How do you uncover your Business Story?

The steps of this are within everyone’s reach. The how and where you can uncover the story of your business is right under your nose.

It is as natural to you as breathing.

Firstly, it’s about finding the overarching story of your business or work. The best place to start is the basics. You review your values.

Once you know your core values 

Ask yourself – what story are they telling me? The best way to do this, is to free yourself up. Stop the judge and censor coming in and ruining everything, and simply imagine it’s someone else’s story. Let’s say they told you their three core values: Play, Courage & Growth.

What kind of story comes to mind?

Who are they?

What do you think matters to them?

In actual fact, to be fair, 10 people could have the same values and each of their stories would be different. Interestingly though, even with the same Core Values at the heart of their narrative, the unique point for each of them would be the perspective they had on those values and how they expressed them. 

What do you do once you know your Core Values?

There is an element in a course I offer – Creating the Vision and Taking the Leap which addresses this question.  One section asks you to consider how much you are using the values you have discovered. If the score is low, you know it isn’t showing up for you. If this is the case, chances are very high that you aren’t happy with aspects of your life. This is especially the case if it’s a core value.

How to change this?

You have to be honest with yourself. Where in your life are you compromising your values? In which situations? Ask yourself what the pay off is. If it is a temporary situation that will get you to your goal, where this value can shine again, then it’s a sacrifice for the short term.

However, if it is a habit that you are now used to

The longer-term damage to your well-being will be obvious. You need to ask yourself – what needs to change? If needs be, get support to do so. You may well need the encouragement as well as the accountability of a coach, counselor, advocate,  or trusted family member in order to shift.

If you don’t, it will be affecting your life in a myriad of ways.

In your business and work, you could be stuck, unable to move forward.

A lack of clarity and purpose could exist and you could feel like you are moving against the tide.

Once you have shifted or if you know you are cooking on gas with your values, then the overarching theme of the story of your business is clear. It’s in those Core Values.

So, what’s your story?

Make it up, flesh it out. How much of it resonates? What haven’t you said? Once you have worked on this for a while and are happy with the story’s shape and message (without censoring – that comes later), you can review how much your business is in tune with that description.

If your core values are in opposition to or not the same as your business values, you are going to find your business is very hard work indeed. It’s obvious, but sometimes we get caught up in the daily tasks, planning and processes needed to run a business, and forget to look at the essential core meaning of the business.

Fit your core values to your business and you change everything.

• It means you have cohesion between you and your business.
• There is an overarching storyline that runs through your business.
• It begins the process of branding.
• The essence of your business comes alive.
• You can create great content based on your core values.
• You have the beginning of many chapters of your business story.

It doesn’t mean you forget your potential clients. Not at all, just don’t forget, your story needs to meet their story.

If you don’t know your fundamental narrative, you won’t be expressing yourself fully and you won’t feel confident or able to explain your business clearly. It will be flat.

Now its time to harvest the rich vein of gold that lies at the heart of any business.
Then to step into ownership of the story, so you can share it, confidently and with delight.

That will turn your business from hey ho, into a trusted brand, with whistles, party hats and all things celebratory.