What sets your business apart from the competition? Really—think
about it. It’s easy to spew out generic answers like “customer service”
or “attention to detail,” but don’t you think your competitors are
claiming the same things? No, what sets you apart from your competition
is the story of your business, the narrative of how it came to be and what it represents in the world.

Look at your website. Does it have an “About Us” page? If not, a
heads up: You’re losing potential clients! Because no matter how
impressive or professional your website is or how many testimonials it
boasts, it could still be just any website, representing just any business. I’m assuming that’s not what you want.

Meanwhile, a page dedicated to sharing the story of your business is your
first chance to emotionally connect with potential clients. After all,
if you expect people to invest their money, time, and—most
importantly—trust in your company, you need to be willing to open up to
them. That will be what turns Internet browsers into paying,
loyal clients. (A bonus is that you’ll attract clients who are best
suited to your personality, values, and way of doing business. Who
doesn’t want that??)

Now, while your website may be the first avenue to sharing your
story, it’s not nearly the only one. Think of press releases,
newsletters, a blog, videos. Did your now-successful business start
from nothing? Consider reaching out to organizations catering to
start-ups. Offer your expertise. Speak at schools. The marketing
possibilities are endless, once you realize that you business is more
than the service it provides.

Now that we’ve established the importance of knowing and sharing
your story through marketing materials, let me clarify what your story
is not:

1. Your resume or C.V.
2. A dull, dry autobiography
3. A bullet-pointed list of your accomplishments

Try working from the following questions when penning your story:

1. What makes me passionate about this business?
2. What are my core values?
3. What spurred me to start or join this business? What niche or gap in the market did I want to fill? How have I done that?
4. What was my career like before launching or joining this business? Why did I decide to leave or expand on that career?
5. What was the first year of business like? Where did I work? How many clients did I have? What about at five years? Ten? Etc.
6. What has surprised and challenged me about running this business?
7. How have my company and I adapted to better serve customers?
8. Where do I see this company going in the next five, ten, etc. years?
9. What have my customers taught me?
10. What has the competition taught me?
11. What are some milestones my company has achieved? What milestones do we still want to achieve?

By working from questions like these, which delve into the more
personal aspects of creating and maintaining a successful business,
you’ll reach and connect with clients in a totally new way. And isn’t
that the point?