How to Take an Idea from Conception to Startup with Christian Ries
What's Your Story: How Leaders Tell Stories to Influence and Connect with Audiences
Release Date: 04/11/2019
Building A Business And The Power Of Stories
What's Your Story: How Leaders Tell Stories to Influence and Connect with Audiences
Episode: Building a Business And The Power Of Stories Guests: Hust Williamson, Mary Scott Jameson and Hodges Markwalter Welcome to another episode of What’s Your Story where we host in depth conversations with business leaders to explore how they use storytelling to engage their audiences. Taking on the journey of entrepreneurship is not an easy feat and it’s not for the faint of heart. It takes passion behind your product or service and quite a bit of gusto on how you deliver your messages to investors and potential customers. And today, we have two entrepreneurs joining us: Mary Scot...
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Reigniting Ideas & Strategies with Teams with Keith Wilmot
What's Your Story: How Leaders Tell Stories to Influence and Connect with Audiences
It’s safe to say we all wish we could wake up every day and bring everything we have to the roles we’re in. Each day would be a new day, every agenda a clean slate. But the reality is that many of us are in roles that are a little messier than that. So messy in fact that getting to new ideas or exploring an out-of-the-box concept isn’t easy. In fact, with a pile of problems and challenges in our every day, new ideas can feel impossible. Unless you’ve spent time with Keith Wilmot. In our latest episode of What’s Your Story, Sally talks with Keith about how his agency, , helps leaders...
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Talent, Data & People - The Strategic CHRO with Kim Sullivan
What's Your Story: How Leaders Tell Stories to Influence and Connect with Audiences
We all faced new dynamics and uncharted waters as managers and leaders navigating a pandemic, social unrest and different ways of working. But if you considered the corporate role that felt the most impact, the CHRO, Chief Human Resources Officer, would rank high in terms of the toughest leadership positions over the last few years. And that's why this episode is so timely. In this episode, Sally talks to Kim Sullivan, who has been an HR leader for three global companies and a CHRO for more than six years which means pre-pandemic, post-pandemic and during the pandemic, giving her great...
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Getting Down to Business with Kim Wilson of Lucy's Market
What's Your Story: How Leaders Tell Stories to Influence and Connect with Audiences
Small businesses have gotten a lot of visibility over the last two years. As the world slowed down and dealt with a pandemic, we were more aware of the businesses on the corner that weren’t focused on five-year plans but were focused on next months’ payroll to survive. It brought front and center a look at how small businesses work and interestingly, as the world reset, it seemed to inspire a whole new culture of entrepreneurs and people who’d like to be their own boss. But running a small business isn’t for the faint of heart. As the last two years have proven, the safety net looks...
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Resetting & Reducing Social Distance with Karen Riddell
What's Your Story: How Leaders Tell Stories to Influence and Connect with Audiences
Social distancing is a term that took hold during the pandemic as a descriptive way of creating boundaries from each other. But after two years of distancing and now going back to offices and social settings with colleagues and friends, social distance may take on new meaning. At a minimum, the re-engagement in groups feels awkward at first. We’ve forgotten some of the social norms and feel a little rusty at small talk. In a corporate setting, we realize that Zoom calls didn’t allow for much of a relationship with colleagues. So, we aren’t quickly at ease as a member of the team. Virtual...
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The Mastery of Skills with Kenny Selmon
What's Your Story: How Leaders Tell Stories to Influence and Connect with Audiences
Every day, we talk to people about practice. And we explain that to become effective at communication, you have to work at becoming good at it. And we define mastery of a skill as those who become so good at a skill that you can count on their performance and outcome consistently. And once you begin to talk about performance and outcomes, it’s easy to draw a parallel between mastery of a skill like communication and mastery of sports like the Olympics. And that’s what we’re going to do for you on this podcast: connect the concepts of practice, mastery and outcomes. And accentuate...
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The Art of Coaching - How to Choose the Right Coach with Francie Schulwolf
What's Your Story: How Leaders Tell Stories to Influence and Connect with Audiences
In the last year, millions of workers took early retirement, which created a band of less-experienced managers and leaders in most companies. It’s a great career opportunity and accelerated promotions for several managers. But it also pushes a less-experienced leader to learn how to drive while the car is moving, and it can create risks within a company when someone is leading who doesn’t have a bank of experiences to draw on. That’s why coaching is a hot commodity. A Coach becomes a trusted advisor to a new leader. A good Coach becomes a sounding board… and a confidante. A good Coach...
