which I am a member and sit on the regional council. After almost 2 years, 50 of us decided to meet in Lisbon to work on our European strategy, and it was epic in so many ways.

Staying for WebSummit after was also a good idea, but my main reason for going away was an idea I’ve had for a while: to write a new book.

It all started with a book title I came up with a few months back. I have already written two novels and have been thinking of ideas for a business/self-help book for a few years. For me, the writing process starts with a good title and some ideas.

The title was “Fuck the Slides.” I know, good huh?

The idea for the book was to develop my technique and help entrepreneurs build a pitch that would help them raise money. The second step of my process is taking notes on my phone and then drafting a short layout. Once that is done, I can start writing.

All I needed was time, so it just seemed fit to keep traveling after Lisbon. Since landing in London, I have walked about 600,000 steps, listened to 5 audio books, heard countless podcasts and signed new clients from Germany, South Africa, London and New-York (one from London is still not signed), but most importantly, I have written over 30,000 words and made some life-altering decisions.

I thought I would share some of my key insights from this month, and hope you manage to adopt at least one for yourself.

Check your habits

I love coffee. Like, really love coffee. Or should I say, I’m more addicted to the ritual of visiting my favorite coffee place everyday at 7am, reading the newspaper, talking to people and maybe having a second cup of coffee. But in the last few months, I noticed it was starting to feel like an exhausting ritual. I had to switch things up.

It’s your time

Sometimes it seems like my time is just not mine anymore. I react too often, rather than planning and creating a schedule. Even while in London, I noticed something scary. You see, when I landed in London, I only had one thing on my calendar for the whole month, and guess what? Things got crazy busy in no time. I started to feel stressed and the pressure was continuous. Saying no is something I still struggle with, but life is about learning, right? I need to learn how to manage my time. I am going back home determined to give my time first priority on the calendar and assign specific times for everything else.

The world can wait

We are too responsive, too fast, too often. Nothing bad will happen if we just disappear and fall off the grid for a few hours. Manage expectations and tell people you are not available. During my first week in London, I cancelled my cell phone package. That meant while I was roaming the streets, I was not available. It was so wonderful walking around, knowing there is no point in taking my phone out of my pocket because nothing will have changed. And nothing changed. Just let the world know when you will be back.

Finish before you start

It was early in the morning and still dark. Wake up, boil water, wash my face, brush my teeth, get coffee and open my laptop. I started writing before anything else, getting one piece of content or one chapter done, anything. I started the day with a win. The last few days have been great, as I pick an idea I jotted down the day before and just start writing. The same routine can be established for your morning fitness habits (my next goal is 100, 250 and 1,000 push-ups straight). Just do it first thing in the morning or set aside a specific block of time for it.

I love running in the evenings rather than in the morning because then my work day is done and I love getting out to shake off the day and clear my head for the evening.

You need a destination

I walked for hours every day, just roaming the streets, shops, gardens and museums, thinking, walking, listening. I needed to experience something else than what I was used to seeing. But I also needed to know what direction I’m headed in and what I’m trying to accomplish: a new book, new projects, new life? Moving to Lisbon? I set some guidelines and boundaries, and from these walks and thoughts, I found my destination and the road to getting there. Part of it was also sharing my journey with you here.

I am going back home with the reminder that I come first, and the person to tell that to is me, no one else. It’s up to you to take care of yourself.

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Stop to move forward

Want to grow your business? This is the one thing you must do now

If you want to grow your business, you need to stop everything and take a break. Not a vacation, a break, just so you have time to think about these 3 things.

I love working, and I always have. For years, I worked long hours, learning, meeting, writing, taking on more and more clients and projects, and my business kept growing and improving.

But the real kicker was once each year when I did the opposite. I just stopped everything and did nothing. So, here is what I can share with you from my experience of doing something so completely against my nature.

Sure, we all need a vacation or a break every once in a while, but I’m talking about stopping entirely. For years, I would fly to Berlin, Germany for 10-14 days and take some time off work. I would only do emergency stuff when my team needed my help, but everything else was personal. I would write my novels (I’ve had the pleasure of publishing 2) or listen to audio books and podcasts while roaming the streets.

