Embrace Your Story!

Everyone has a story.  No matter what you do or what field you are in, we all have a story as to why we are where we are.  For those of us who pursue entrepreneurship, our story is more important than we often realize.  For every entrepreneur, there is a point where he/she saw an opportunity to make magic happen.  We looked upon a road full of pot holes, dead ends, and plenty of steep ascents, and we saw our own promise land.

During our initial push to start our company, we leverage that vision to rally our family, friends, customers and coworkers.  This vision for the creation of our company was a tool that inspired others to help us create our dream.

Years later we entrepreneurs have buried that story in features, benefits, and facts about our company or our technology.  We go out and pitch our stakeholders on what our company does or our technology is.  What gets lost is exactly what people really want to hear.  The story of that unforgettable, inspirational moment when you went down the path you are now on is forgotten.

People want to hear your story.  People will buy your story.  People will remember your story.  Embrace your story and wrap it into everything you do.  Stop pitching features and benefits and let people embrace the moment when you decided to create what you now have.

If you don’t believe me, just realize how much we pay to see a movie next time you go.  Think about the stories that inspire us, such as: Jerry McGuire (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116695/) or The Pursuit of Happiness (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0454921/).  We love to see people around us overcome adversity and take on insurmountable odds that we personally may never overcome.

Embrace your story and figure out how to weave it into the culture of your company.  Leverage it to inspire others.  Most of all, let it inspire you!