Storytelling: Why it matters - Entrepreneurship 101 (2012/2013)

Storytelling: Why it ma1ers and How to Do It January 2012

“Storytelling is, by far, the most underrated skill in business”

Stories and storytelling are all around us

Cave drawings daEng back to 15,000 to 13,000 BC

William Shakespeare

The Grimm Brothers

Eminem

Rick Mercer

Ron Popeil

Why do Stories Work so Well? 1.  They’re memorable 2.  They’re mo0va0ng 3.  And now they’re really shareable

But what does storytelling have to do with startups?

Everything!

But Here’s The Thing……

Most startups are bad storytellers

No PerspecEve

Talk about product, not what consumers need

Wrong Toolset

How do you start to tell stories?

Storytelling starts from….

Baked into the corporate DNA

How Come?

Convince friends & family

Convince friends & family A1ract Employees

Convince friends & family Get A?ract Customers Employees

Convince Raise Capital friends & family Get A?ract Customers Employees

What do you do?

What do you do? Who needs it?

What do you do? What are the key Who needs it? beneﬁts?

What do you do? How are you Who needs unique it? from rivals? What are the key beneﬁts?

….And WIIFM?

What does your company do? What are the beneﬁts? What’s in it for me?

Think Stories, Not Products

Put Yourself in the Other Person’s Shoes

Party Where the Party is Happening

Be Diﬀerent, Unique…or Both

“To hell with facts! We need stories.” -‐  Ken Kesey

Thanks! www.markevans.ca @markevans mark@markevans.ca h1p://bit.ly/startupscanada

by MaRS Discovery District on Jan 25, 2013