Storytelling: the Golden Key for Startups

Start-ups live and die because of their storytelling. Of course, there are endless lists (mental picture) of other stumbling blocks and obstacles on the road (a journey) to success. But.... founders - you first need to get your story straight. What are you offering? To whom? Why?

Why and how will customer lives be better after having bought and used what you're offering?

Why should people work for you? Why should people invest in you? Who is your tribe? 

Persuading clients or customers

You probably need at least one customer for your pilot project, test run, business case. You have to have your story straight about what you're offering,  to whom and why. Then you have to tell that story!

Recruiting Talent

Why should the smart talent you need, bet their career on your no-name brand when they could earn more,  work less and enjoy better benefits working for BigTech or other established brand names?

Raising Investment 

Whatever your "burn rate", a startup needs significant resources to gain trajectory and momentum. Few founders can finance that type of payroll and expense. But, investors can bring much more than money.

Startups are Stories 

Start-ups are stories... stories of what is, and stories of what could be.

Without a story that triggers actions and gets things done, a start-up is just liquor talk at a lonely, late-night bar. 

Successful start-up founders are storytellers, whether they know or like it or not. Steve Jobs embraced the title. Dietmar Hopp, Hasso Platter, Klaus Tschira, Elon Musk, Brian Chesky, Jeff Bezos - all are great storytellers. They succeeded in persuading three different types of people - investors, talent and customers - that there was a better future for them if they invested time, money and trust in the future story they were telling.

That's why their companies exist.  

Obviously they also adhere to the Sam Altman truth: "Nothing will matter if you don't "Build a great product"."

SAP

Do you want people to invest their time, careers and money in you and your startup? Tell great stories. 

How StoryPower® can help start-up founders:

  • 1-2-1 Storytelling and SpeakerCoaching sessions for big events like fundraising pitches, board meetings, media opportunities, and recruitment fairs;
  • ongoing work with your people: onboarding, retention and internal comms;
  • small group workshops on storytelling, presentations and pitches with interactive exercises and real life bespoke case studies, group projects and presentations, plus personal and immediately useable feedback;
  • supporting webinars;
  • ongoing group and 1-2-1 coaching.

Why should sceptical, hard-nosed investors invest in you? An investor told us he sees around 1800 pitches a year. He invests in less than 5. Raising money from family and friends is relatively easy, after that it gets tough. Helping California-based startups raise money taught us that the fear of losing money on a bad story is stronger than the fear of missing out on a unicorn. Your runway is finite - investors can always sit on their cash. 

Why should smart, talented people work for you? As a start-up founder, you have to persuade people to risk their career and their CV and buy into your "maybe dream", rather than the safe bet, and better money and working conditions, of Big Tech or BigCo. These people have to find a job, but does it have to be with you?

Who are your customers, your tribe? You need traction, trajectory, and momentum. You need to persuade people to trust, use and recommend your service or product. They have choices. You need to persuade them to "play away" from their existing product or service and all they have emotionally invested into that choice. . 

Three different audiences. Who all have lots of choices. Including doing nothing.

6 Reasons Why Business Storytelling is crucial for Startup Founders

  1. Communication: Effective storytelling helps founders convey their vision, mission, and values to investors, employees, and customers. It simplifies complex ideas and makes them relatable.
  2. Engagement: Stories create an emotional connection, engage people on a deeper level. People are more likely to remember stories rather than stats. Which engages them with the startup and its products or services.
  3. Differentiation in competitive markets: a compelling narrative can set a startup apart
  4. Funding: Investors invest in startups with a story that helps them understand the problem being solved, the potential impact and imagine the future.
  5. Team Building: Founders can only attract top talent by sharing an inspiring story about their startup's purpose, growth and potential.
  6. Customer Acquisition and Retention: Stories are essential if you want to build a tribe.

Start-ups are Stories. Businesses are Stories. By definition. Storytelling is key to the success of any startup. Steve Jobs knew that. Sam Altman knows that. You know that - otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this.

"“The most powerful person in the world is the storyteller."

- Steve Jobs. Pixar, Apple.

Become a Better Storyteller

Confident or not. Introvert or extrovert. Geek or non-geek. Experienced speaker or not. It doesn't matter.

We have helped all sorts of start-ups at varying stages become better storytellers and communicators. Not just the founders and the Board - but HR teams, recruiting ambassadors, Tech Teams, marketing teams, learning and development teams and more.

We like, but are not limited to, Health-Tech. SAP (before it was listed on the DAX); Aria Pharmaceuticals (funders include: Andreessen Horowitz, Future Planet Capital, StartX, Softbank, OS Fund); Zipline (funders include: Sequoia Capital, Bossanova Investimentos, SoftBank, Andreessen Horowitz); ApiJect (Royalty Pharma, Jefferies Financial Group). 

Whoever you are, we can help you tell your story, and the story of your start-up, better. 

StoryPower® can help you and your team become better storytellers and ambassadors for your start-up.