And no, this is not about a lousy vision statement. This is about building the blueprint for your business operations and solutions which is guided by an entire culture. This is knowing your end from your beginning. This is knowing you will build a culture of space tourism, when all you have in your hand is a pen and paper, no staff and no money. This is the creation process. This is vision building.
Here are a few pointers to get the ball rolling.
Storytelling: Your Personal Story Defines Your Business
Every time I sit down with companies to learn their back stories, I am intrigued by the background and experience of the founders. You meet accountants shifting to fitness instructors, math teachers becoming business coaches, finance consultants driven to see women thrive in business. These are the powerful back stories they never communicate. Because many think it isn’t important. This is the number one secret; your story defines your business.
The reason I call myself a Brand Storyteller, is just that. The brand exists because of the story. We all live on this earth together, but our experiences even of the same daily events, are unique to us. This defines our life’s outlook and it exerts something in us, no one else can ever give us.
- Who Is This For?
Just because you have a powerful story doesn’t mean people will give a damn. Human beings at times, I believe, are innately selfish. No matter how universal a story, we always connect because of how it relates to us individually. So now you have you narrative, who will give a damn about it?
No idea, then it’s time to start exploring the various customer demographic groups in your area of potential business. And the more specific you are the better it is for you. Understand age, location, social interactions, education, industry are key factors you should never underestimate.
- Understand The Need
Because of your personal experiences you find yourself driven to something specific. For 13 years I have worked in various capacities as a communication consultant, but I realised that most businesses have no idea how to communicate.
They knew the importance of advertising, but they never knew how best to package what they were selling to a target audience. Because of this they end up sounding exactly like their competition and in the long run businesses don’t gain much traction through the bad adverts they invest in.
For some businesses I talk to, it is apparent and the founder has it figured out. For some a little bit of digging is required. The need I realised was in storytelling.
Businesses and NGOs harp on about causes they believe in, but their stories are never crafted in a way the audience’s needs are met. How to craft the message in to a compelling narrative is something that I do naturally. I understood this was a need businesses had, which I could fulfil.
What is the need you see in your target audience which your business can solve?
What’s The Solution?
You know your story; you know who you want to serve because you know their needs. This then defines how you operate going forward. This defines your product or service. And this helps you build a more compelling solution to the market. And based on this, as long as you stay in touch with market, and its trends you can adapt accordingly; staying relevant to your customers.
These are just a few pointers to create your vision and build your business blueprint. When your vision is clear, your communications and your operations are equally clear. And this is how you build a business the right way!
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