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The Big Pitch with Rachel Spasser
What's Your Story: How Leaders Tell Stories to Influence and Connect with Audiences
This episode's topic is The Big Pitch. And it’s a discussion of one of the most important presentations you may ever give. It has a definitive and measurable impact. It’s rarely shared with a large audience. And while the audience may be small, they are a critical one. Because their interest and reaction to the presentation may change the future of a company. And in fact, that’s actually the point. Today, we’re going to talk about “pitch” presentations. Those opportunities when a start-up, mid-size or even a large corporation wants to be acquired. The Big Pitch is a different kind...
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Disrupted! A Talent Acquisition Perspective
What's Your Story: How Leaders Tell Stories to Influence and Connect with Audiences
Disruption happens every day across the corporate world. As employees, we experience reorgs, layoffs and acquisitions, and as disrupters ourselves we move cross country, chase ideas and challenge norms. But amidst all the disruption we all experience, some of us seem to thrive in times of turmoil. These are the communicators who have mastered the two secret arts hidden within corporate disruption: learning how to establish a compelling brand and build an intriguing career narrative. They are skills that take time to perfect, but they’re the differentiator factors between those who are cast...
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Disrupted! A Talent Development Perspective
What's Your Story: How Leaders Tell Stories to Influence and Connect with Audiences
Disruption happens every day across the corporate world. As employees, we experience reorgs, layoffs and acquisitions, and as disrupters ourselves we move cross country, chase ideas and challenge norms. But amidst all the disruption we all experience, some of us seem to thrive in times of turmoil. These are the communicators who have mastered the two secret arts hidden within corporate disruption: learning how to establish a compelling brand and build an intriguing career narrative. They are skills that take time to perfect, but they’re the differentiator factors between those who are cast...
info_outlineOn today’s episode, we’re chatting with first-time entrepreneur Christian Ries about storytelling, professional entrepreneurship, and pitching to investors. Christian can attribute much of his success to his growing storytelling abilities and customer-focused approach. Learn about his techniques and evolution as he tells us his story today, from the very first thought that sparked JonnyOnIt.
More about Christian:
An established entrepreneur and proven leader in the sales and technology industry, Christian Ries does what he says he’s going to do. In just under a year, he has not only founded and grown his home services business—JonnyOnIt—but has expanded it and has continued plans to increase its geographic footprint in 2019 and beyond.
JonnyOnIt is a mobile app that instantly connects homeowners (in real time) to hundreds of home service providers, like electricians and plumbers, saving both parties time and money.
Driven by original thought, interpersonal skills, and technology orientation, and with an extensive background in marketing, sales, and project management, Christian possesses a unique talent for integrated marketing and brand voice development. He devises strategic initiatives, builds efficient and cohesive teams, and inspires progress using a modern, hands-off leadership style.
- 2:00 How did Christian come up with the name JonnyOnIt? What’s his background?
- 5:00 How has the business done so far? How has putting the customer first impacted that? How does Christian see himself compared to serial entrepreneurs and how much does he need to learn?
- 7:00 Is there more to successful startups than the big three—great dea, funding, and ability to tell a story? How important is it to articulate your message well? How hard is it to work with investor audiences? Should you expect particularly difficult questions when telling your stories?
- 10:00 How did the concept of having perspective from actual realtors impact investors? Why is it so important to show investors more than just a good product? Why do you need to first understand your customer?
- 12:30 Why should you look forward in an investor pitch more than tell them what you’ve done already? How should new startup founders limit explaining their track records?
- 14:00 Should you tell the same story to investors as customers? Should you focus on everybody?
- 17:00 How has Christian’s story changed over time? How did it progress from “how” to its current, engaging form?
- 24:00 Stories that are remembered and repeated are the most powerful. What is Christian’s experience with this regarding investors, large audience speeches, and other entrepreneurial events?
- 29:30 What’s ahead for 2019? Who is involved in Christian’s team?