What exactly is storytelling in business?

All storytelling has the same basic elements: a narrative with theme, conflict, plot, and characters; a beginning, middle, and end. Great stories are also memorable and engage readers/listeners’ emotions and imagination. However, business storytelling will also need a call to action. What do you want the story to motivate people to do?

If you think about ads with staying power, it’s likely that the advertisement depended heavily on storytelling. For example, when we hear “Dream Crazier” in conjunction with the “Just do it” campaign, we don’t think about sneakers. We think about women defying gender roles, about women refusing to take no for an answer, about women taking their power back. The storytelling addresses those women who are ready to change their lives. What’s the problem? Women being told who they can and cannot be. What’s the solution? Dream crazier and just do it…with Nike sneakers, of course. This is how business storytelling is different.

When done right, storytelling helps customers make connections with brands they can identify with. So, how can you, as a business owner, use storytelling to connect with your customers? First, think about the stresses and problems we face as women. How does your product or service relieve that stress or solve those problems? Next, take the time to practice the craft of storytelling. It takes time and practice to become an expert storyteller, and more so to become an expert business storyteller. But stick with it—you’ll be glad you did.

How can personal storytelling improve your business?

The other way to use storytelling in your business is by sharing your personal journey on your website or through speaking engagements. Working on your story may seem daunting or feel too vulnerable, but learning how to present yourself truthfully and in an engaging and memorable way will attract customers/clients who need your products/services.

People want to know, like, and trust the people they are doing business with, or the brands they are investing in. Telling your story as a business owner allows you to unlock this opportunity. However, it is crucial that you do the work it takes to understand your story first. We’ve all been around those women who tell their stories, remaining a victim because they don’t understand the power the story holds. Finding a story coach who can pull your story out of you (even if it’s painful) and use that story to its full power will attract the type of clients you are seeking. It’s what could be missing in your business—finding out how to shift the story to unlock your and your business’s full potential and learning to share the why of who you are and why your business matters.

How does the Story Shift work?

The Story Shift is a journaling activity that helps change the perspective on your story, which will change how you move forward. Sometimes women forget that they hold the power to change their stories. For those who are ready to do the work but need some guidance, my company, Mandy Schulis & Co, is here to help. Every woman I know who owns a business and wants to make an impact, can’t do that until she knows how to use her voice and how to tell her truth.

Stories hold power. They also teach. Without them, you can’t learn. The wonderful thing about stories is that you can decide how the story ends. If you change how you view your story, the whole story changes. You might discover that what you thought was absolute truth is utterly false, or vice versa, that you’ve been blind to who you really are. You need to take the time to sort out what belongs in your story and what does not.

Once you shift the story, you unleash the power that was always yours to begin with. Learning to incorporate personal and business storytelling will help bring the right people to your business.

More About Mandy

Mandy Schulis is a certified integrated trauma-informed Story and Mindset Strategist. Mandy combines 20 years of entrepreneurship with her MBA and certifications in coaching, trauma recovery, and holistic health. She provides mindset and story strategy to entrepreneurs who are ready to claim their power, release shame, and dig into their amazing, complicated stories to find their purpose. Mandy is available for one on one consulting and speaking engagements. Learn more about her at www.mandyschulis.com.