Thursday, March 3, 2022 050 Tell a story to create an "aha" moment

When you get an "aha moment" (almost what used to be called a "Eureka moment") you see the world a new way. Maybe you ask a new question. Maybe you se...

Sunday, February 27, 2022 049 Forget about being "catchy" (do this instead)

Small businesses can be urged to come up with a catchy headline, slogan or product name. But what does a "catchy" slogan do for us?? For a big brand o...

Tuesday, February 22, 2022 048 The Danger of Branding Yourself With A Single Story

You share "your story" -- especially a personal story--and you get backlash. Often that story will be the *one* story your audience will hear about yo...

Monday, February 14, 2022 047 The Missing Piece In The Hero's Journey Story

In your business story, you're the guide and your client is the hero. In traditional stories, the guide just appeared to save the hero's life, money, ...

Saturday, February 5, 2022 046 Unpacking the Structure of a Persuasive Story

Storytellling for business doesn't work like storytelling for movies and novels. You start with different ingredients and you assemble them strategica...

Friday, January 28, 2022 045 The story you need to gain credibility in a new field

Entrepreneurs rarely find their businesses by walking a straight line. They move from lawyer to professional organizer, from corporate exec to life co...

Saturday, January 22, 2022 044 Middle Bear Branding: Between Cookie Cutter and Far Out Extreme

Small service businesses walk a fine line in branding. They don't want to blend in with everyone else (like "little boxes" of the famous song). But so...

Tuesday, January 18, 2022 043 Business Storytelling: Introducing Your Audience To A New World

As you build a portfolio of business stories, business owners often come up against a challenge: you've got a story but the audience can't relate to t...

Thursday, January 6, 2022 041 The Right Way To Use A Personal Cat Story For Personal Branding

Noted business author and influencer Dorie Clark presented a thoughtful Ted Talk on December 21. We feel busy, she says, because we try to do the impo...

Saturday, January 1, 2022 040 Why Storytelling Is Your Most Productive Small Business Planning Tool

Anyone can make business plans - but turning business plans into business actions mean you need to believe you can do everything on your planning shee...

Saturday, December 18, 2021 039 The Savvy Business Owner's Answer To The What's Your Story"Question

You attend a marketing workshop, get interviewed on a podcast, Or you're being interviewed for a podcast and the host says, "So let's start with this...

Saturday, December 18, 2021 038 3 Ways To Ruin A Perfectly Good Story

Storytellers sometimes experience external distractions. A classic example comes from the time a large black fly landed on a presenter's head during a...