In a world that has been plagued with a pandemic, then floods, wars, and uncertainty, getting the word out about your story can feel frivolous and unimportant. However, more than ever before, hearing authentic stories is what our weary minds crave right now. That's great news for entrepreneurs-in-the-making.
Making sense of your story–your motivations as a founder–as well as tying your unique path to that vision you are bringing to life, is proven to help get your business off the ground. Let's break down what is preventing you from taking action however brilliant you are and how your story plays a leading role in growing your business.
Inside our pandemic-riddled minds: what's holding us back
Our lives got completely upended since 2020 and the craziness just keeps coming. Things like health and safety took precedence and shifted the focus of entire industries, let alone people's living rooms. 
With that going on, focusing on marketing, branding or how to be our authentic selves on Linkedin may feel a little non-essential... a little extra right now. Our problems seem so small in comparison to all of those who have it worse, in our point of view. Brené Brown calls this comparative suffering and she warned about the negative effects of holding ourselves back and downplaying our own aspirations. “When we practice empathy with ourselves and others, we create more empathy. Love, y’all, is the last thing we need to ration in this world. The exhausted doctor in the ER room in New York doesn’t benefit more if you conserve your kindness only for her and withhold it from yourself or your coworker who lost her job. The surest way to ensure that you have a reserve of compassion and empathy for others is to attend to your own feelings.” she believes. 
Ask yourself: If I stopped taking everyone else's needs and feelings into account every step of the way, what would I be building now? 
This is your permission to take that business idea seriously 
Brené is right though. Even more so, if we were to wait till the last person on Earth is fed, fully clothed, loved and self-actualized we might never be able to bring our business to life, or at least we probably won't be for decades: that very project that can, in it's way or form, bring something fresh, helpful, healing or innovative to humanity right now. Yes, you'll need a business plan (or at least a few numbers or key words scribbled in your notebook), a product / market fit, some cash, skills, all that. But by spreading the word out, you are actually giving your business idea a solid chance to succeed. Let's briefly see how that works. 
Social media perfection fatigue: Why we need authentic stories
Once a source of inspiration, social media has become toxic to our mental health and well-being. We've begun to compare our day-to-day life to the perfectly curated feeds of our peers and influencers alike, comparing the incomparable and feeding our doubts. When reflecting on our stories, we are crippled by a soaring impostor syndrome that prevents us from feeling good enough. So we hide, we stay silent, we downplay our success, and keep playing small. 
I see this first hand when I'm helping my clients find their authentic stories. Successful people with incredible achievements and jaw-dropping life stories who struggle to see just how brilliant they are. That's the power impostor syndrome has over us. No matter how much we achieve, it's never enough. 
“I know I should market myself, but how can I position myself as an expert? I need to help at least three startups reach IPO status over the course of the next 10 years, only then can I start talking about what I do,” a client of mine illustrates. Mind you he's helped startup owners negotiate more than 1500 deals, globally, and raised over a million EUR in seed or VC funding for them. And he's hardly the only one: As we tier jump through career ranks, our standards bar rises. As we learn more skills, we feel like we've barely scratched the surface. 
This mountain seems almost impossible to climb over, especially when we are just starting out. “So many things never happen because we simply lack the courage to do them,” is a painfully truthful quote by Katarina Shapiro, Evolutionary Leadership Coach that I myself took to heart realizing just how many ideas I never pursued out of self-inflicted fear. 
This is why I can relate to the pain my clients go through when holding themselves back. I've walked in their shoes. “So many businesses never see the light of the day because I never found the words to talk about them,” Tolu Oke, an amazing marketer once told me. This is exactly why knowing your story is so important – you finally have the words that resonate with your audience, which then fuels your confidence to keep pursuing that passion.
Knowing your story impacts how you talk about your business
I love how Celinne DaCosta, founder of School of Story, explains brand story from multiple angles. 
“By definition a brand story is a narrative of emotions and facts created by your brand. That’s the logical, cognitive, left brain explanation. The holistic one: a brand story is how you make people feel through things that you do and say consistently. It’s the energy that people pick up on when they’re in your space - physical or virtual. It’s the thing that they think about you but they cannot put their finger quite on it but they know it to be true. This is why when you’re scrolling on your feed some people may just feel icky to you. Something about their brand story is not resonating with your energy, beliefs and your view of the world. It’s also why you’re inexplicably drawn to some people and can’t get enough of them, no matter what they do or say. A captivating, magnetic brand story isn’t something you can think your way into, it’s something you create by becoming.”
Authentic and genuine business storytelling sets your business up for success because it gives you:
A stand-out factor for marketing, sales, or seeking opportunities for increasing visibility. By attending to your story, you'll gain a much deeper understanding of who you are as a person and what you, specifically, bring to the table. 
A portrait photographer once approached me, riddled with this: she's damn passionate about helping soulful entrepreneurs express themselves through vivid pictures, but… she only got into photography because her husband was a photographer: How can she share her full passion with clients, if she only got into the field by accident? Going all the way back into her childhood and teenage years, we picked up on a beautiful thread of curiosity and magic she was able to experience with an old camera her dad gifted her. She realized not only has she been a photographer all those years, she also remembered why: to capture the unique, unfiltered, fleeting displays of genuinity. 
A sense of purpose that you can use as fuel going forward. Going deeper in your story, you'll begin to see your work as bigger than you, which sometimes is the only way (or at least the fastest way) to overcome imposter syndrome. Removing yourself from the equation is a much needed mindset shift to start anything new and scary. 
A strong, compelling brand story to work with across channels. Guiding over 500 founders and C-level leaders through their stories, I can almost guarantee an invisible thread will appear once you go through your story, making your story compelling for your audience (us people are wired to love anything with a beginning, a twist and a coming-full-circle moment towards the end) as well as easy, natural and almost effortless for you to tell. 
A basis to build an entrepreneur muscle upon. Not an easy journey indeed, entrepreneurship constantly asks of us to face the unknown and act brave. Settling into your story provides with inner validation and belief that you are enough just as you are. You'll stop (or significantly reduce) seeking external validation. In return, you'll foster confidence to see yourself and act in a bigger way. Networking, pitching, content creation and public appearances turn from scary to (almost) natural. 
And finally, a permission to start. One that doesn't come from the outside, but comes from within you. If you outsource validation to someone else, you'll never start and you'll never feel ready. Trust that you were meant to do what you are about to do, and that the world needs what you have to offer. 
Remember this: Your whole story matters in business
Let me leave with what I said to that startup consultant that wanted to wait for at least three IPO exits before he allowed himself to make a real impact (and live that life he wanted): 
Your story matters no matter how imperfect you think you are – it's what sets you apart from everybody else. It's what makes you a living breathing human being that's navigating life (and business) without a compass just doing their best with what you got. That's damn captivating! And from what you're telling me, you're so good at what you do. 
There's no such thing as “appearing human makes you less professional.” Not anymore. We are all a process in the making. Now, there's somebody who needs to hear that story – a future client that calls for your solution to their problem. Let's fix you up so that you can tell them later today!
Grab a freebie to get into your story today!
Head to our free resources where we walk you through 4 questions that lead to your story