We’ve all heard it: “Storytelling is powerful.”
And it’s true—stories can captivate, connect, and inspire. But if you’re using stories in your business, there’s a more pointed question you should be asking:

Do stories make you money?

Because in business, likes and follows are great—but they don’t pay the bills. So let’s get real.

Why Most Business Stories Miss the Mark

Too often, business owners focus on two kinds of stories:

• Stories that are fun (or emotional) to tell
• Stories that reveal something about you

There’s nothing wrong with that—until your story turns into a memoir instead of a marketing tool.

If your stories aren’t aligned with your strategy, you’re telling bedtime stories to a business audience. And those don’t convert.

Stories Can Make You Money—If You Use Them Right

Here’s how it works. Stories drive revenue in two distinct ways:

1. Indirectly: Stories as a Marketing Power Tool

Think of stories as high-performance tools in your marketing toolbox. When used strategically, they help you:

• Plan better. You’re not just checking boxes—you’re giving your plans texture and purpose. I even created a workbook to help business owners do just that.
• Clarify your strategy. The stories you tell (or don’t tell) reveal how you position your brand. Want to show you’re client-focused? Share a story where a client succeeded because of your process.
• Explain a concept. Abstract services can feel slippery—until you anchor them in a story. For instance, if you offer a space-booking app, tell a story about someone trying to find a last-minute birthday venue that wasn’t a hotel or a restaurant.
• Understand your client’s world. When you build your client’s “before” story, you speak their language. You write copy with empathy, not ego.

2. Directly: Stories That Sell

Now let’s talk ROI—Return On Story.

Yes, a great story can lead directly to a sale. But it’s not just any story. It has to be:

• Relatable. Your audience sees themselves in it.
• Emotional. Not sappy—just resonant.
• Visionary. It casts a picture of what’s possible.

One business coach I know sells high-end VIP days. She doesn’t start by listing deliverables. She starts with this:

“Imagine yourself having breakfast on a sunlit terrace. No distractions. Then we dive into your business challenge with fresh clarity…”

That story creates space. It isn’t pushy. It invites the listener to step into a better version of their day—and their business.

That’s the power of a well-told sales story.

So… Are Your Stories Making You Money?

If you’re not using stories yet, you’re probably leaving money—and connection—on the table.

If you are using stories but they aren’t converting, it might be time to rethink your approach. Are you telling stories that entertain…or stories that sell?

Strategic stories do more than sound good. They drive results.

Use stories to sharpen your strategy.
Use stories to build connection and open the door to a sale.
And always, always ask: What’s the purpose of this story?

Want a second set of eyes on your story?

If you’re not sure whether your homepage, about page, or landing page is telling the right story, I offer video reviews that give you personalized, honest feedback—with a marketing strategy lens. Click here to learn more and sign up.

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A few years ago, I fell into conversation with an off-duty Emergency Room physician. We were both walking our rescue dogs.

“How did you choose ER as a specialty?” I asked.

“I like working with my hands,” he said. “In the ER you get to stitch up people a lot.”

Not the most exciting story in the world. Luckily, he doesn’t need to do marketing.

But the truth is, many – perhaps most – business owners have pretty straightforward origin stories, when they’re telling the truth. Some people call them “Borigin stories.”

Even worse, a lot of well-meaning advice comes in the form of, “You must explain how you got into this business.” I recently heard a podcast guest proclaim, “You need a story of who you are, going back to your childhood.”

It’s a good idea to be prepared for the ‘”How did you start” question. It’s all too easy to revive memories and provide an answer that doesn’t serve you.

Instead, the secret is to be strategic. Prepare a story that will help you stand out and differentiate your services.

Share a story that demonstrates your authority and/or a story that demonstrates your passion for helping clients.

An authority story shows that others respect your knowledge, validating your expertise. For example:

“I was working as a fitness trainer. That’s a very competitive career in my city. My slots were always filled, even on summers and holidays.

“My fellow trainers started asking me for help. I helped some of them fill their calendars with clients in their specialty. When trainers from another club asked for help, I started charging them.

“And now I rarely train myself. I have a business helping fitness trainers build up a solid income. One guy almost cried when he realized he could finally take his family to Fiji on vacation without losing clients while he was away.”

