Candice (00:00.15)

Is your marketing lacking? It might be the stories that you're telling or maybe the lack of storytelling in your marketing. Bite -sized stories can have a huge impact on your business. My guest on today's episode, Akua Kanaru, joins me to talk about storytelling and how you can infuse the stories of your everyday life and the stories of your customers into your business marketing. Storytelling is actually

backed by science. And Akua is going to explain it all to you today. You're here to grow a business, but not just any kind of business. You want to grow a profitable business with purpose. A business where you wake up every single day driven to serve your customers and make a difference in your own life. I'm Candace Coppola, published author, business coach, and your guide to building a profitable business with purpose.

Join me here every single week as we explore how to build and grow your business with purpose. Get ready to dig in and have meaningful conversations about the strategies and techniques that will help you build your dream business. This is the power in purpose.

Candice (01:22.114)

Hey friends, welcome back to the Power and Purpose podcast. It's me, your host Candice, and we're on a marketing kick here on the podcast for the last several weeks. I feel like months we've been talking about marketing and I have brought one of the smartest marketing strategists to the podcast, my friend as well, somebody who is going to teach you how to tell better stories because if you feel like your marketing is lacking,

We think it could be the stories you're telling. It could also be the fact that you are not marketing your business at all. And you need to get your shit together, which I promise we're going to gather you today on today's episode. My special guest joining me today, you know her, you love her. It's Akua.

who is a storytelling strategist, educator, and multi -passionate entrepreneur. She's the founder of not one, but two businesses and knows firsthand what it takes to build something from the ground up. It is not easy. She's also the host of the Independent Business Podcast, which you know I love my people at HoneyBook. And Akua is the host of the HoneyBook -sponsored Independent Business Podcast.

And she is on a mission to inspire and educate business owners to pursue their dreams, overcome obstacles, and build successful independent businesses. Akua, welcome to the show. Girl, thank you for hyping me up. I'm like, ooh, me? my goodness. I love getting hyped up. I love hyping people up too. But I love when you walk in and you feel super hype. You're like, wow. OK, OK, OK. That's how we're going.

Let's go. Let's go. And shout out to you, Candace, because let's not forget that you were on the show. were on the show. We did our very first live interview, and you were the guest, which was so much fun to have you talking all about being our top affiliate earner. We think it would rain. That's right. We got to give flowers, honey. We got to give you credit where credit is due, okay? Thank you very much. It was a great episode, and I loved our conversation. I love that we did it live. That was the first time I've ever done.

Candice (03:43.104)

a live podcast. You too. was a lot of fun. Yeah. It was a good time. was really, really good. Yeah. It was a lot of fun. Well, I'm excited to reciprocate and have you on the podcast and pick your wonderful brain all about storytelling and marketing and how this all folds together. Prior to hitting record on this episode, we were just catching up and talking a little bit about what we're going to talk about today. And I feel like our listeners probably know

about storytelling in their marketing. They probably heard of Donald Miller's A Story Brand, which is, I'll let you introduce that a little bit later in the book and everything. But they probably heard a little bit more about storytelling with marketing. But for anybody listening who doesn't understand how stories fold into marketing, would you mind just laying a foundation of what it means to tell stories when you're marketing your business? yeah. So like the technical definition of storytelling, it's taking the fact

of your brand and weaving it with emotions, right? So that's kind of like you're combining those two things, like emotions that you want to evoke into your brand. So you're taking those two pieces and putting it together in that storytelling and marketing. But I also like to look at it as you are wanting people, you're inspiring people to take a certain type of action or inspiring them to make a certain type of decision. That's also how I...

look at storytelling. So every single story that I am creating or anything, my marketing, I'm like, what decision do I want them to make? What action do I want them to take? Those are some key things I really ask myself with every story. But overall, that is what storytelling and marketing is. You're taking the facts of your business and weaving it with the emotions that you want people to feel and combining the two.

Why is storytelling so effective in marketing? What is it about hearing stories and telling stories that makes it so effective when it comes to our business? yeah, that's such a really good question. So number one, it's like stories. Well, there's a lot of scientific proof that stories literally can impact not only your emotions, but also have some physiological responses in the body. We are also able to remember things more when it's weaved into a story. In fact, your brain is able to recall facts up to 22 times more.

