A startup’s story is the key to building brand awareness, a customer base, and an investor portfolio.
If you’re struggling to strike the right chords in your story, the Lassonde for Life workshop titled “Why Your Startup Story Matters” has the answers. The Lassonde for Life program offers free support to active or aspiring alumni entrepreneurs through the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute at the University of Utah.
Brent Uberty, a University of Utah alum and founder of BW Productions, a video production company that has worked with hundreds of clients across the world, led the conversation. Armed with over a decade of experience, he outlined how to effectively communicate your journey in four steps:
Connect emotionally
“Logic makes people think, but emotion makes them act,” Uberty said. “If you think about the decisions you make every day, a lot of those decisions are driven by emotions.”
Regardless of if it’s a customer segment or an investor sign-on you’re after, a story packed with emotion will only enhance your startup.
Uberty pointed to Coca-Cola and Warby Parker as brands that connect with investors and customers on an emotional level. Coca-Cola associates its product with happiness, using slogans like “Things go better with Coke” and “Open happiness.” Warby Parker goes a bit further by donating a pair of glasses to those in need with every pair purchased through the Buy a Pair, Give a Pair program.
“In both instances, their ‘why’ narrative is clear,” Uberty said. “It’s this consistent storytelling, rather than one-off pitches, that builds trust over time.”
Be relatable
Once you’ve identified the “why” of your story and tapped into your emotions, make sure your audiences can relate to the content itself.
“In your story, speak directly to your audience,” Uberty said. “Make them the central character.”
Whether you’re selling picture frames or a carpet cleaning service, Uberty says taking one approach can make any startup’s story relatable:
“Tell it from a narrative perspective,” he said. “Your story should have rising tension: tell about the good times and the bad times. Don’t just list facts – help people want to go on this journey with you and highlight the pivotal turning points.”
Every single person has had these experiences, he said, and laying them out will help the audience see themselves in your company.
The relatability doesn’t have to be revolutionary, either – just honest.
“For me, I include in my story the turning point of hiring my first employee,” Uberty said. “My business changed when I brought someone else on because I now had someone who was as equally invested.”
Be vulnerable
But emotional connections and relatability still aren’t enough: Uberty says you really need to knock down your walls.
“Running a startup or small business is not easy,” he said. “If there hasn’t been already, there will be times where you feel like you’re ready to shut your doors – as a small business owner for over a decade, I’ve had days where I didn’t know how we were going to make payroll, or where my next client was going to come from.”
While these experiences may feel like failures and struggles you’d jump to conceal, Uberty says sharing them will actually benefit you.
“As entrepreneurs, we’re always pushing through adversity,” he said. “That’s what makes us as entrepreneurs really special.”
If you’ve hit a rock bottom and bounced back, that’s what Uberty calls an “authentic human moment.” Sharing these parts of your story will only make you more human.
Get 3-D
While all the above sounds great on paper, bringing your story into the real world is what seals the deal.
“Sights and sounds really help to tell and bring a story to life,” Uberty said. “Use vivid sensory details to immerse your audience and transport them into your story.”
Then, tap into the emotional connections, relatability, and vulnerability you’ve cultivated with your audiences through every outlet you can.
“Audiences crave genuine human-to-human connection. We don’t get that everywhere – especially in today’s world where we do so much on Zoom and working from home, people miss that,” Uberty said.
If someone sends your company an email, be the person to respond. If someone posts about your company on social media, like or reply from your account.
“This kind of personal interaction tells your audience that you care about their experience,” he said, “which brings it all together.”
