Can you remember the last time you heard a story that emotionally affected you? Do you remember the way it made you feel after hearing it? Perhaps you began to think about your own life and experiences; maybe it allowed you to relate to the storyteller on a deeper, more emotional level.

A great story has the ability to touch our hearts and change the world, which is why branding and marketing legends have been using storytelling as a way to get people to purchase their products for centuries. It’s one of the most powerful ways to persuade your audience to CARE about your business and to feel a stronger emotional attachment to your brand.

As an entrepreneur, you’re in the business of communicating the importance of your company to anyone who will listen. You may share educational information, valuable insights, and facts about your products and services so people have a deeper understanding of what it is you’re selling. This is important. However, the best and most effective way of garnering a deep interest and understanding of your mission as an entrepreneur is to convey the importance of your business through a (personal) story.

USE YOUR STORY AS THE CORNERSTONE OF YOUR PERSONAL BRAND

People tend to approach personal branding in the same way they approach company branding. This is a common mistake that’s easy to make. However, bear in mind that personal branding is a much more individualized, intimate, and nuanced process.

Your personal brand is a manifestation of the story which is unique to you as an individual. By nature, the story you choose to share with the world will work as the cornerstone of your Personal Brand. A cornerstone is the first stone laid when constructing a foundation. It is considered the most important stone in the building process because each stone laid afterward relies upon the first, the cornerstone.

Think critically about the story you select as your cornerstone. There is no right or wrong. There is no perfect. But it’s important to remember that the goal of your story is to exemplify the mission of your company. For example, if I call myself a Personal Brand Strategist and own a Personal Branding company, then the best personal story I could share would be a story that demonstrates the powerful effects of personal branding in one's life.

You may have many stories you could share. You may have stories inside stories which all seem relevant; because it isn’t as though we’re acting out a perfectly crafted script designed to be the next Blockbuster release in Hollywood. (I wish it were that simple!) No, your story will have many twists and turns. It will be messy and even choppy at times. Your job is to uncover the story that conveys the purpose of your personal brand. It is like finding a diamond in the rough.

A POWERFUL STORY GIVES YOUR AUDIENCE CONTEXT AROUND WHO YOU ARE AND WHY YOU DO WHAT YOU DO

How does one *actually* uncover their story and use it as the foundation for a lucrative business? Well it starts with answering one simple question.

Why?

Pause for a moment to answer these questions:

Why are you building your personal brand?

Why did you decide to start your own business?

Why do you want people to purchase your products and services?

It’s important to answer these questions because they will help you determine which parts of your personal story are more relevant to your audience. After you know your “why” then we’ll go back to the beginning (a very good place to start). The first thing we must do is address each milestone in your story which has brought you here now. A milestone is a significant event in your life. You can outline your milestones so they look something like this:

Milestone #1 - Graduated from college.

Milestone #2 - Landed a great job.

Milestone #3 - Miserable at corporate job.

Milestone #4 - Left corporate job to pursue a dream.

Milestone #5 - Built the dream.

If you look closely at your list of milestones, you may spot common trends and recurring themes in your story. Keep in mind that not every milestone will need to be included in your signature Personal Brand Story, but it’s important that as you do this exercise you begin to see yourself as the main character from a broader vantage point.

Once you’ve outlined all the important milestones in your life, then it’s time to hone in and cinch it together so it’s tight. Every great story has three distinctive sections that need to be outlined and addressed in writing AND in conversation.

THE BEGINNING

Where were you? Where did you start? The best storytellers draw us immediately into the action. They capture our attention and set the tone for an engaging experience. Drop us into a compelling scene and draw the lesson out later.

THE PIVOT

What happened in your life that made you decide to change? What adversity were you confronted with? Don’t be afraid to share the personal, intimate, and vulnerable details of your story. People have a tendency to dilute the impact of their story out of fear of what people will think of them if they share the whole truth. I would urge you to share the vulnerable details; these are the secrets to a story that people will remember for years.

THE END

In what ways are you different NOW and how does this coincide with your business? How were you able to triumph in the end? Remember, the goal here is always to relate your story back to the mission of your personal brand and business. Telling your Personal Brand Story is an excellent way to SHOW people that what you’re selling is powerful, without having to spell it out for them.

Your Personal Brand Story is the story you share on your social media platforms, tell at parties and networking events, and use as the basis for your signature speech. People usually have a difficult time “trimming the fat,” but it’s important to only include the most important details. Give us “just the right amount.” If you give too many details, people will be lost or bored. If you don’t give your audience enough details, they may lack context to grasp the story fully or to see themselves inside your shoes. I recommend testing different variations of your story with family and friends who have a similar background to your target audience; let them help you discern what is the most powerful way to convey your message. (Better yet, a Personal Brand Strategist will be able to guide you through this process with ease!)

YOUR STORY WILL FORGE A STRONGER CONNECTION WITH POTENTIAL CLIENTS AND CUSTOMERS

Think about it: we ruminate in narratives all day long. Whether we are going to the grocery store, taking a walk around the lake, or meeting our friends for a virtual Zoom Happy Hour, we are always concocting stories in our minds about each action, conversation, and impression we experience in our lives.

Now, when we hear someone else sharing their story, we have a desire to relate it to one of the existing narratives we’ve already created in ourselves. (This is why metaphors work so well to help people understand important ideas.) When we hear a powerful story, it causes us to search our own minds for a similar experience in our lives and helps us relate and empathize with the same sentiments of fear, desire, and disappointment -- the motivators the storyteller is trying to communicate. This makes us feel more connected to the storyteller and increases the likelihood that we will do business with them in the future.

A STRONGER CONNECTION ENSURES A STRONGER LEVEL OF COMMITMENT

Forging a strong connection with your audience will likely inspire them to commit to you in the long run. Why? Well, your Personal Brand Story reveals the essence of your true character and what matters most to you in life. It shows your followers how to triumph over adversity and gives them a broader perspective of your purpose and principles.

When a shared purpose is in place, a sense of unity begins to develop. People begin to bond. They acknowledge your shared life experiences, mutual interests, and underlying purpose. Eventually, people will feel a stronger sense of commitment to you and your company. It’s as though something just clicks once they hear where you’ve been.

I urge you to complete the exercise in this blog post. Outline your milestones and define a distinct beginning, pivot, and end in your story. Then, once you’ve done this. Share it everywhere. Share it on Instagram Stories, share it as a blog post, share it on TikTok, don’t stop sharing it. And don’t be afraid to share it more than once, your story is timeless. And it will never cease to inspire people and motivate them to take action.

You may struggle to find perfect words to say, or find yourself obsessing over what image to share. Do it anyway. Put forth the effort. The more you do it, the better you get. The less you will fear rejection.

We often don’t understand how powerful we really are. We believe that everyone thinks as we think, or that everyone knows what we know. And it simply isn’t true. The deeper I go into my work, the more I am reminded that each of us embodies a steady flow of rich and individual experiences that have only been seen and understood by the person who is experiencing them. Your story is precious. It is yours. No one else in the entire world has seen or experienced anything quite like it. When you muster up the courage to share it, you give others the opportunity to be touched and transformed in ways you can’t even begin to imagine.

So, write your post. Share your story. And watch the magic begin to happen—I know your results will be fanatical! P.S. Need help crafting your Personal Brand Story? You might be a good fit for Personal Brand Accelerator. You can put your name on the waitlist here.