Start with what’s your story, they say

So, it’s not a first time you heard about this. We see a surge of startup & new companies every now and then. But, whatever the hype startup builds, usually comes after their amazing product-market fit, some PR in top journals & sites or an after their valuation/net worth are announced.

Then how do you actually communicate your startup value to the next person sitting beside you, who could be a potential customer & investor of your product? Is explaining & showcasing your product/service enough to get their attention the first time? What type of elevator pitch are you working on?

No one can deny, storytelling or communicating backstory of creating the startup can be a great avenue to introduce your company to an outsider and no one can do this better than you, even if you hire a seasoned consultant & professional, right?

Well, it’s a matter of argument that marketing pros can help you to craft a great intro about your product or services. Many startup founders can’t hire a marketing professional or storyteller to craft & refine their stories.

Your product is nothing without a good story

If you are not aware, even UBER & AIRBNB might get passed off by a tech investor & actor Ashton Kutcher (you all know him better from No Strings Attached movie). Which he explained in a video by Business Insider. How Uber Founder Travis tried to pitch him the concept, using “you will push a button and a black car will arrive” before he raised a single dollar. Let’s see from here:

The good part is, being a pro-investor, Ashton understood the product-market fit eventually and came back to investing on Uber & Airbnb later on, that led him to a great success in the tech industry.

What if storytelling can be taught?

So you know what’s you’re going to offer. You understand the problem market is facing. You have an amazing solution to offer and competitors are not doing it the same way. You started with your company introduction, a short bio of founders, the problem that consumers are facing, your solution & how you make the world a better place. 

But does it look like you can finish this quickly in a one-to-one conversation or a make it a short written pitch intro for your company? Here are some tips to follow:

Make it short & focused

Making your story short can help you to communicate faster & audience will absorb it in a better way. A golden rule is to stick to 100 Words to focus on your key values only. You can’t focus on the inception, all the feature & benefit of your product at the same time. You can only focus on one value at one time.

It is also known as Jenga test, which is popularized by a toy company named Hasbro.

“What’s the one value, that if removed,would make the entire story fall apart? Until you get there, keep cutting.”

Use the Same Story Consistently

Consistency brings authenticity. What is the value that your positioning? Is it affordable or only one viable solution in the market? or the product quality is outstanding? Use the same communication on your own, paid & earned media’s to keep the authenticity of your brand.

How to make your startup/ company bio in 100 words

So, here a framework for you to make your own company bio/ introduction within 100 words:

Once upon a time (Founder / Protagonist) felt (The Big Problem). “There must be a better way”, S/He thought. After (Searching Process), S/He discovered (Breakthrough) that made (Solution) Possible. Unlike (Competitors), (Your Company) would finally (Differentiation)!

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For example: (Total 71 Words)

Once upon a time, Junayed saw, mobile app developers in Bangladesh are not promoting their product. There’s must be a better way, he thought. After interviewing several top app developers, he came up with a model of app marketing that made app monetization easy for the app companies. Unlike other digital agencies, Junayed can finally offer a full-fledged app marketing service that can delight a growing mobile app market in Bangladesh.

I hope, now you can craft your own company’s story using this framework. If you get stuck. I am a call away to assist as always. I must give credit to Alli McKee, a celebrated Artist, Designer & Storyteller to experience this framework which I explained in my narrative.

If you would like to read more article like this, feel free to visit jmustafa.com or connect me on LinkedIn.