Tell Your Story for Startup’s Sake

by Startacus Admin

Diana Hallare, founder of Stateside startup The Daughterhood Coach starts a series of blog posts for Startacus on the importance of telling your life story as part of your startup tale...

I started The Daughterhood Coach after a series of conversations with a social entrepreneur, Clarene White, who founded Food for Your Soul Ministries. Within a month, I handled most of the basics including the registration, business name, and website. The Daughterhood Coach is a consulting business that helps people, particularly women, to express their life stories.

Sharing experiences should not be a chore, but an integral part of development for oneself and the startup. Here are my three reasons to express the personal story:

Discover (or rediscover) the why of your startup
Have you witnessed or experienced a need that can be addressed by the solution you provide? What background do you have that makes your idea feasible? What or who is your inspiration? Knowing the answers to these questions can reinvigorate enthusiasm for your projects and guide you in finding meaning or purpose. In my field, I have helped people write grants, resumes, speeches, and poems – all tell stories. I may be similar to a writing coach, but I would also like to use my background in public speaking, for instance.

You can inspire and inform others.
I live in the US but have been a fan of Startacus for a long time. The startup tips have been helpful, but the true stories of success and works in progress have been more influential: they fueled my entrepreneurial side. This slightly reminds me of the UK website and database called healthtalkonline.org, where patients’ stories both educate the public and inspire hope.

You can get funding.
The current trend of crowdfunding, for instance, usually requires the personal story. With a sincere yet powerful delivery, this adds a human touch, provides credibility to your cause, and attracts supporters. I will be exploring this avenue soon.

How can you tell your story?

Visual Art
Options include photo essay, video, and infographics. One of the newest is Zeega, an interactive art form which sometimes reminds me of the moving pictures in Harry Potter books. In creating a Zeega, you can combine pictures, videos, action GIFs, and sound.

The Power of Words
You can tweet, blog, put a bio on your website, have a public Facebook page, or post a resume. You can start a radio show or a series of podcasts. You can write a song or deliver speeches. Even in face-to-face networking, your elevator pitch can be similar to a tweet: succinct.

When expressing your story, you can ask for feedback, such as from a mentor, a family member, or a close friend. For example, “Did I deliver my story clearly?” If you need technical or editorial expertise, you can reach out to the community for help.

Enjoy. But also don’t forget to listen.

Cheers Diana and we look forward to hearing more from you over the coming weeks. If you have an interesting startup story to tell - feel free to check out our contributors Wanted or Self Interview posts for more details on how you can get involved.

If you like what you see here on Startacus, why not become a member of our growing community? It's free! And you'll get all this - exclusive access to our Business Toolkit, discounts and offers galore for your business via our member only business deals, the chance to network and connect with loads of fellow self-starters, and maybe even become our celebrated 'Self-Starter of the Week' and tell the world your startup tale! Join right here for free...

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Published on: 5th June 2013