Those days of wonder around the old buildings of berlin gave me time to think and build a strategy, a long-term idea of what I wanted to do, how my life could look and how I could structure my future.

When 2020 came around, we were all forced to stop for a while, but most did not think enough. We are probably living in the best time in our lifetimes to make some changes and live the life we want. Here are some things I have learned that might help you understand that taking a break is probably the best thing you could do for yourself and your work.

There is a saying that your business will grow when you start working on the business and not in the business. Most of us simply say, “That is so true,” and keep going.

Team

In order to actually make this saying a reality, I had to learn how to structure my company. We focused on finding the right people to help support the company. The main goal was to free myself from day-to-day operations while offering better service in my agency.

Time vs. pricing

The next step was to look at my schedule and the hours I work, and increase the rates for my time while reducing the number of hours I allocate to clients and consulting. Today I do very little consulting, and that for only a few very specific startups. 

Time is key when you are looking to take the next step for your business. It was more than just meetings. We started to improve internal meetings, cut them short and ask clients to do as many online as possible instead of meeting face-to-face.

Clients

How much is enough? What type of clients and work do you want to do? I believe you can divide most of your work into 3 types:

  1. Time consuming – you know the work and you took it because you need the money, but the profit margins are not as good as you had hoped and these projects suck up your or your team’s time.
  2. The money – these are the clients you like. They help your business grow and pay the bills. You wish you had more of these (if you only had time for more business development or sales). They require attention, but you also need more like them.
  3. Your future – sadly, you are probably not investing enough time in this since it’s usually hard work, pays less or has potential in the distant, rather than the immediate, future. You wish you could spend more time on projects like this, but you lack one of your two most precious resources: time or money.

While taking a break, ask yourself how many n.1’s you have. Can you drop one or two? What will this mean for your team? How can you replace them with another n.2? 

We all have dreams of making it big, but we might make all the wrong choices when it comes to clients from n3. You see, I used to take the idea, the story, and fall in love. These days, we only focus on one project at a time.

You need to stop. Now.

You need to step away, become your own consultant and take a good hard look at where you are now and where you plan on being next year when you take another break. Create your own path and stop letting life happen to you. You got this.

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Are you a Storyteller?

What is the difference between storytelling and storytellers and why it should matter to you?

“Are you a storyteller? Oh, how I love storytelling, especially when there’s a good story to tell. I was at a lecture the other day about tips for good storytelling.”

Heard this much during the last few months?

We need buzzwords. We love buzzwords and what could be better than ‘storytelling’?

When talking about storytelling, some might feel a little nauseous since it’s being used for everything now. It’s like the new ‘strategy’. just drop it anywhere in a meeting and you are good to go.

Come to think of it, how can you avoid using it all the time?

We are all storytellers. Some stories are great and some suck but others are really epic. We all know someone who seems like the best storyteller ever, who makes a night out, well… legendary. I own several bars in Tel-Aviv and at each of these locations it’s always been easy to spot the storyteller at every table. They aren’t necessarily the loudest or most fun person in the group, but rather the one people listen to, the one who could take the whole party on a journey just by using words.

Storytelling is about creating a world you can imagine.

Movies, novels, comics and a good myth all tell great stories that can surpass time and place. They can evolve and become better over time – some might even be timeless. During the Middle Ages they had the troubadours telling stories and singing hymns of heroism and bravery.

True storytellers are born a certain way. They develop their craft by doing it over and over, looking at their audience, learning a certain body language and sculpting the presentation it until it works. Can anyone be a storyteller? Well, if you didn’t know it already, you are a storyteller.

When you come home and tell your spouse about your day, when you talk to your colleagues at work about the new restaurant you tried last night, or when you pitch your team a new idea during a meeting, you are practicing this fundamental skill. We are all storytellers. Good or bad, well, that’s another story.

During the last few months, I started to notice that storytelling is being used more often as an empty buzzword, and I started to apologize when using it during sales meetings.

We all have a story to tell, but we need to think if we are good storytellers or just regular people who can tell a story, not caring if it’s good or bad. What do I mean by that? A good story will sell, make people imagine or keep them on the edge of their seat. An epic story will make people believe in things they have never seen, like dragons, start revolutions, or beg you to keep going.