A passion story shows your prospects that you really care for your clients. You go the extra mile. They will be more than just a number to you.

This kind of story will be particularly helpful if your clients need to believe you’ll help them with enthusiasm. For example:

“When I was growing up, my family had a lot of rental properties. When tenants didn’t pay on time, we had trouble putting food on the table. So when I finished law school, I chose a practice where I could help good people collect the money they honestly earned. I know how it feels to feel hungry and helpless.”

Keep in mind that there are no hard and fast rules for the type of story you need.

Some successful business owners have passion stories, some have authority stories, some have both…and — heresy! — some do just fine with no story at all.

When storytelling works, your marketing gets 10X more productive – and a whole lot more fun. But forcing yourself to tell a certain type of story will defeat the purpose.

Start with your strategic action, such as branding, planning, web development, or launching a new program. Almost always a story will help, but you have to tell the right story.

I’ve shared these ideas also in my podcast episode –

Stories do much more than entertain and captivate. Download this free guide for 17 ways to use storytelling to grow your business – immediate access.

I have several resources for you to learn how to tell stories. I have 2 books on Amazon
Grow Your Business One Story at a Time
Your Mess Is Not Your Message

Both are available free through Kindle Unlimited.

and there’s a low-cost course on Udemy if you’d like to get started there.

“Do I need to rebrand my business? I’m exhausted just thinking of going back to looking at colors and type fonts…not to mention coming up with clever tag lines.”

That’s a common question.

First, this type of branding refers to an outdated version of branding — one that may still work for big brands with a big advertising budget. As a small services business, you get your brand advantage by focusing on your story.

Second, very few people wake up and say, “I need a brand.” They say these 3 things instead:

(1) You’re getting lots of leads and attention … but the wrong people are asking about your services. They take up a lot of time and they may be a lot of fun to talk to, but they’re not your best clients.

(2) You’re seeing a change in your audience. It’s not you. You’re marketing with podcasts, webinars, and lead magnets. But you’re not getting the same results with these tried and true techniques. Time for a new story!

(3) You keep getting asked to tell your story…at networking meetings, conversations with prospects, follow-ups to your speaking gigs. And you’re not sure what story to tell. You’re looking for a story that’s fun to tell and (more important) conveys your value.

Branding with storytelling doesn’t mean the kind of storytelling you associate with fairy tales and hero’s journeys. We’ll talk about the 5 story archetypes of small business storytelling … which isn’t the same as the old rags-to-riches, conquer-the-monster story archetypes that are floating around. You’ll get intensely practical guidance for sharing your story with purpose.

Get started with this free guide – From Story To Standout Brand: Your 3-Step Blueprint. 

You’ve probably gotten the advice to find a hungry market. Many people assume a hungry market means people are in pain and hurting, seeking solutions. And that’s often true when you are a service-based solopreneur. 

But sometimes your buyers aren’t in pain. They’re not desperate except maybe in their own social world. But they’re still hungry.

I call these two markets the tire store and the cookbook. A lot of marketing advice focuses – rightly – on the tire store model. I’ve written myself, “People won’t hire you unless they have a problem.” 

But sometimes the problem doesn’t feel very problematic. It’s not painful. The buyer has everything she needs…but she wants mor.

One market always wants “just one more” and the other wants “just one – right now.”

The Cookbook Market

Remember the potato chip commercials that teased us about eating just one — and stopping? This business model targets customers who will always want “just one more.”

People who are into cooking rarely own just one cookbook. They have dozens and they’re always buying more. They also buy cooking accessories. Their friends give them cooking gadgets for birthdays.

They look for stories to help them learn something new. They can never learn enough about cooking. Or they just decided to add Thai to their repertoire. So they buy half a dozen more.

With these buyers, you can get to be more personal. They’re often curious about you, the seller. After all, they’re looking for a reason to buy yet another product. “I’ve never seen theirs before” is as good a reason as any.

You know you have a cookbook business when your market keeps buying more and more products in the same category. Cookbook businesses include quilting, knitting, teddy bears, dogs (ever meet a dog with just 1 toy? Either zero or too many –  I had 4 dog beds for 1 dog), golf, and yes, Internet marketers. A lot of people keep buying information products. 

The Tire Store

When was the last time you visited a tire store? I bet you weren’t “just looking.”

Customers buy tires to replace flat or worn-out tires. They rarely browse around a tire store on a lazy Sunday afternoon. They rarely comparison shop. They buy because they’re actively seeking solutions. Sometimes their need is urgent; sometimes they’re just planning for the inevitable 

Tire store businesses target customers who think their business is failing, seek solutions to embarrassing personal problems, can’t seem to lose weight, want to save a failing relationship and/or just received a diagnosis of cancer or diabetes.

Customers look for stories to convince them that your offer solves their problem. They’re interested in learning more about you – but only to reassure themselves that you can and will give them what they need, consistently and reliably.

So what’s your business – cookbook or tire store?  Do you have a portfolio of stories consistent with your position? If you’d like to fine-tune your positioning, strengthen your message and begin writing stellar copy … let’s start with a Strategic Intensive. Click here to learn more.

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Most people don’t associate ”productivity” with “storytelling.” For one thing, we seem to be mixing left and right brains.

Here are 3 ways storytelling can help you become a more productive content creator…which means creating high-converting content more quickly.

(1) Brand with a story.

Branding might seem completely unrelated to productivity tii, but in fact a strong brand can strengthen your marketing and lighten your workload. With a strong brand, you don’t have to explain yourself over and over. You attract clients who fit your offers and discourage the misfits and tire-kickers.

When you brand with your story archetype, you gain additional benefits. You spend considerably less time writing your copy. That’s because you know how to choose words, stories and even strategies for marketing. For instance, you may believe you need to add a personal “what I did” story to every email message. As an Educator or Innovator archetype, you won’t need a personal story and in fact, you’ll benefit more from success stories or concept stories.

The different types of stories are explained in my book, Grow your business one story at a time.​

(2) Market to the client’s story, not their demographic.

​Targeting the client’s story will be more productive than targeting a demographic (such as women over 45 newly divorced) or a more generalized need (develop leadership skills) . You’ll be able to create bullet points for written content that directly address the client’s concerns.

You can choose webinar topics and training programs that specifically address your client’s stories (and more importantly, write content easily).

Check out my podcast episode on this topic if you’d like to learn more.

(3) Use stories to structure your content.

Even experienced writers go cold every so often. Today’s marketing calls for more content creation than ever before. Even if you’ve always been a prolific writer, you may find yourself overwhelmed by today’s increasing requirements.

The hardest part is deciding how to organize your article.

For example, you can use the “problem solver” hack described here. You pretend you’ve got an advice column (and maybe you do!) and answer a question. Advice columns tend to hook readers; even the stately New York Times has several.

You can use an extended example (here’s a guest post I wrote with this technique). Instead of listing 3 ways to write a website, I used an example of how a business owner might apply those tips.

You can use a “2 guys” story — my all-time fave. That’s a story beginning, “Two guys started out the same. One got great outcomes; one didn’t. Here’s why.”

Starting with a story, your writing task will be simpler.

Not only will you enjoy more time to do other things: you’ll be ready to share your content more quickly and see faster results.

If you’ve seen those long lists of “power words,” you may wonder how you could use them. The truth is, you’ll get better results with power stories than power words. That’s the subject of a podcast episode — available here.

But why write alone? I have programs to work with you to develop your content more effectively. Use the 90 day coaching program to complete a major project – a website or program launch. Use the Strategic Intensive to transform your marketing with a combination of a consultation and email. coaching.

We know how fairy tales end: they live happily ever after.

We know murder mysteries end with “case closed.”

In romance novels, two people become a couple. Never mind political correctness. It’s what the audience wants.

These are genres.

Business stories also fit into a genre, which means they follow a structure. As with other genre stories, readers and listeners expect to find this structure, consciously or unconsciously. If you violate the structure, they complain.

Your selling story ends with a  transformation. A good selling story moves FROM a starting point TO a transformation.

==> Check out the Strategic Storytelling podcast episode #99 for more examples of transformation in stories.

Start with the goal.

Look at Cinderella. I’ve talked elsewhere about how Cinderella isn’t a good marketing story. But let’s make a few revisions.

Cinderella really wants to go to the ball.

To make this a marketing story it has to be from the godmother’s perspective…She’s positioning herself as someone who helps clients reach their goals. So she would talk about how much Cinderella wanted to go to the ball. She’d talk about using her special powers to get Cinderella the horse-drawn coach, slippers, and gown.

And the story would end with her success at the ball – she made it, she caught the eye of a prince, she achieved her goal.

If her goal was to meet the prince we’d tell the story differently. We’d have more about how she went, she met the prince and she achieved her goal of marrying royalty to escape her home. She was transformed from a drudge to a princess…and a confident young woman. 

More realistically, let’s consider a life coach who wants more clients. Does she want more clients or does she want to sell more products? Does she want to be more productive with her time?

Does a financial advisor want more clients? Or more clients with a certain net worth?

Does a therapist want more high-end clients who can self-pay without insurance? 

Make it a TO not a FROM.

Think of the transformation as creating a vision board for the client and saying you’ll help them get there. 

I hate stories about retirement…because it’s all about FROM. Leaving work. No more commuting. It’s not about what they’ve left behind.

When you tell a selling story … you don’t end with “and now they don’t have to put up with demanding clients, working late hours and loss of sleep.”

You emphasize how they’re working with good clients and the rewards…increased revenue, time with family.

Make the story come alive.

Share specific details. One business consultant set up her business to take 3 months off in summer. She shares details of her time at the beach and her playtime with the children. You can imagine yourself there, near the water, splashing away.

Should you swear when you’re onstage for your business?

There are 3 ways to answer this question.

(1) Does swearing fit the purpose behind your story or are you into “lazy” swearing?

Are you illustrating a point by including swear words? For instance, you could say, “I could believe Tom said *#&&!!!. By directly using the word, not a euphemism, he got his point across.”

Sometimes people throw in a strong word just to get a reaction or a laugh. We see this a lot in standup comedy. It can get a laugh, but that’s a cheap laugh.

The word “badass” has lost its power because it’s used so much.

(2) Are you a Celebrity archetype?

This is the only archetype that can get away with swearing consistently. They’re promising they have the freedom to cross a lot of lines because they’ve achieved so much, and. that makes them worthy to support you.

For the other archetypes, swearing can backfire.

(3) Your audience may want you to swear, but you can’t make assumptions.

Some audiences are more open to swearing. Some don’t even know those words are considered swearing: they’re just everyday language. I’ve even heard of people saying, “I don’t trust someone who doesn’t swear.”

You need to go beyond stereotypes. I know twenty-year-olds who won’t swear and sixty-year-olds who swear like sailors. I know men who won’t swear and women who will.

Swearing in stories is the topic of Strategic Storytelling Episode 91. You can listen on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, or https://cathygoodwin.com/podcast.

After I wrote the first draft of this post today, I checked my email. A marketing coach was advising readers who were uncomfortable sharing a story of personal trauma.

“People want to see you as a kind, caring person,” she said (well, not exactly – I want to add an element of disguise). “So go ahead and share. You don’t have to tell us everything but even a small part of your story will be helpful.”

Yep…that’s my daily dose of cringe.

Listen to the podcast on this topic. Episode #86 on Apple, Spotify, Google, or your favorite platform.

Every day my email inbox gets filled with personal stories that would be better left unshared. Raw details of a bitter divorce. Episodes involving misplaced underwear. Family members involved in illegal activity. Dark moments when nothing seemed worth waking up for.

OK, I rarely get all those stories every day…but there’s usually at least one.

People who are otherwise smart, savvy, streetwise business owners somehow share these episodes…because they’ve gotten really, really bad advice. They’ve gotten advice from coaches like the one I found today.

When I was new to the online world, before I understood business storytelling, I got the same advice. “Let your readers get to know you. Show how you were successful.”

So I did. My first website was about career change. I wrote about my own career trajectory. I talked about being willing to move for a more appealing opportunity. My mentors were delighted.

Then one day, a reader commented, “You’re awfully brave! You’re willing to leap without a net!”

Um…not exactly. I do have a high tolerance for risk but I actually had safety nets in place every time I moved. I knew what I’d do if things went wrong and I usually moved with a job waiting at the other end. 

If someone asked me about sharing a traumatic personal story, I would share 3 guidelines.

1 – Start by asking, “What is the purpose of telling a story?”

If you want to communicate your expertise, your story might not involve you at all.

If you want to create a lot of buzz for a book, your story might be truly cringeworthy.

2 – Periodically test the waters to learn how listeners are reacting to your story.

People listen to your message through filters and values. When I told my story, I used the term “free spirit.” Some people hear that as “certified flake.” Some people hear that as “independent.”

I have a course on understanding your clients’ motivation (use code CLIENT30 for a 30% discount).

3 – Maintain your boundaries. Use stories to support your brand and drop stories that don’t – no matter how juicy. You’ll get advised to bare your soul – and you can hold firm. Bare only what’s comfortable! The air can be chilly.

If you weren’t accidentally beamed up to another planet, you know the buzz generated by the Harold & Meghan story..or rather stories, mostly shocking, scandalous, and TMI.

There’s no shortage of explanations. Is Harry still processing his emotions? Is Meghan manipulating him for her own ends?

I’d say it’s due to bad advice. The ghostwriter wants dramatic stories. So do interview hosts.

Business people also can be encouraged to share stories by well-meaning marketing coaches…as well as podcast hosts seeking a good story: “Tell us more about how that relationship went south.”  

Remember: you don’t have to say yes. Get clear on your brand before you go live. Share only stories that support your brand. 

Even mid-interview you can turn away a question with a joke or even say directly, “That’s not very interesting. Here’s a story about how I helped a client…” 

It can be so tempting: “This is an opportunity to get in front of a big audience. I don’t want to upset the host.” 

Never mind. A big audience means a big opportunity to get the word out about your brand…and an equally big opportunity to get misunderstood. 

I keep getting questions about origin stories, so I’m going to look at 3 successful origin stories. Let’s see what makes each one effective and what the pitfalls might be — that is, what parts of your story might lead your audience to respond in unexpected ways that weaken your credibility.

[Want to listen to this post as a podcast? Episode #28 of the Strategic Storytelling Podcast, available on all major podcasting platforms. .]

I’m using two stories from product-oriented companies and one from a service. I don’t usually talk about larger companies, but these aren’t Fortune 500 and the stories illustrate important points about origin stories.

Let’s start with Warby Parker.

They have shops around the US to make prescription eyeglasses at greatly reduced prices They began with a uniform pricing strategy and chose a price that was low enough to separate themselves from mainstream opticians yet with. enough cushion for marketing and not so low as to damage credibility.

Their origin story is: One of the founders broke his glasses just before attending graduate school. Glasses were so expensive that he couldn’t afford new ones. So he squinted his way through his first semester of grad school. He understands that people need high-quality glasses at reasonable prices. W-P was founded and the rest is history.

Why is this a good story

First, the best origin stories show why the owner is passionate about providing top-quality service. This story says, “I understand – I’ve been there.” The story also shows the store’s positioning – as a lower-priced alternative to more conventional opticians.

Two concerns.

First, W-P was founded in 2010. By then, we had many lower-priced options such as For Eyes. For Eyes was founded in Philadelphia – the same place W-P was founded – 38 years earlier. I once used a AAA card – yes, the auto club – to get a huge discount at a LensCrafters store in Arizona. So unless this guy was out in the middle of nowhere, he did have some options.

I’m not sure if it’s relatable. I don’t know anyone who squinted their way through school. But the story may be directed to an audience that’s very different from me.

Second, the origin story focuses on price. The truth is W-P also offers fashionable frames and, best of all, the opportunity to order frames mailed to your home so you could try them on, show your friends, and take your time. This story ignores all those benefits. It’s not a bad story – better than some – but could be better.

Next up, 3 Dog Bakery.

They now have 40 stores and delivery services with treats, food, and toys for dogs. Some stores also have cat products. Chewy has them, too.

Their origin story is, they had a Great Dane named Gracie. Gracie got very sick and refused to eat. The vet said, “Why don’t you cook for her?”

Dan Dye, the owner, had little knowledge of cooking. He found a cookie recipe and modified it, substituting for sugar – I think it was garlic – and Gracie ate!

When they held a New Year’s party shortly afterward, they made little packets of dog cookies for the guests to take home. People started asking for more, and hen buying some. So they experimented with different recipes and eventually got a commercial kitchen and a store.

Why is this a good origin story?

This story shows the founder’s passion for dogs. It also communicates how delicious the original cookies were, because people asked for more.

