John O’Hagan

#316: How to Tell Your Brand Story by Just Being You

Your brand story is the essence of your business. People buy from people. People relate to other people. And allowing your customers to see the reason why you are the best person they know they can count on and help them make better decisions is what will create that trust and drive your business forward.

But what makes your brand completely unique? It’s all about being authentic! Being truly genuine and not being afraid to expose your reality to motivate your audience so you can grow your business. 

One guy who knows a thing or two about how to just be yourself is John O’Hagan. A former punk band member and co-owner of Restro Real Estate. John has been a Realtor for 14 years, a designated broker for the last 2 years and started Retro Real Estate 3 and a half years ago to go out on his own.

He was the former co-founder and owner of Golden Rule Tattoo which he started in 2010. One of the busiest tattoo shops in metropolitan Phoenix, winning more number one awards than any other tattoo shop in the Valley. And is now the co-founder and owner of Maxwell-O’Hagan Group, a real estate investment and design company that buys and does wild remodels of homes to either re-sell or keep for vacation rentals.  (more…)

John DeMato

#315: How to Use Your Photo in Business Storytelling

The way you market yourself and your business through visual imagery is key in communicating your brand and your message to those you serve. And you want your visuals to be able to captivate their attention so you can drive better sales. 

But, your visual storytelling can only be powerful if you can convey an emotional connection with your customers so you can present yourself as the go-to expert in your space, inspire them to care and drive action. Connection is everything!

John DeMato is a visual story expert who collaborates with speakers, trainers, consultants and business leaders to create image content that captures your audience’s attention through artistry and emotion.

A guy who has spent 20 years behind the camera and has been featured as a photography expert on several NBC Universal daytime and reality shows. John isn’t simply a photographer – he thinks like a marketer. He sets his clients up for success beyond the photo sessions by educating them on how to leverage their portraits, book images, virtual and live event photos across their online presence.  (more…)

Jim Shaddick

#314: My Newfound Brother-in-Law is an International Casino Consultant

We all have a back story to tell, our origin stories that have taken us to great heights in both our personal lives and our careers. But how do you use your back story to move, inspire and persuade your audience and become a compelling storyteller?

It’s being able to look into your own memories and life experiences for ways to illustrate your message. Looking into the events in your life that make you believe in the idea you are trying to share so you can be authentic, relatable, and accessible to your audience. And when you hone into this, it allows your story to stand out. 

To celebrate this very special 6th anniversary edition of the Business of Story, I am honored to bring you my new brother-in-law, Hugh Jim Reynolds Shaddick. My wife, Michele’s, newfound brother via the DNA test 23andMe.

Jim has undoubtedly lived a storied life. He studied fine art and industrial design at Grimsby Technical College School of Art and was accepted to the Royal College of Art in London but passed for work in Rome.

Jim later became the Executive Vice President and General Manager of Linc Smith, a division of Bally Manufacturing. At its peak, he oversaw 3,500 employees manufacturing and distributing 3,700 video machines, 670 pinball tables and 120 to 150 slot machines per day. Jim became an international casino consultant designing gaming experiences from Greece to France to Italy to Russia. (more…)

Patty Limerick

#313: The Power of Playing the Fool in Business

We have never lived in a more polarized time. Facts just aren’t going to cut it when you are trying to change someone’s mind. But how do you become a catalyst for change? If you can tap into your inner fool to convey your stories that can challenge the thinking and logic of your audience, break down barriers and cultivate trust – it can truly empower them to take risks and win. 

Today’s guest will show you how. Patty Limerick is the Faculty Director and Chair of the Board of the Center of the American West at the University of Colorado, best-selling author of The Legacy of Conquest, a MacArthur Fellow and the former Official Fool for both Yale and Harvard Universities. 

Patty has dedicated her career to bridging the gap between academics and the general public and to demonstrating the benefits of applying historical perspective to contemporary dilemmas and conflicts. She is an energetic, fun and engaging public speaker on American Western history and is regularly featured on the op-ed pages of local and national newspapers, including serving as a guest columnist for The New York Times in the summer of 2005. She currently writes a monthly column for The Denver Post. (more…)

Zach Phillips

#312: How to Improvise on Your Story to Thrive in Tough Times

2020 heavily impacted the way we did business and forced many of us to adapt our ways in order to survive. But how do you ensure your business thrives and comes out stronger than before the next time unexpected chaos hits?

If you focus on finding new and innovative ways that level up and meet the needs of your customers, your message has a much higher chance of being appreciated, understood, and make a life-long impression.

On this week’s show, we have Zach Phillips, the director of professional development for the National Association of Music Merchants, or NAMM. NAMM was founded in 1901 with a mission to strengthen the music products industry and promote the pleasures and benefits of making music.

