The Money Story

If you want to disappear and never be found, simply join the search team looking for you. The obvious is rarely seen because, after all, it is obvious.

When I work with founders across this beautiful country of ours, there is a recurring complaint I hear in our first meeting. "Something is missing," they say. What is always missing is the founder's voice.

Founders have great products, a great service, and great ideas, but they spend little to no time establishing their voice in the marketplace.

Let me save you years of busy work and tons of money. The most valuable possession you have is your voice. And by your voice, I mean the uniqueness of your thoughts, your approach, and your story.

The buying public and the investing private equity firm have heard every pitch known to humanity. Believe me, they have. However, no one has heard the still, small voice in your heart and mind that represents the uniqueness of your personal and professional journey.

I have met with start-ups that have spent millions of dollars on software development, websites, hiring smart team members, and developing an MVP only to close their doors within three years. They come to me after they realize that none of that stuff really matters, and then I ask them the following question:

How much have you invested in learning how to craft, develop, and perform a compelling version of your personal and professional story?

This is when the air conditioning unit in the room seems to get louder and louder.

This is when my newly minted client usually begins to rub their right eye, eventually joining the left in an allergic reaction-like squeeze.

Your voice, your story, is the ONLY advantage you have in the marketplace of ideas. I am not talking about telling the world you were born in Tulsa on the 3rd of May in 1971; we don’t care to know that. I am talking about mirror-making.

Storytelling is mirror-making. The story of your life should be a reflection of my own. In you, I should see me, and this is the magic of storycraft. The ability to talk to someone you don’t know and have never seen, yet they believe you grew up together because the language used to explain your life ends up explaining theirs.

Have you found your voice? Are you even looking? Have you crafted your story? Waste no more time on what does not matter. If you are seeking the greatest technology on Earth, you will find it hidden in the instant connectivity of a well-crafted story.

Written by: Dennis Ross