Candice (06:00.504)

when it's in a story. And so a lot of the times, like for example, when you're hearing a story, right, like say you're watching a keynote or you you're listening to a podcast episode or whatever, immediately your brain is starting to filter out the information, it's starting to filter it. So then once, like say you hear a really good hook, like your brain instantly is like, ooh, right, like that's gonna light up certain areas of your brain. And one specific area is, and I'm just, can't remember, my gosh, I haven't spoken on this in a while, so.

One specific area of your brain, the Broca's area, which has to do with language comprehension, that area lights up. So when you hear somebody that say they're using specific language, similar to like you use, it's instantly gonna be highlighted in your brain. Like you're instantly gonna be like, attention, boom, I'm focused on you and what it is that you're sharing. And so through that as well, at the same time that's happening.

Physiological responses are also going. like cortisol is released in your bloodstream. So like if you're watching like Mission Impossible, I just watched the movie the other day, right? When you're watching like an action -based movie, like your cortisol is going up because it suspends. Like you don't know what's gonna happen. Like you're very alert. Also too, oxytocin is released in your body, which is also considered the empathy hormone. But also too, if you're a mom breastfeeding your baby, that's also called the love hormone. Those things are also released into your body depending on the story.

And then also to even just kind of adding another layer into that when you are watching a story where or listening or whatever, where somebody is talking about using certain adjectives. So say if they're describing food and they're saying like, you know, it was so savory and also with like a hint of sweetness and they're using certain adjectives, you start to like salivate, right? Like that's how powerful stories are. if you write like because the way, just how it overall just affects your body, it's truly, truly powerful because

We hear this all the time, truly, but science proves is that people buy from people. Like people need to know who you are before they're going to purchase your products or services. And storytelling really bridges that gap between your audience and what it is that you offer. Right. Like, and that's what I feel like that's why it's so powerful. And I think especially how much entrepreneurship has drastically changed over the years, especially with AI coming into play.

Candice (08:12.582)

now more than ever storytelling, like a lot of people are emphasizing that more and leaning into that because the human aspect is all that we really have right now, right? Because it's so easy now to put stuff into chat GPT or other tools to get the output that you're looking for. But the human connection that authenticity piece like that's the key. And AI can't replicate that it never will never will be able to your human experiences the way that you view the world.

is truly your superpower, is truly your gift. And I think I say this all the time that storytelling has, it's always been the foundation. That's why like you see certain resources and all that stuff. We've been hearing it storytelling, storytelling, storytelling, and with good reason, right? No matter how much marketing evolves, no matter how much entrepreneurship evolves, the thing that's always been anchored, that has always anchored us is stories, always. The only thing that has changed about storytelling is the way that we tell them. That's it.

You know what I mean? That's the way that I view it. That's what's changed. Storytelling has always been here. It's never going to go anywhere, right? But the way that we tell them has to change because we have Gen Z attention spans now are much shorter. The way that we consume content has changed. You know what I mean? Just so many different things. so stories are still important. It's the way that we tell them that has to change if you're wanting to really stand out in your marketing. There is so much to unpack here. feel like we have, there's a lot for us to think about.

Storytelling elicits a physiological response from us, depending on the story that we're listening to or that we're engaged with. And as humans, storytelling has been around since we had language, and it's what bonds us together in communities, like -minded communities. And when you think about just like on a daily basis in the group chat and the stories you're telling your friends and the things that you're talking about are all things that bond you and connect you.

together, have to admit, I mean, I'm a huge Housewives fan as everybody knows, and I know Akua is also a Bravo Housewives fan. So there's nothing better than on Housewives when the tea is hot and there is a story unfolding, there is nothing that's gonna make me run to Peacock to turn on my franchise and watch. 1000%. Like, I mean, if you think about what I'm like, all the scandals that come out, all I know is Salt Lake City comes out in the fall, honey, in Potomac, and I am

Candice (10:33.274)

I love salt lake. yeah. It's so good. But let's talk like that was insane. mean, literally like Monica. mean, she was suspenseful. She was a very good villain. my God. Maybe the ultimate. Like there are villains in reality TV. You have Jax Taylor from Vanderpump Rules, huge villain. Who's one of your favorite villains? my gosh. I will have…

to say New York. was going to definitely Tiffany Pollard is the villain. She literally wrote the villain script. I mean, she did the HBIC. I mean, come on. Like every time she's on my screen, I just stop. I mean, I mean, flavor flavor was that start of reality TV. And I absolutely watched it way back in the day. I did too. I love flavor flavor. He just sponsored.