The NAMM Resource Center covers innovative creations, the evolution of music, sound, and entertainment products, the ever-changing world of music retail, as well as the member’s collective quest to improve music education around the globe. Its Oral History program and Music History Project podcast features stories of those who have helped shape and expand the music industry through the years. (more…)

Tamsen Webster

#311: How to Find the Red Thread for Your Story

You have a powerful story to tell and you want to communicate it with your audience in a way that will create transformational change and make an undeniable impact in order to convert. But you just can’t seem to find that sweet spot between the potential you see in your ideas and how to translate it so it connects and makes sense to your audience.

In this episode, Tamsen Webster teaches you how to bridge that gap and make the connection of the invisible link between your audience’s problem and the solution your business can answer. Making your story one that will be impossible to resist and will inspire your audience into action.

Tamsen has spent the last twenty years helping experts drive action from their ideas. Part message strategist, part storyteller, part English-to-English translator, her work focuses on how to find and build the stories partners, investors, clients, and customers will tell themselves—and others. 

She is a professional advisor at the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship and a mentor for the Harvard Innovation Labs. Serving over eight years as executive producer and idea strategist for one of the oldest locally organized TED Talk events in the world (TEDxCambridge).  (more…)

Matt Abrahams

#310: How to Speak Up Without Freaking Out

We all have some level of anxiety when it comes to public speaking. Whether it’s a sales pitch, a conference presentation, being a keynote speaker, or even a webinar meeting – the stakes are already high and your stress levels are even higher. 

But anxiety can be beneficial when you’re presenting, helping you to stay focused and giving you energy. The trick is to learn how to manage it so it doesn’t manage you.

Here to help you take the stage so you can become a more confident, connected, and compelling speaker is the ever so innovative and collaborative educator and coach, Matt Abrahams. Matt is the Co-Founder and Principal at Bold Echo Communications Solutions, a presentation and communication skills company based in Silicon Valley that helps people improve their presentation skills. 

He has published the third edition of his book Speaking Up Without Freaking Out, written to help the millions of people who wish to present in a more confident and compelling way. He also hosts the GSB podcast called Think Fast Talk Smart, curates the NoFreakingSpeaking.com website, and teaches Effective Virtual Communication and Essentials of Strategic Communication at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business. (more…)

Jeffrey Hayzlett

#309: Should You Tell Your Story With Your Own Podcast?

Should I start my own podcast? Is probably the most asked question I’ve received from my customers over the past year. The podcast industry has skyrocketed as a result of COVID, becoming a popular place where people are flocking to for knowledge and growth.

Podcasts aren’t just for hobbyists anymore. It is a valuable piece to your brand’s marketing strategy and one of the most evergreen forms of content you can put out into the world to reach new audiences and cultivate deeper relationships with potential customers.

But in order to guarantee the success of your show – one that provides tremendous value to your audience, builds trust and awareness, and converts your listeners into customers, you need to nail the basics.

One of the most compelling figures in business today and Hall of Fame keynote speaker, Jeffrey Hayzlett, shares his insights on the subject and how you can use the power of podcasting to communicate your brand story. (more…)

Will Storr

#308: How the Science of Storytelling Actually Works

There are many ways to tell a good story that can connect and captivate your customers. But what is the secret to converting and winning them over? 

The key is to truly understand the ultimate storyteller – the human brain. If you focus on understanding the basic language of the brain to tell your story, it gives you a clearer insight into the theatre of your customer’s mind. Allowing you to weave your story with their story so you can better connect and engage with them.

In this week’s show we have guest expert, Will Storr to help us peel back the neuroscience of what makes stories work. Will is the author of five critically acclaimed books including The Science Of Storytelling: Why Stories Make Us Human, and How to Tell Them Better. His journalism has appeared in The Guardian, The Sunday Times, The New Yorker and The New York Times. 

His array of prizes include a National Press Club award for excellence, the AFM award for Best Investigative Journalism, an Amnesty International Award for his work on sexual violence against men, a One World Press Award and the AIB Award for Best Investigative Documentary for his BBC radio series. (more…)

Margot Bloomstein

How You Build Trust With Your Brand Storytelling

Vulnerability is a strength, not a weakness. 

After a year of unsettling upheaval, more and more people are eroding their trust in big businesses and institutions. So, is now the best time to change your brand story? Perhaps. 

But it’s how you use the power of your brand voice and vulnerability that will build rapport and pull your customers closer. Even turning your biggest critics into champions. It’s all about designing for trust!

With us today is one of the most prominent voices in the content industry, Margot Bloomstein. Margot is the principal of Appropriate, Inc., a brand and content strategy consultancy. Over the last two decades, she has used her platform as a speaker and strategic adviser to work with marketing teams in a range of organizations. She now uses this success to lecture around the world about brand-driven content strategy and how to design for trust.

She is also the creator of BrandSort, developing the popular message architecture-driven approach to content strategy and author of the new book, Trustworthy: How the Smartest Brands Beat Cynicism and Bridge the Trust Gap. (more…)