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In the world of business, making an emotional connection with your target audience is essential to the success of your organisation. One of the best ways to make this connection is through the art of storytelling.
Storytelling is one of humanity’s oldest and most successful tools. For thousands of years, we have been telling stories to change perspectives, build communities, and sell our products. And when it comes to your business, it’s no different.
As the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Stories That Stick, Kndra Hall, says, “Storytelling is one of the most powerful business-building tools in existence. It captivates, influences, and transforms customers, stakeholders, talent, and beyond, closing the gaps in business with bridges that last.”
There are many reasons to tell stories about your organisation, but one of the most important reasons is to develop a connection with potential investors. Investors are one of the trickiest audiences to connect with because of their unique position of influence and power. That’s why it can often be hard to find ways to communicate with this audience when establishing your business, but still, you need investors to support your work, spread your message, and fund your activities.
Fortunately, there are a few essential stories you can use to connect with your investors and get them to understand, appreciate, and support your work.
The Origin Story
The first way to connect with your investors is by sharing your Origin Story, a narrative that recounts the very start of your business. It's your most authentic story, your humble beginnings, your journey, and the spark that ignited your passion. It's the story that only you can tell and the one that will make you stand out from the noise.
Sharing your beginnings creates a personal connection with your investors. They get to know you on a deeper level and can relate to the story that initiated the formation of your business and product. This connection creates a foundation of trust that is essential for any healthy business relationship.
The Origin Story also humanises your organisation. It helps the investor get a deeper insight into who you are as a person. In this way, they are more likely to engage with you and your business because they may care for your work on a more personal level. This humanisation also allows you to showcase your abilities, and by highlighting your ability to overcome adversity to create your business, the investor feels safer supporting your work. They are happy with the knowledge that you can overcome hardship and continue to run a successful business.
The combination of emotional connection and confidence in your abilities can be enough to inspire an investor to support you in your endeavours. That’s why this story is one of the most important narratives you can craft when pitching to investors. Everyone loves a good origin story because it pulls you in, helps you feel invested in the narrative, and leaves you wanting more.
The Vision Story
Sharing your Origin Story is only the beginning. Your Vision Story is what will inspire investors to join you on your journey. It's your vision for success and your invitation for others to join you on the path toward achieving your goals. It creates an emotional connection that moves people to action and inspires them to become part of something bigger than themselves. When you can tell a vision story that resonates with the investor, they become a part of the journey and feel the drive to support the process.
The Vision Story also provides a snapshot of the investor’s Return on Investment (ROI). By painting a picture of the world you aim to create, they can begin to visualise their own gains from your partnership. They can view your vision as part of their own work and construct a clearer picture of what their investment will actually mean to the world. In this way, you are inviting them to share the vision and engaging them in a true partnership.
The Vision Story is the second half of the one-two-punch combo. After your Origin Story pulls them in, at the start of your pitch, the Vision Story seals the deal at the end of it. The combination of these two stories shows what you aim to achieve and why you are the person or business to make it happen. These are two things an investor loves to see - potential and the vision to execute.
Parting Thoughts
In conclusion, sharing your Origin Story and Vision Story with investors is crucial for building a human connection that goes beyond transactional or surface-level business relationships. It's about creating a shared vision for the future and inviting others to participate in that ambition.
Your Origin and Vision stories are a way to create a personal connection, show your abilities, and inspire your audience. Ultimately, if done right, these stories can be the key to growing your business and unlocking its potential.
