I attended an event in London last week, where 10 entrepreneurs pitched their businesses to a panel of experts.
What was interesting was that every single contestant got feedback on the ‘story’ element of their pitch, with suggestions on how it could be told more effectively. Further evidence of how much we all want to connect and engage with a well-told story.
But one pitch in particular stood out for me.
Ian Retallick helps small, independent retailers survive and thrive against the big players.
Why? Because he saw how stressed his Dad, who owned a bakery/restaurant, was and how, despite working hard and attracting great customers, he was losing money. Sadly, the stress got to Ian’s Dad and he lost concentration at the wheel of his car, on his way to buy supplies. He was hit by another car and died at just 57 – the age that Ian is now.
It’s an incredibly emotive story but Ian’s passion for helping small retailers to not just ‘survive’ but thrive was abundantly clear. He didn’t have to say any more.
We got it. We got his powerful ‘why’. We got that he genuinely cares about his clients and that he really is on a mission to make a difference.
Your story doesn’t have to be long to make a big impact. Find the ESSENCE of your story and start there.