Storytelling for Small Business
CREATING AND GROWING AN AUTHENTIC BUSINESS THROUGH THE POWER OF STORY
We’ve all seen the use of storytelling in business, whether or not we realize it. It’s largely been the domain of big, successful corporations (think Apple, Anheuser Busch, Google, and Patagonia) with big budgets to match, and they do it because it can be many times more effective than any other form of marketing.
But what if I showed you that it’s even more powerful for small businesses, solopreneurs, and the consciously self-employed? That sharing and inviting stories will allow you to stop marketing and instead start building relationships and communities of supporters, clients and buyers? If you’ve been looking for a human, thoughtful, and authentic way to attract the right clients and grow your small business in our noisy digital world, story is the answer.
This friendly, unstuffy guide will introduce you to using the power of story to build relationships with your ideal clients. Rather than just another book on “crushing it” with formulaic sales tactics, in this book you’ll learn:
- The distinction between storytelling and marketing
- Why stories are far more powerful than facts & figures
- 3 essential questions to begin gathering your own stories
- 10 bedrock stories we can all be telling
- How to invite and celebrate the stories of your clients
- 8 easy ways to start using more storytelling on your website and social media
- A One-Hour Story Jumpstart® to get started right away
Packed with examples, resources, and encouragement, and with a free 32-page downloadable workbook, Storytelling for Small Business will open your eyes to the myriad ways you can identify, harvest, and share the stories that will help you connect with the people who matter most to you.
What other small business owners are saying:
“Authentic business owners are passionate about their awesome modality or product. Yet, sometimes they wonder why other people don’t ‘get’ their passion. It’s usually because the business hasn’t been telling their story, which is still buried inside their hearts, minds, and life experience. Without knowing their story, why would potential customers feel connected? Why should they feel as passionate as you do? This is one of the several valuable AHA! moments I had when reading Storytelling For Small Business. I will be studying this book, and recommending it to my clients!”
George Kao, Authentic Business Coach
https://georgekao.com
“Margaret’s book is, happily, just like Margaret; straightforward and honest, good and true.
She teaches you to understand and how to implement her ethos of storytelling for small businesses and demonstrates why it works. You get a lot of bang for your buck, both in the amount of information she provides and in the investment of your time to put it into action. I’d read it twice: The first time fast to get an overview; the second time slow to click on all the links and use the workbook and resources. And after that, you are going to be dipping in and out forever.
I’m reinvigorated with ideas about stories and I’ve re-discovered I want to do it More Like Margaret.”
Judith Morgan, Business Coach and Mentor
“Your book just shimmers with truth, wisdom and your unique style. If it were food, I would gobble it up! Not only is it elegantly presented, it brings the reader back to the truth of story power again and again. This is a marketing book that many of us have been waiting for.”
Leia Francisco, Author of Writing Through Transitions and Transition Coach
http://leiafrancisco.com
“Margaret’s hard-won wisdom shines through on every page, along with her wit that leaves me chuckling as I learn. She has produced a powerful and useful book, easy to follow and very instructive in the most pleasant way. I highly recommend it to small business owners who want to know how to use Story to promote their business with authenticity and integrity.”
Barbara Stahura, Certified Journal Facilitator
http://barbarastahura.com
95 pages (paperback) • Published 2018
“People don’t buy what you do. They buy why you do it.”
–Simon Sinek, Start With Why
“Stories demonstrate the benefits you promise…in a way that promises can’t.”
—Annette Simmons, The Story Factor
Story Jumpstart Sessions
If you’re new to storytelling in your marketing and would like to talk through the possibilities in a fun and relaxed way, learn more about story development sessions with me: