https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7cAYq6hJyI What is the most important part of your founder's story? It's a question I get all the time from entrepreneurs, CEO's and business executives all the time. Is it the beginning where you are trying to suck them in? Is it the end of the story where you are bringing closure? Or is it somewhere in between where you are talking about where everything changed? In this video I'll share which part is the most important and give More »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYueMO7_qfs The Judo Dog: How to turn your competitors strengths into weaknesses. Regardless of your industry, type of business or stage of your startup, there is one question that is on the mind of audiences you share your story with - especially investors, reporters and advisors. How is your startup going to go up against the established competition with massive resources and brand awareness? The GREAT thing about being an entrepreneur is that you can leverage your underdog roll More »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjGxXcrncv4 As a founder, you need to be in front of audiences all the time trying to secure resources. However, these audiences are bombarded by requests and sales pitches by other startups trying to get those same resources. Because of this, these audiences automatically throw up guards, both consciously and subconsciously. What you need is a secret weapon that bypasses these guards and allows you to get your message across. In this video, I'll discuss how your story can More »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMDuvRK7wfk It's a lot of work to create your startup story. The last thing you want is for people to ignore it when you share it with. Luckily there is this thing called 'novelty' that has been scientifically proven by Professor Russell Poldrack at the University of Texas at Austin to trigger people to pay attention. In this video I'll explain why and share with you an example courtesy of the founder of Microsoft and his fetish for mosquitos. More »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fy7xFQJbD8M The SXSW PanelPicker Submission deadline is July 19th. Hence, I put together this list of my TOP 6 Tips to get your application accepted to SXSW based on my 10 years of being a judge. PLUS a bonus tip straight from the top, Hugh Forrest, Chief Programming Officer for SXSW at the end. Best of luck and see you all in Austin in March 2020! If you like to know more about entrepreneurial storytelling, here are a few More »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIbIYGbI8w4 Your founder’s story is one of the most universal tools you possess an entrepreneur It has tremendous flexibility and versatility and can be used for just about any need you have in your startup and for every audience you encounter. That's why I call it the Swiss Army Knife of Entrepreneurship. In this video, I'll share the 10 most pressing needs that your #story can help you with as you launch and grow your business. Let me me More »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hctMwTA-K5k Did you know that we use metaphors in every 20-25 words? It is so in grained in our language that we don’t even realize we are using them. But that is part of the reason why they are an incredibly effective tool when sharing your entrepreneurial idea and trying to get folks to buy into your vision and/or support your startup. In this video, I share a bit of the science behind why this is so and give More »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TYrulM4Iuo I love numbers. I guess that goes back to my days as an electrical engineer. But what I’ve found is that numbers are incredibly powerful in creating & telling entrepreneurial stories. That’s because they provide a unique and memorable way to set your story apart from others. What’s interesting is the most founders don’t use numbers when creating and sharing their stories. This is a mistake. In this video I explain why and how they can impact your More »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goK2rqysGAY “So what.” This is a factor every entrepreneur is going to encounter when sharing your story. Audiences are constantly going to be judging your idea or concept whenever you get it in front of them based on a number of factors relevant to their world regardless of how good your product or service is. This video explains what the “So What’ factor is and why you have to overcome it every single time and why you have to More »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-MFkZK9524 Vulnerability is a subject most entrepreneurs shy away from. We are afraid to share our failures, mistakes and shortcomings because we feel that the world will think of less of us and that we will be seen as having weakness as a founder. But what I've learned in talking with and studying entrepreneurs that have learned to embrace vulnerablility and following the teachings of experts like best selling author, Brene Brown, is that there is tremendous power in More »