How can a solopreneur leverage storytelling to grow their business?

Most solopreneurs become solopreneurs for a reason. There is the urge to prove that you can earn your living on your own without the infrastructural, moral and financial support provided by a regular job. There can also be the incentive of being left alone to follow your passion or dream and try and turn it into a thriving business. It could also be driven out of your desire to not have to deal with office politics or the pressures and tensions associated with a regular 9 to 5 job. What helps is that advancements in technology have made it person for a single person to easily and effectively carry out tasks and functions that would require a team of people to accomplish in the past.  The fact that there are many examples of solopreneurs finding fabulous success and even creating one person unicorns makes solopreneurship stand out as a doable and viable business and self-employment option.

However, the most challenging part of a solopreneur’s journey is that of scaling up or achieving substantial growth. Business growth is almost always driven by the size of a business enterprise’s network and this is where a solopreneur might find himself or herself hamstrung in comparison to regular businesses.  One of the most effective ways for a solopreneur to grow their network is by leveraging the ancient art of storytelling. Story telling has been used by mankind since the time of cave dwellers, who whispered tales around camp fires and drew paintings on cave walls depicting things like hunting scenes with the intent of teaching others to acquire the skills necessary to get along and survive in life.

Every solopreneur has a deeply personal tale about what motivated them to embark on their entrepreneurial journey which they can use  to forge a connection with their target audience and, thereby grow their network.  Let us look at how a solopreneur can leverage storytelling to scale up their business in a major way by expanding their network of connections-

Use Story Telling to Forge Authentic Bonds and Generate Trust

Share your unique origin story in an open and sincere manner with those you think constitute your target audience. Let them, for instance, know what drove you to chuck the security of a regular job and dive into the uncertain and highly challenging world of solopreneurship. Let them, for sure, know of the primary reason that made you start your business. It could be anything ranging from your passionate belief in your business idea to your utter disillusionment with conventional jobs. Share both your frustration with your old job and the fact that you think that you would be much better off using your considerable skills to resolve client issues or problems in the most effective manner working as your own boss rather than as part of an organised hierarchy.  This will help give your brand a human face. By sharing your vulnerability you will come across as both relatable and authentic, which in turn will help you forge a long term bond with your likely business prospects.

Expand Your Reach and Build a Community

The best way for a solopreneur to expand their network is by going beyond listing the features of one’s product or service and actually sharing the tale behind how they positively impacted the clients’ lives. Even better, you could invite your audience to share their own stories pertaining to a brand or service (not necessarily yours) in that niche. This will help forge a sense of community that goes beyond mere commercial considerations. Another thing that you could do is to share stories pertaining to your collaborations with other solopreneurs and businesses. This will help your brand connect with an ever larger audience.

Differentiate Your Brand

You can use storytelling to effectively craft a narrative around your brand that is less about selling your wares and more about connecting emotionally with your clients. Let them know what your mission and core values are with regard to your brand so that they can get emotionally invested in it. Creating an emotional resonance allows you to craft a compelling brand story that differentiates your brand from the competition.

Ensure that your storytelling happens across platforms-social media posts, long form blogs, videos, podcasts, case studies, e-books and emails. What is important is that the messaging be uniform and consistent across the platforms enabling you to firm up your brand identity.

Call-to-action

You should leave scope for inviting a call to action from the consumers of your stories. Story driven content marketing in the shape of blog posts, videos, podcasts and social media content allows you to advocate for your brand and product or service without sounding the least bit salesy.

Storytelling is more than sharing an interesting tale for a solopreneur. It is, in fact, strategic asset to be leveraged for building relationships and expanding your network in an organic manner. It helps you distinguish your brand in a highly cluttered marketplace in a very authentic and, therefore, impactful way. Solopreneurs can use storytelling to find growth and success all on their own by growing and cultivating a loyal group of followers who become instrumental in their scaling up substantially.