354: The Best Story Always Wins

If you have ever felt like you are doing all the right things in your business… and still not getting the “yes” you thought you earned, this episode is for you.

In this conversation, we explore why the best strategy is often the best story, and how to tell yours in a way that feels human, true, and unmistakably compelling. Not slick. Not performative. Not written by a robot. Just clear, honest, and strong enough to carry your Vision.

You will leave this episode with a sharper sense of what makes a story work, and a practical, simple way to start shaping your message so people actually care, remember it, and want to be part of it.

What you will learn:

• How to stop making your audience do all the work to “get it,” and instead guide them into emotional clarity.
• The simple story structure that consistently earns attention, trust, and buy-in.
• How to tell your story in a way that feels like generosity, not marketing.
• Why a polished story is not about being impressive, but about being understood.
• How to think in ripple results, so the work you do today actually echoes toward what you are building.

If your Static has been telling you that you need a better plan, a better funnel, or a better script… you might simply need a better story.

Featured resources:

To join the 30-day writing challenge, click here.

And if you want to dive into the Superabound Author's table, learn more here.

Full transcript:

Welcome to the Superabound podcast, where vision-led entrepreneurs learn to build a generous business without sacrificing what matters most. You are listening to episode 354. The best story always wins. We're going to tell you why in a second. Steve might cry a little bit. Who is that? because crushing it won against you. But um I will open with a little bit of a different story. Um this is about ripple results. So we've shared this idea, this concept. I'm going to be talking about this in depth in my upcoming book. But business owners, leaders have to be invested in the ripple effect of the work that they do today. And what that actually means is whatever you are working on today, you have to believe that it is going to echo out and take you to where you want to go to to light that next lantern. Um, a lot of people really get slowed down by thinking there has to be, you know, a direct impact, an effect right now on everything I do. And this has been on my mind a lot because I've spent the last month with a group of writers inside the 30-day writing challenge, which by the way, if you are a writer, you don't need to wait for this to happen again. You can join the 30-day challenge now. It is on demand. Um, I highly recommend it. It's been working wonders for the other writers, some of whom have never written a book before. Um, that's all over at buperbound.com/classes. You can find out about that. But with writing, you do not get instant gratification. And um something we've been talking a lot about actually has to do with I'm just gonna brag about you for a second. Sit back everybody. I'm gonna brag about Steve. He's going to enjoy it. Um, a ripple result in kind of in our personal world is Steve has had a volunteer yet kind of intense job for the last few years with a local parent association trying to build a school playground. Um, obviously there's lots of people involved in that and they're an amazing team. Um, but Steve is kind of the president of that association is responsible for getting this thing done. And um, a lot of people think, how much could a playground cost? $200,000?

It's a lot of It's a lot of money. And it's a lot of money to raise because we don't get, you know, this isn't like someone else paying for it. This is being paid for by donations from fake sales and Apple sales and like whatever fundraiser these parents can come up with. At the beginning of this year, um you know, you guys had raised some money. Our kids have been donating their birthday parties for a few years. Um you know, there's danceathons and and that sort of thing. But at the beginning of this year, you were like, "It's happening this year." I by the end I want to be done with fundraising for this project this year because otherwise it's going to take 20 years.

So tell everybody a little bit about some of the things you did to start to raise more like serious money. Well, there were a couple things that have gotten to us to this point. So, we started the year at around $50,000 and we said we are going to get to $200,000 or wherever we are by the end of this year. Personally, I was hoping we'd at least get to half of that, which still feel felt insane because that meant literally doubling the amount that we had raised up to this point. You've got to double it. You got to make it big a big lantern. Yeah. Yeah. So, I was like, okay, well, let's let's at least double it. And this is going to be the last year. Um, so we put that out there. The next thing we did was tell everybody all the time. Even if we thought the story was not that huge, we still called the paper. We put it out on social media. We sent emails to the school community about it. We wanted to make sure that everybody who could know that we had momentum and we're still looking for more did know. And what that resulted in were some very significant donations from the community that only would have happened from uh everybody talking to everybody else about it. So it was really about setting the bar high and getting the word out constantly in as many ways as we could. Yeah. I mean I probably would have thought, oh well, I don't know, ask a big company for a big donation. I probably wouldn't have thought, oh, let's call the newspaper and, you know, do a story about how the local firefighters raised, they gave a donation and let's let's get a picture with all the kids and all the firefighters in front of their truck. Like really cute moments. Um, but those things had a ripple result that we could never have charted ahead of time. So tell us where you are now with it. We have raised $190,000

with pledge to get us to 200. So yeah, it's uh everyone's mind is blown. Mine especially. Yeah. But good way to way to lead and you know set the bar very high and then do everything. This is what is so interesting because a lot of people will talk about like oh you know if we're manifesting you know Steve just manifested that money. No, Steve um put something out there that seemed impossible to the team and himself and then people organized and got creative and yeah, there was some definitely some like miraculous stuff that happened, but it couldn't have happened without all of those other things being in place. And now we go back and see how they all kind of fit together. But there's no way that that could have been, you know, pre- strategized. Yeah. And so with the topic of this episode, the best story always wins. That I think is our foundational best story. If there's anything that I've done, it's attach my energy to a compelling story. And that story is when my kids started my kid when our kids started. I I I did have something to do with those kids. Yeah. I kind of grew them. I I always think about when I'm addressing an audience as myself, but here we are together. When our first child started at school, there was no playground for them to play on. And then it was taken away and they've been without any kind of play structure at recess for their entire childhood. And it um is a compelling story. And so bringing people together around that story has helped us win, you know, towards the vision that we have, towards that lantern that we're looking to light. Until last night when someone at a there was a not a competition, but it was like an organization that was going to give money to one of two charities or one or one of two initiatives. and Steve went up against someone who had a better story. I mean, uh, these things are subjective, but I don't think like this is objectively true as such a subjective thing could possibly be. I was up there with my counterpart at the home and school association, two parents just trying to, you know, put their hat out and and get some donations. And we were up against a professional fundraiser who apparently I found out afterwards after he knocked everyone's socks off like pulled on all the heartstrings, tears in the eyes, you know, no no one could do anything except say yes at the end of his presentation. I sat down, we were at the same table and I said, "How did you do that?" And he said, "We spent eight weeks with a PR firm every single week spending an hour, three hours, you know, per session to develop our story. And the only thing that firm does is help nonprofits sell their stories. It's like, okay, I knew it because that was beyond anything that a casual person could just kind of dream up. There was craft in that. There was intention in that. And we can talk about some of the details, but what ended up happening was we lost we lost our bid. We lost the ask. Um, we still got some money from it. You know, there were some generous folks who contributed to both, but the um the best story was clearly his and he won. Yeah. And Yeah. This is such an interesting thing because a lot of times right now, especially, you know, we're in this the age of AI where everyone's like, "Oo, I know I could have AI write my pitch for me. I can have AI, you know, craft my story. I have no, you know, we use AI in our in our business, of course, but I think that this is still a skill that humans really need to develop, especially if your work has anything to do with sales, with marketing, with trying to get your customers to care about what it is you have to offer. It's so it's interesting. It's so easy to think, "Oh, I'm going to just outsource this." That person who gave that speech didn't just say, "Oh, I'm going to have a firm write up a pitch for me and I'm going to do it." No, they sat together. They developed it. It took time. They tested things. This person, you know, we talked a little bit about this off the podcast. Um, but this is a person who's a professional fundraiser. They are doing this on the circuit. They are raising money and it's their full-time job to tell this story. And you know, maybe your work doesn't require that level of polished storytelling, but it is something that I think every business that wants to every business that wants long-term success and sustainability needs it. Even if you're not the storyteller, you have to be the person who is the visionary holding the story for your team, for your partners. What are you going to say? Sorry. Were you gonna say something? No, no, no. I I was just thinking about the elements of the story that about the elements of the story. So, this is what stood out to me and how I knew our ship was sunk as soon as he began. There was one character that he referenced throughout the entire piece was five minutes max. You know, he had eight and he used five and it just it didn't feel underdone. It felt tight and powerful and purposeful. So there was one character that character was relatable. That character started with a problem and he shared how his solution how how his organization helped with that problem and then he shared the transformation at the end. That's basically it. Character with an issue encounters your solution experiences a benefit. If that's the only thing that you take from this and apply that to your business and to your, you know, current customers and to your potential future customers, that will be an upleveling most likely because that is that's the story, right? The beginning, the middle, and the end. Sounds easy. It's hard to actually do, especially in a way that's really compelling. Yeah, it's honestly my experience over the last month too especially thinking about stories because a lot of folks in the challenge were writing novels uh but even those of us who are writing non-fiction there has to be story involved you know unless you're writing a textbook even then I'm sure there's a room for a story um this is something we get people's emotional commitment on board or or emotal resonance on board with what we're doing. We make some connection with the reader. And I know there are people out there writing programs and coaches will say like, "Oh, just write for you. Don't worry about the reader. It's not art if you're thinking about your end user." But for those of us who are doing any writing, even if you're not working on a book like I am and like my clients are, even if you're not doing that, if you're not thinking about how things will land with your audience, whoever they may be, you're missing that opportunity to connect. One thing you shared about that particular experience is the character in the story that this presenter told had some similarities to the main demographic in the room. People in the room sitting there could see that person's not much older than me. That person looks like me. That person has a life like mine. What happened to this person could happen to me. And I of course want to donate money to there being a solution in case that happens to me or someone I love or I've known someone who's gone through this. Um that's not actually it's different from like selling from fear. It is kind of selling from compassion. Yeah, beautifully said. And I think that's important for you as the business owner, you as kind of the primary salesperson, like you're responsible for making the register ring that you can get behind these kinds of things that are really effective because the one perspective of it is you're selling with fear, right? You're you're terrifying all the people in the audience that this could be you, so you better give your money to me so that I can help you if it does. But he never said this could be you. Definitely. No. No, no, no. But the the other perspective on that same activity is compassion and like you you will want us to be here whether it's you or whether it's somebody else. In fact, that was the first um stat that he started with was uh you know of the people in this room and he did the the math you know 25% of you will be affected by some form of dementia whether it's you or someone you love or someone in your family. And so he he anchors that story in the purpose for the listener. So all of this to say even if you are not in with your writer hat on in writing mode, thinking about story is really important. Having a story, crafting a story. Um I would say especially for people who are like, "Oh, but I'm not a writer. This does not apply to me." Um, you should be a writer. You should take the time to write out, dictate, present, and really get to know the story behind your business. Um, and make sure that it is compelling. Steve's story about like, hey, it sucks that 300, 500 kids don't have a playground and haven't had one for 10 years, five years, whatever the the timeline is. Um, that's a story and that has served you well. It's almost more of a fact though. It's more of a fact. Um, right. It's like a It's a detail rather than Yes. And I think you have a lot of things have to be true for the listener for them to care about it. They have to have a kid who goes to that school to care about it. They have to maybe have had a relative that went to that school or they a lot of people who did donate to that um to this project. You know, we've we've met neighbors in their 70s who are like, I went to that school, so here's $200. That's amazing. But it puts I think the I think the point is it's putting a lot of work on the audience and a lot of conditions around whether the audience is going to be emotionally connected. Whereas this other story he could stand there and say 25% of you will be affected by this and probably all of you will know someone who is. There's no work on the part of the listener to have to make an emotional connection with that. And in that way, a good story is not only winning and powerful for your growth, it's also generous. It helps people connect to where you're going, why it matters. It helps them think less, work less, which everybody wants to do. You want to be able to just kind of be guided in things that that matter. So that's what you're doing when you create that story. Yeah. And I think you you just kind of pointed to something that made me think of this, but it's not about I don't think personally I know there are people who would share something different. Different business coaches would say a different thing, but I think that the point of having a really strong polished story, it doesn't have to be slick. It just has to feel authentic to the listener and be authentic to you. But it is actually an act of generosity. If the more authentic it is, the more someone who's listening can know that your business is the right place for them. Especially if you are in a service-based business. Like I am hanging out today in my workout gear. It's springtime, so my hair is real curly. Um, if you're not watching on YouTube, you can't see the There's not a lot of makeup going on. Like, none of that. I want people to know that that's who I am. I want people to know that they can just show up as they are to my coaching and that I'm not going to be wearing shoulder pads and um giving them homework and making them feel stressed or like they have to show up as some professionalized version of themsel because for a lot of my clients that's where they spend 90% of their time. They have to wear the super professional, polished, put together mask at all times. And there's very few spaces where they can just show up in their sweatshirt in their workout. I wouldn't probably wear this on a coaching call, but my clients can want them to feel relaxed. So, I think your story, figuring out really what that is, spending time with that, learning the craft of writing at least enough so that you can articulate that in all the ways that matter to your marketing is very important. Um, the 30-day challenge could be a way that you get to start to practice that if you want to become a better sales writer, a better marketing writer, if you have a book inside of you that you want to write and share with the world. um have actually something brand new for that. It's exciting. Yeah. Um this is something that at this moment is only open to people who have done the 30-day challenge. If I still have space by uh next week when after this podcast comes out, it will be open to anyone who would like it. But I'm offering something I'm calling the author superabound author's table. And this is a six-month container of coaching for your writing. So you could do this if you want to become a better business writer. You could do this if you have a book idea and you know that that is going to be part of your future business, whether it's a novel or something non-fiction. Um, it is where I will not only coach you around the mindset to get to your writing, but more importantly help you really create the structure of that book, of that piece, give you real helpful feedback as a reader and as a marketing person, thinking about how will this land for your audience so that you can finish your rough draft of your book or have a lot of completed content for the future. AI is great for a lot of things, but I'm watching many people lose the skill of being able to articulate their real vision and connect with people through the medium of writing. This program is going to help you make sure you don't lose that skill. It's over at bsupabound.com.

You can learn all about it there. and do the 30-day challenge if you're curious and jump right in if you know you're ready. Thanks everybody. Make sure you tell your story. The world needs to hear it. Thanks for listening. Take care.