Your Story is a Million Dollar Investment

Your biggest personal brand asset is YOUR STORY.

When people ask you “what your story?” it roughly translates to:

“I like to know more about you and how you started”.

I realised that people want to hear things to help them motivate and find ways to kickstart their own dreams. They want to be inspired. They want to know how you overcome challenges and succeeded.

String’s Theory of Storytelling:

🍗 make it relatable
🍗 reproduce the epiphany aka the “Eureka” moment
🍗 mention the low points in life
🍗 detail the turning points
🍗 become vulnerable and open
🍗 be inspiring

The stories that captivate people tend to show that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. Hope exists in the world. And this one has it in spades.

Telling your respective story allows the audience to connect with you. A great story will draw interest and attract your tribe. They will want to witness your growth and as such, they’ll find you as a source of inspiration.

I will hang out with founders and CEOs, and structure their stories for themselves.

Here’s my process:
I would record responses on video and observe how they perform. It’s interesting that people will be self-conscious of the camera. One must keep doing multiple takes, they will forget the camera exists. The secret is to not be discouraged and behave as if you’re simply engaging with your best friend. This approach is effective because our best friends tend to know our deepest secrets. We let our guard down when we’re around them, hence it can grant a more authentic performance for the camera.

I then make them watch their videos as I point out what aspects that they can improve on. I often use Donald Trump as an example of a good communicator. I actually a few messages saying I shouldn’t use him as an example, but being disliked is also weird approach to personal branding.

🍗 He uses simple language.
🍗 He uses short sentences.
🍗 He repeats key messages
🍗 He recaps

When you’re communicating, they are two main modes of contact and delivery. If you do compose a written script, read it out loud.

Record yourself on your smartphone and see how it turns out.

Telling your own story is going to be your biggest asset when meeting others. They will want to know your characteristics and see what you’re made of. When you tell your story, they’ll be thinking “Can I hang or like this person?” forming a mental image and you will ask yourself: “Do I want to hang-out or even like this person?”

Personally, I’m still refining my story. Every time I talk about it, I find that I’m always giving it a polish with each recital. I retain a few versions and each of these narratives reveal subtle nuances depending on whom I’m chatting with.

Here are some things to note when telling your personal/own story:
🍗 where to start your story — usually at the low point
🍗 when/ was the turning point
🍗 how did you overcome it
🍗 what are you doing next

If you want homework, start analyzing Disney stories and role models. YouTube pinpoints any correlations that resonates with your story. Then try to weave some of that magic into an anecdote of your own.

I look forward to meeting you in person and hearing your stories.

🍗 String

Other experiments and thoughts:
I’m doing a 30-day experiment to see how to get more viral views. My Instagram Stories are getting epic engagement and views. You can follow my documentation here.

Also, my first LinkedIn Video went viral with Mehak Vohra, and this is another video to share our thoughts about LinkedIn Video, Personal Branding and how to trigger the