an Olympic team, I think I saw. Yes. And he's watching the Paralympics as well and cheering them on. So like, I love that. bringing. It's just been great like to see him and just because, know, a lot of Olympians, like a lot of people don't know this, but depending on the sport, like they don't get a lot of funding. And so he's been funding like people, some people have had to work like multiple jobs in order to like maintain like training for the Olympics and all of that stuff. And so like he's been sponsoring athletes and teams who just don't have the.

the funding, has been amazing. That's so fantastic. Flavor Flav, our humanitarian king. I love it. And again, like that's just a story that we just brought up a story. Like everything's stories, right? Like that's we just connected on our own similarities. We're talking about the villain in the story of Monica from Salt Lake City because we see her story. That's what we're connecting. We just talked about flavor Flav and like how he just sponsored the Olympians. Like that's a story. Every stories are all around us all the time. And it's just a fact of like leaning into curiosity and being open to seeing it.

when it's there. yeah. You also mentioned AI, and this is something that I've been thinking about a lot too. When I look at stories being told on Instagram, stories being told on threads, and content just being generated across multiple platforms, you can instantly spot a chat GPT situation happening. You can instantly tell when somebody is just copying and pasting from chat GPT. And I feel like

Candice (12:54.894)

The tools like AI are great to lean on when you need a little boost or need a little help and for some more utilitarian kind of things that you need to get done. But when it comes to telling stories in your marketing, would you agree that you can't phone it in using tools like ChatGPT without blending into the crowd? yeah, 1000%. I think you and I think...

I think there has to be some balance because I have a blog post where I'm like how to use AI to enhance storytelling. I think in certain areas it can enhance it where it's strengthening your skills because storytelling is a muscle, right? I was never a natural storyteller. I learned it. And that's how it is for everybody else. You just have to keep constantly exercising it. And so there are ways that you can use it.

but there's just no way that you can solely rely on it and be like, make me a story. We're all gonna know, everybody's gonna know if you use and copy and paste it. It's unethical because more than likely it gathered it from somebody. You know, the information is like, there's that layer. But also too, people are instantly gonna know because then you're, like said, it's a really fine line because I'm like, well, is what you're sharing is true, right? And that's one thing I like to say to people because people feel like they have to always embellish or like.

these very drastic things that have to happen in order for it to make it a story. But like I said, everyday stories, like what I said earlier, before we started recording, everyday stories can build your business. The stories that most people relate to are the ones that you consider mundane, like the everyday, waking up, grabbing a cup of coffee, having a chat with a friend, like those types of things. And so I use AI, which I don't really use it as often for storytelling. But if you are wanting to, you can easily do it of like giving you some prompts to make stories on, right? Like, can you give me some content ideas? And that's way that you can like

take that idea and think about some times in your life to make a story. That's a really great way to use that. You can also, you know, use it to like brainstorming, right? You can also like put your story in there and ask it for feedback, right? And, and so that's another way. And I'm going to give a shout out to Dawn Richardson. Okay. That's my girl. And one thing I'm going to do, she's going to help me out with chat. Okay. So I'm like some of these things I have learned from her. So I'm going give you a shout out. She's She's so great. Go check out my girl Dawn, honey at tech savvy creative, because she knows I'd like hitting her up like Dawn tech.

Candice (15:06.444)

girl, need help with this prompt. how am gonna, right? Because we all know like if you don't put the right prompt in chat, it can be annoying. But anyways, so like she definitely gave me this advice of, you you tell it what it is. So like you are a marketing strategist and I need you to do X, Y, And so that has helped me a lot. So I'll put in a thing and I'll be like, you are a marketing strategist. Here's a story that I shared. You know, please give me feedback on this. And this is my target audience. Like that's different ways to really enhance it, to enhance your skill.

So like where it's like, if there's maybe any gaps that you didn't see, then you can use chat GPT to help highlight that for you. So that's some ways that I think that it can enhance, but no, can you solely rely on it? Absolutely freaking literally not. Because again, that human aspect, that human, that emotions, that's what you have. And so there's just no way. So you can like put a story in there and be like, hey, can you grammatically improve this and this and that, maybe make it a little bit more engaging, but you still have to take it out and make sure that's in your voice. Does it align with how you experience things? Right? Like, so you still have to keep going in there and finessing it. You can't just rely on that. No.