A few days ago, I was having coffee with a friend who had just left a branding agency. Something interesting came up as we were discussing a storytelling workshop I was about to give. I love storytellers but I feel more and more like storytelling has become just another buzzword with no substance.

You see, I have written novels and people love authors. It’s quite common for someone I meet to say something like, “You wrote a book? What a dream. I would also love to one day write a book about something”, to which I always reply, “So just do it, write a book, it’s not so hard” (it’s a white lie, writing my novels was so tedious and draining but it makes for good small talk).

When we do creative, or write posts for social media, people think it’s easy because they too can write. The entry point for the craft seems easy, and the barrier low. Almost everyone can write. But can they really write?

Now, just like writing, everyone can tell a story. People think that if they can tell a story, they are true storytellers hence.

I believe the art of storytelling is engraved in our bones, the love or words, imagination, creating something out of thin air, making people feel the chills, have a tear in their eye. Anyone can do it, really, but how many can really be amazing at it?

I believe we should find the best, the ones that can actually do it, in writing or on stage or even those who can teach. But what about you? How can you improve?

1. The goal – every good story needs to know where it’s heading. Have a pitch at work? Great. Make sure you write down what your goal is and make sure you are aligned. Always check if what you wrote serves the end goal. No? take it out.

2. Length – people will read a 600-page Harry potter but would avoid a 600-word blog post. Before you write, try and put the building blocks in place. When the structure works for you, pour in the words. For long form content, I love using post-it notes on my wall.

3. Words – words create a reality but let me tell you a secret I share during my workshops. The gaps, the silence, are also a very important piece. Leave something to people’s imagination. If you tell them every small detail, nothing is left for the brain to fill, it might be too long, and people lose interest. In my session, I use a 5-word story and let the audience feel the blanks. In hundreds of sessions, I have never heard the same version twice.

You might not be a pro at storytelling, you might not love the buzzword, but you need to improve that skill.

Have any questions? Feel free to reach out.

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I never wanted to own a bar…

Now I am a partner in 2. But only after a big failure.

I never wanted to own a bar, I just wanted to make some extra cash. I distinctly remember telling myself that before investing in one. Little did I know, that failure would lead me to where I am today, now, writing to you, a stranger on the other side of the world, offering you my consulting services.

When we opened the first bar, we thought we couldn’t go wrong. Hundreds of people came in every night to party and drink. The problem (one of many) was that our managing partners had no clue how to run such a business and about 6 months I had to quit my job and learn how to manage a bar with a big staff, a six-figure P&L and a huge inventory that goes bad every couple of days. Till this day, in my storytelling workshop for startups, I repeat that running a restaurant is more complicated than what my listeners do. If you want to run a tech business, go manage a food & beverage business for a year.

I needed help fixing the business. I called everyone, went to every meeting. I knew how to market and sell things but knew nothing about running the back office. I had to learn everything from scratch. My friends who owned bars came to help, teach and support me. Slowly I started to learn the business and implement things I learned years back in the retail industry. I started to improve our marketing and reach through word of mouth. About 9 months in I managed to sell the place. Since then, I have helped over 70 businesses in the food and beverage industry improve, grow and sometimes help them realize the best thing is to close shop and move on.

Thanks to so many amazing people along the way I started my consulting service, built streetwise, a digital marketing agency serving mainly startups, and today I am still a partner in two bars (another successful one was sold in 2014). As I meet more young entrepreneurs and companies, I always tell them how one thing led to another.

What I thought would be a small investment became one of my biggest failures. I lost more than $150K but was able to learn and grow other businesses. When it looks grim and you feel lost, look for people that are different from you, that can help you look at things from a fresh perspective. When you think you need a push, just ask for it.

No one wants to fail but are you willing to ask for my help?

If so, I am inviting you to a 30min session with me online to hear about your idea, business and where you want to go from here. We will discuss options and ideas; I will share my experience. I am not looking to hold your hand but rather be productive and think about the future, your habits, and if you are willing to put in the work.

If you feel you need that push, let’s talk.