It’s plausible: the founders were already looking to leave their jobs and start a business, so the timing was right. It’s also totally relatable to their audience – dog owners who can afford to spoil their dogs and who treat their dogs like family.

They tell a different story on YouTube that’s more commercial and less plausible, although you do get to meet the original Gracie. They say they wondered why good dog food has to have so many preservatives. That’s very general and more like a commercial. I wish they’d told the original!

A strong origin story from a business owner

The third story is from a solopreneur business owner, Alicia Forest.

Alicia started her business with the goal of spending more time with her family. From the beginning, she decided she’d be home when her kids got home from school and she’d take summers off. That meant she had to find a way to get a full-time income to replace her job without working forty hours a week.

She’s very honest: it took her longer to reach certain income levels, compared to other business owners who worked full-time. But, as she points out in her later content, she also missed out on the drama, stress, weight gain, and other negative effects of faster-growing businesses.

I’ve followed Alicia and learned. a lot from her products and services. She’s learned how to cut out unnecessary parts of her business. Now her kids are older – one is making college visits! – and she has an established business.

This story works as a marketing tool because it’s directly related to what Alicia offers. A lot of solopreneurs would like to do what Alicia has done – work fewer hours and still grow the business. She uses the story in her marketing and adds extra pieces here and there, such as, “I knew I’d make it in this business when…”

It’s also a story that people can relate to. “Marriage and children” creates broader connections than “single with cats.”

Now that her kids are moving past the point where she needs to be there when they come home, I’m curious to see how her story changes. Teenagers need a different kind of attention.

So now we’ve analyzed 3 origin stories. What can we learn?

As a caveat, most consumers of your stories will not do this. We’re almost overthinking here. A story can capture your client’s imagination for many reasons. If it’s working, keep doing it. The W-P story sounded good the first time I heard it and many – most – people won’t dig any deeper.

Takeaways –

1 – When creating your origin story, give clients and customers a reason to buy from you.

2 – Make an obvious connection to an important benefit of your offer.

3 – Make it relatable, so your audience says, “I can put myself in your story.”

If you’d like to learn more about origin stories, you’ll get a perspective available nowhere else in my book – Grow Your Business One Story At A Time. Free to members of Kindle Unlimited.

If you’d like to work with me on finding your own story, let’s take advantage of the Strategic Intensive.

Creating your story is just the first part storytelling. You also need a way to tell your story. 

As a business storyteller, your goal is to get listeners and readers involved in your story. They will see themselves in your story. They will want to jump in and join the story.

Or realize “this isn’t my story” and go elsewhere, saving you both some time.

Here are 3 tips to become a master storyteller:

• Begin with a crisis.

What brought them to call you? What do they say when you talk on he phone?

View the crisis through their eyes. It’s important not to impose your interpretation or judgment. A problem that seems small to you might seem huge – even insurmountable – to your clients

A dog trainer might share this story:

 Charlie walked in the front door of his beautiful new home after a long hard day at work…he was looking forward to a peaceful evening when he realized … half of the living room couch was gone. The dog had chewed it up.

(2)  Gain the reader’s attention with vivid details

You can help the reader gain an experience. That starts with advice you probably heard already: “Show, don’t tell.”

 “He was clumsy.” Now you’ve gotten past the reader’s experience. You imposed your own judgment and interpretation.

 “He banged into the table (ouch!) and knocked over a lamp .” You’re describing what he did. Was he clumsy? Accident-prone? Having a bad day? Your audience gets to decide.

Want to make your story come alive even more?

Tell the story in dialogue. You don’t need to be funny. You can be dramatic, serious or playful.

If you can pull it off, when you’re telling the story out loud, you can use different voices for the various characters.

 (3) Pierce the fourth wall.

During a traditional theatre presentation, the actors rarely try to break the fourth wall.  

As a business storyteller, you can (and often should) pierce the fourth wall.  You can bring your audience into the story with lines like, “Imagine you were looking over my shoulder.” Or, “Picture yourself on an airplane and I’m sitting in the seat next to yours.”

I share more examples and details in Episode 57 of the Strategic Storytelling Podcast.

Listen on Apple.
Listen on Spotify.
Listen on the platform of your choice.

Learn more about storytelling for your business – 17 Surprising Ways To Grow Your Business With Stories.  And check out my storytelling course on Udemy – click here!