Remember how Steve Jobs started Apple in his garage and how Tony Robbins had to wash the plates in his bathtub because he used to be so poor?
If you pay attention to all the successful people, you'll notice that each of them has a story to tell; a story of how they got started, the struggles they went through or the ah-ha moments they had that put them on the entrepreneurial journey.
So that's what we'll be doing today. Crafting your story, strategically.
But before we go into this topic, you might be wondering 'Why? I want to know how to make more money, not learn about crafting some stupid story'
Because sharing your story makes you real, makes you human and makes you relatable. Your story is the core of your why - your purpose, the reason why you're doing what you're doing now. It tells people what you've gone through, what you've learned, what you've implemented in your life - which means it gives you credibility.
And it builds trust.
Your story defines your vision and mission. When people share your vision, they're already on board. Half of your selling is done.
Got it?
So let's start with this.
What's the defining moment of story?
I'll share you mine. I was originally from Burma where the country was closed from the outside world for decades but I always knew I wanted to do more in life.
However, I followed the traditional path; the path of getting as many degrees as possible. I got two bachelor degrees and a masters degree. Yet, I thought it wasn't enough. Then I got myself a corporate job. I climbed up the ladder. I was the exception in my family and in my circle of society. I made 6-figure income very quickly. I was living it up.
However, it was a series of major accidents that I went through that made me look at life in a different perspective. In short, life was giving me a blaring alarm that something wasn't right. I kept snoozing it until I couldn't ignore anymore.
I started asking myself smart questions like "Did I live fully?" "Did I love wholeheartedly?" "Did I give abundantly?" "Did I contribute enough?"
That was when my mission started. A mission to find my 'why' to live life meaningfully with a sense of purpose, passion and fulfilment.
And to help others do the same.
So my mission today is to help women find their unique gifts, package it, put it out into the world in a way that positions themselves as the go-to person in their niche and build a business that they could use as a vehicle to monetise their passion.
So what's your story?
Every experience you've had, courses you've taken and interests that you've pursued, they are part of your story.
If you're still in the 9-5 and looking to start a business, starting a service-based business is the easiest and fastest option. This exercise will also help you get started.
- Who am I?
- What have I gone through in life?
- What was the ah-ha moment that put me on this journey?
- How did that help me understand my purpose?
- What did I learn?
- What did I screw up?
- What did I implement?
- What can I start sharing it with people?
Of course there are several life events you've had but the ones that you pick need to be relevant to your business and your overall messaging.
What kind of emotions do you want to evoke?
The next thing that's important is being very clear on what kind of emotions you want to evoke in your audience. We all know that we're emotional beings. When we buy, we buy based on our emotional decisions and we justify it logically.
Therefore, when we share our story, we need to have crystal clear clarity on what kind of outcome we want.
- Do you want to inspire them?
- Do you want them to feel emotional to help them get in touch with their emotions?
- Do you want them feeling pumped and take action straight away?
Communication Filters
Remember that we all have filters in communications. Those filters are beliefs, values and life experiences. Every message that's communicated are translated by the other person's communication filter.
Therefore, the message you're sending can be a completely different story for the other person.
The important thing here is to keep tweaking the way you communicate your message and to communicate your message to the right people i.e. your ideal clients.
So remember, whatever you do or communicate, it should help you be the credible and trustworthy expert.
Arabelle Yee is the former Clinical Psychotherapist turned Business Coach, who has a passion for business, psychology and spirituality. She's worked with nearly a thousand people over her ten years of career with top global organisations coaching and training.
She's the founder of the Collective Alchemy and she also provides 1-1 coaching to her private clients.