If you are an entrepreneur or business owner, there’s a reason why you are in business. It may be that you want to be your own boss or that you stepped into a multi-generational family company.
Regardless of the reason, there is a story behind your start, your current situation, and your future. In the corporate world, those reasons are also stated as mission and vision statements. Mission and vision statements are important, but they don’t tell a story.
Anyone in sales knows that stories sell. There’s even a cliche, “Facts tell, stories sell.”
We believe in sharing why your company exists. In order to do so, it’s important for the owner(s) to clearly understand, and be able to articulate, why they are in business. More specifically, why they are in THEIR business. The purpose of a for-profit business is to make money by providing needed goods and/or services. The reason YOU are in your business is certainly to make money, but the story is what will evoke emotions with your customers, and people make buying decisions based on emotions.
I started my first business because the corporate environment I was in at the time stifled my creativity and didn’t encourage pursuing big ideas. I was a square peg in a round hole. I wanted to do work that brought me joy, let me generate transformative impacts for clients and ultimately use and grow my communication superpower. I leveraged my background in journalism and corporate communications to create a business where content and messaging is the core of what we do.
Today I get to use my superpower daily, while working with a team of stars whose skill sets compliment my own. I’ve designed our business to be a small-but-mighty team of experts, working with a manageable number of clients in a way that lets us provide real value while supporting my travel lifestyle.
Your reasons are unique to you and are likely based on a passion for the work, a unique set of skills and experiences, and a desire to have some kind of positive impact. In conversations with business owners, I have often found that money is not the primary driver.
So why are YOU in the business you are in? Do your employees know? Do your customers know? Think about how you can tell your story, and give us a call if you need help.
