031 - How your story can be the one critical factor in an irresistible personal brand

Stop me if you’ve heard this one. Back in 1976, two college dropouts — both named Steve, set out to make computers that were small enough for people to use in their offices and homes.

They thought computers should be more user-friendly, so the two set out to create a computer from their garage. The computer was instantly popular and the company now sells in the billions. If you guessed Apple Inc, you are right. And that story of theirs has been swirling around for decades.

If you want to be remembered. If you want to be the go-to service for your tribe. If you want people to spread your name, you have to tell your story. With all other things being equal, a compelling story can tip the scales between you and a similar option.

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And the story doesn’t have to be anything dramatic or complicated. I used to sit outside cafes and restaurants to work in Alexandria in Northern Virginia. On one of my favorite busy strips, there were two adjacent popular restaurants with very different offerings. 

But what most people found interesting is that the same person owned both restaurants and they shared a kitchen. I can’t count the times I would see a couple walking up the street and overhear one say to the other, “do you know that these two restaurants share the same kitchen?”

The other would reply, “That’s interesting. Let’s check it out!”

Couple after couple and group after group chose to go into one of those restaurants, and it had nothing to do with the food. It was their story.

You might be wondering. What story would I even tell?

Each business owner should have three types of stories in their arsenal — the Why, the What, and the Who stories.

The Why Story

The Why story tells why you are in business. What drives you. Why you exist. Most of us are familiar with the Start with Why concept. This is similar. Your Why story can be your founders or origin story. It can be about that thing that made you want to go into business. What you wanted to accomplish. Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs wanted to create a computer that was accessible to everyone. That was their Why story.

Your Why stories are great for connection. They should lead your customer to think, this is one of our people.

The What story

The What story tells us the big problem you are trying to solve. Not on a product level but more of your mission focus. It can even be a rallying cry. Nike does this exceptionally well. Remember the Greatness campaign?

Your What story should get your customer to think about what is possible.

The Who Story

Your Who Story tells the stories of the people you have helped. You can think of these as micro case studies. Tell us about someone who was struggling, how you helped them, and what was possible for them as a result. Your Who success stories can be great tools.

Your Who story should help you answer objections and help them see themselves being successful with your solutions.

Creating your story bank

Ok, how do you find these stories? First, a story usually has a beginning, an inciting incident, and a close. It’s usually built around the inciting incident. You won’t believe what happened to me. 

Think about an event or incident that was pivotal for you for each story type. How did you learn that? How do know?

Next, for each incident think about what was the feeling associated with that event, what was the lesson you learned, and what was the outcome. This is where you can bend any story to give it relevance to your brand and business. You decide the lesson and significance of the story.