https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppaq7tAbw8w&t= Today is my book, birthday! Happy #StartWithStory Day everyone! One year ago today I was standing on Congress Avenue in Austin, TX waving a poster size version of my book cover to drivers on their way to work. It was one of the funnest days of my 6-year journey in bringing this book to life as I finally got to share it with the world. After 12 months, I've had some time to observe and think about how More »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_O9QSr5bvs During the Billionaire Week for Women, I met Melissa "echo" Greenlee, founder of #deaffriendly, that helps advise deaf-friendly businesses, and corrective feedback to deaf-challenged businesses. Echo approached me at the end of the conference to thank me for adding subtitles to my LinkedIn videos because it gave people like her (Echo is deaf) in the deaf community equal access to the content I'm creating in the same way that everyone else does. As much as I would love More »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ce6Auub76xc Your 'why' matters when it comes to telling your startup story. In fact, knowing your 'why' is one of the secrets to great entrepreneurial storytelling. One reason as Author and TEDx speaker, Simon Sinek, so eloquently said, 'People don't buy what you do, they buy what you do it." But it goes much deeper than that for founders. In this video, I'll dive into what those reasons are and why you want to really be in tune with More »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yI-A0l5cx74 Forget the 'Hero' model when it comes to your founders' story. There. I said it. Don't get me wrong. I love the Hero's Journey model. In fact I've used many times in producing television shows and long form story based videos and thoroughly enjoy movies that use this model. But when it comes to your startup story, you are not making a movie or producing a TV show or writing a book manuscript. In this video I'll explain More »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBpgoM2Fgd4&t=19s As much as entrepreneurship is a solo endeavor, you still need a tribe around you to succeed. Sometimes it takes a whole village to create an entrepreneurial storytelling channel. A big hug and massive thank you to my physical and virtual villagers who have supported me on this journey. I/we are just getting started :-) I stand in appreciation. @LynGraft If you like to know more about entrepreneurial storytelling, here are a few resources we've created for you: More »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKXoQiW7eag The beginning of the year is a great time to collect valuable end of year metrics to help see exactly where your business is at. As well as to take a moment and see how far you have come in those last 12 months. For entrepreneurs, it can be a great source of important metrics you can use to enhance your founders story or a variety of other stories you might want to for the business. In this More »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByFeBk23ztM Story Types. They have been one of the most fascinating discoveries I made in the last decade of studying successful founder stories. It surprised me that the vast majority of them fell into 6 specific types and how ubiquitous they were across industries, startup stages and business categories. What's more, they fast became one of the most valuable reference tools I use when helping founders create a story for their business. I'll share the 4 reasons why this More »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyPN4O3KWwg New Year's Day. That beginning of a new year. Always a great time to start out fresh with a blank slate. It's analogous to creating a story from scratch if you are launching your first business as a startup founder. Many entrepreneurs I coach or that take my course feel like they don't have a story to tell just yet. I believe the exact opposite - That's because you have an opportunity to take advantage of this blank More »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twT23w5jJLA The Holidays. Also what I like to call the 'Season of Storytelling'. Always a great time to spend time with family and friends. And sharpen your storytelling skills. That's because stories are everywhere during the holidays and its a great opportunity to immerse yourself in this special time to soak up time with you people you care about all while honing in your narrative skills. In this video I'll share a few tips on how you work your More »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMzZTOA1Oo0 Visuals. Great assets that many founders often overlook when sharing their story. Visuals are highly effective in storytelling because of the way in way our brain works and how we interpret the world. In this video I'll break down the primary reasons why you should use them and use a founder's product to give you an example. Hope to SEE your visuals soon. @LynGraft If you like to know more about entrepreneurial storytelling, here are a few resources More »