Running a successful business can be a tricky thing, and will naturally take a lot of work, time and attention.
But while many of the key challenges involved in running a successful business will relate to purely practical matters — such as buying the right Tri Axle Trailers, or ensuring that you’ve got a good warehouse security system in place — there’s always a lot more to the picture than that alone.
The stories that you tell other people, in a professional context, are the backbone of marketing and branding. But the stories that you tell yourself can also shape your business dramatically.
Here are some ways in which the stories you tell yourself can shape your business.
The way you interpret and frame events and possibilities can massively influence your behaviour and your mood
For the most part, we all like the idea of turning up to work each day with a sense of enthusiasm, excitement and optimism — and it’s quite clear that individuals who are in this envious position are likely to perform better in their careers, as well.
Many people search for this elusive sense of professional drive, fulfilment and optimism for years — but in many cases the key to ending up in this state lies in the way you interpret and frame the events and possibilities you encounter.
If you’re feeling unmotivated to start work one morning, telling yourself something like “this is going to be so annoying and boring, but I just have to do it!” Will only rob your enthusiasm further and make you less likely to put in your best work.
On the other hand, questioning, challenging and picking apart your reasons for feeling unmotivated and telling yourself something like “once I get into the flow here I’ll feel really motivated and accomplished!” Will have an altogether more uplifting effect.
The stories you tell yourself can massively shape your experience of work, day by day.
You will generally be unable to sell a narrative that you don’t believe yourself
All good marketing relies on effectively crafting a narrative and selling it to a prospective customer base. But if you don’t believe — for example — that your product or service is high quality, how likely are you to be able to convincingly sell that vision to others?
More importantly, would it even be ethical to try?
The stories you tell yourself about what you’re doing, and why, can massively impact what you are able to convey to your prospective customer base.
Self-belief often goes hand-in-hand with things like self-discipline
The stories you tell yourself can have a dramatic impact on your overall level of self-belief, as already discussed. But it’s important to keep in mind some of the powerful downstream effects of this.
Self-discipline is inevitably a fundamental part of any business venture. You will need tenacity, grit and resilience — and some days will be more challenging than others.
Self-belief often tends to go hand-in-hand with things like self-discipline and resilience. Telling yourself an empowering story can make all the difference.