Storytelling is a huge part of branding, because branding is about making connections, and nothing creates connections more powerfully and effectively than a good story. When it comes to engaging an audience, we always emphasize the importance of making the customer the hero of your story. Let them see themselves at the center of a journey of transformation. But it’s also important for a company or a brand to tell its own Origin Story or Founder’s Story.

Your Founder’s Story essentially explains how and why your business came to life. The stories can take many different shapes, but they basically carry us from idea to action to who, what, and where the business is today. Powerful and personal, your Founder’s Story should be a source of inspiration for both customers and team members alike.

Why storytelling?

Storytelling is literally woven into our DNA. Before humans knew the first thing about brain chemistry, architecture or developmental psychology, we were gathering around the fire and sharing stories.

Stories have a way of sticking in our minds better than anything else. Think about how hard it is to remember just five things on your shopping list. Then consider how easy it can be to retell the story from a movie you just saw or a book you just read. Our minds are wired for stories.

Stories naturally make sense to us and they can carry tremendous meaning. Every human religion, from the archaic to the modern, is based on some collection of stories. From the several thousand-year-old epics of India and the Near East, to the rags-to-riches tales of 20th-century American film and literature, these narratives shape our thoughts and perceptions of the world.

Typical Founder Story patterns

Before you dive into telling your story, telling any story, you need to know where you’re going. Maybe you’ve heard this before, but every story needs three things: a beginning, a middle, and an end.

So let’s start by figuring out the overall shape or arch of your story. Look closely at any popular book or movie, and you’ll discover that they’re always just a new version of some timeless plotline that never gets old. Some scholars say there are only two stories, the comedy and the tragedy, but others put the number closer to 8 or 10.

We can boil the Founder’s Story down to one of three basic patterns. And they’re each as old as Gilgamesh or the epics of Homer.

1. The Odyssey

Speaking of Homer, this may be the oldest and best-enduring plotline of all. Who doesn’t love an adventure, a quest for some Holy Grail?

Success doesn’t come easy. Rather, it’s the result of long series of trials and tribulations. As Thomas Edison said, it’s one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration.

How many faulty algorithms did Mark Zuckerberg write and erase before he hit the jackpot? It’s a good question, and it’s probably a story Facebook should be telling. Instead of seeing their founder as some technocrat overlord, a story of struggles and defeats could really improve his perception and likability in the public eye.

If you took a long journey over peaks and valleys in order to develop your product or service, that’s something worth sharing. Try telling a story like that and getting the audience to cheer you on.

2. David and Goliath

Of course, we know this story from the Old Testament, but it’s far older that than. And it’s as powerful today as it ever was. Who doesn’t love rooting for the underdog in a college bowl game?

In a crowded marketplace, you’ll find many industries dominated by one or two Goliaths. Remember when the Apple Computer came along and started throwing stones at IBM? You just had to side with the little guy. Of course, this story wouldn’t work so well if Apple tried telling it today.

But if you’re a small business, there’s a good chance you’re trying to disrupt a space ruled by giant box stores or national chains of some sort. Play up the underdog card, and bring more followers to your side.

This is the story that defines your tribe – what you support and what you oppose. People will follow you because they share your values and beliefs. It’s the basis of your Brand Essence (Purpose, Vision, Mission, Values.)

3. The American Dream

This model might sound more modern, but the Rags to Riches story is another modern mix of ancient themes. And by now, we’ve all heard it a million times. But like these other plotlines, we keep listening to it because it works, because it resonates.

“I had nothing, I was washing windows and sleeping in my car. And then I developed this incredible new formula for success. Now here I am on my own private island. And you can learn all about this fool-proof formula if you just sign up for my online Masterclass”.

Yes, this kind of story can be powerful and effective. The lure of success is ever so tempting. But as the example above may suggest, it can also come off as corny, insincere, and hard to believe. So be careful with it.

Writing your story

When you think about your business, why you got started, and where you’re headed, one of these storylines should make sense. See which one feels like the best fit, and use that as your framework. Find other stories that follow that same pattern and use them as your model. (I promise, there will be many examples from movies and fairy tales.)

To make the story most engaging, here are a few other elements you’ll probably want to consider and incorporate.

• The epiphany: The awakening, or the moment of truth. In some cases, this could be the whole foundation of your origin story. When was it that you first became aware of your calling, or realized it was time to stand up and take action? Your epiphany may have taken place on an ordinary day while gazing at the sunset. Or it could have been a dramatic, near-death experience. Some epiphanies have a negative context, emerging out of crisis or failure.
• The mission: Besides making a profit, or maybe even getting rich, what is your business trying to accomplish? How are you hoping to change the world? Share your deeper purpose. People need to see you as more than just an entrepreneur, but as a flesh and blood human with drives and emotions.
• The villain: Every great story needs a bad guy. Who, or more likely, what is the enemy that your product or service aims to defeat? This might be a major industry player, like Facebook or Walmart. Just as easily, it could be a concept or an idea, like obesity, depression, racism, or violence.
• The hero: Now is the time to bring the customer into the story, as I mentioned at the top of the article. The Founding Story is about you and your company, and that’s great. But to make a meaningful connection, you want to let the audience know that they have a part in the story, too. They will be the ones to reap the benefits, capture the treasure, and marry the prince or princess, when the mission is accomplished, or when David defeats Goliath.

Dive in and make a splash

Ready to get started? Or curious to learn more? The Brand Strategy Workbook will give you a good starting point to answer some questions regarding your brand. And if you have any questions, feel free to reach out for a Discovery call or join our online community. It looks a bit confusing and overwhelming, but if you take it one step at a time, it all makes sense in the end. You got this! 

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Dive deeper and take a look at these related articles.

• An Introduction to Brand Archetypes
• Adopting Brand Personas
• Speaking with Brand Voice
• Building Company Culture
• Issues with Ethical Marketing