No way. Yeah, no, I agree. And I think if you rely on it too much to do all the heavy lifting in your marketing, you're just going to blend into the crowd. And the people who are using it smartly and who are focused on telling stories and creating connections in their marketing are actually going to be even more visible. I think they're going to look so much more different than AI generated conversations and connection points that it's only going to enhance their sales. It's only going to enhance their business. So for all of you out there who

enjoy writing or enjoy storytelling or want to experiment with this strategy we're talking about today. This could be a really great differentiator between you and your competition. yeah, 1000%. I'm like, hey, if you love writing, keep writing. Because you're like, that is truly your superpower. But if you're somebody like, hey, like a cool, I freaking hate it. And I need a little bit of that boost. I always just do that. I just write, I just write. And sometimes like I just take it and you can just plug it into chat GPT. And again, like those types of

prompts to where it can help refine it for you. And then you can take that and re -edit it. That's fine too. You know what I mean? I think you just have to really know yourself to see what works. But yeah, I think overall, if you're just somebody who naturally loves to write and naturally lean into stories, I think I just want to encourage people to keep doing that. yeah, for sure. It's not easy to write and to write consistently. It is definitely just like going to the gym or...

Candice (17:26.005)

Anything else that you know is beneficial to you, but it's just really hard to do. Why is everything that's good for you so freaking hard? It's so annoying. Well, let's talk about storytelling, the stories that we can tell, whether you enjoy writing or whether you think you're the world's worst writer. Do you think we should have as wedding professionals a set of stories that we should rely on or draw from when marketing our business or that can inspire us to tell better stories in our marketing?

1000%. And I think sometimes too, I also want to just like take a step back because we always think when we say stories, we always assume writing, but there's so many different ways to tell stories, like on a podcast, speaking on a stage, you know, doing an Instagram live or doing a reel where you're just talking. I mean, there's so many different types of ways that you can do stories. And so again, like if you're like, I'm not a writer, but I'm a damn good speaker, lean into speaking then, right? Like you just, again, there's more, that's what I love about storytelling is that there's just the fluidity. Like there's just so many different ways that you can,

share it and I feel like there's no wrong way to do that. I think it just really just depends on like who you are. I always have I personally have it I have a storytelling library. I think every business owner should have one. I used to do it where like here are the three main stories that every business owner should be sharing. And I think that's great. But

Again, I found people were putting themselves in a box consistently. And again, we are human beings, right? Like we are, there's so many complexities. We're multifaceted. We experience different things every single day. And I think that is what you can utilize to really build your business and increase sales. And so I just like to say have a story, storytelling library, which is just a collection of stories that you have to be able to use at any point in time in your business. And so it can be anything. I will sometimes have like, I have my notes app on my phone and

I'm just like, you know, sitting here and all of a sudden a story will come to me. I just type it in my phone. Am I going to use it today? No, maybe not. I had a story, literally I was on another podcast interview and a story randomly popped into my head. And I was like, my gosh, I have to put that in my storytelling library because I was like, now I can see now how we can relate to my business. And then I shared it on the show and was able to relate to my business. But at the time when it happened, I was pissed. You know what I mean? So again, it's just like, there are stories all around us. And like I said before, it's like,

Candice (19:42.476)

really opening yourself, leaning in with curiosity can really make all the difference. like I have on my, I have a journal, I love to journal. So if you don't like to journal, can also do your on notes up on your phone or like speak, you know what I mean? Record yourself talking about something that happened today because all of a sudden as like say you're now getting ready for a launch, getting ready to sell a course or a mastermind or whatever it is, you now have all these plethora of content ideas that are there, that are available to you that you just have to ask yourself like these questions of like, why do I want to share this story?

How is this gonna provide value to my audience and what do I want them to take away from this, right? Like that's gonna really help you start to filter out which stories to share and which one won't. Like for example, the story that was really upset about like anybody that knows me knows I have a puppy, his name is Kai. I love him, he's loved my life, but he is a little shit and I sometimes will share our adventures together.

And we were on a road trip and we decided we had to stay at a hotel. And I was like, you know, this would be really great for him and me to see how we do in a hotel. Like, you know, like see how he's doing with travel. He's doing great. We go to hotel. Awesome. I am getting ready for bed. I put on my pajamas, skincare routine, and then, you know, where they like do not disturb sign because I'm getting ready to go to bed. I opened the door to put the do not disturb sign on the doorknob. And I was having issues putting it on. So I opened the door slightly a little bit more and

that little fucker ran out the door. he ran out and I just instinctively tried to grab him. I tried to grab his tail, which I was like, God, how cool. Like, why would you do that? And so tried to, but he got away anyways. And anyways, I fell out the door. So here I am in pajamas.

with a bonnet on, everything. And the door's locked. I don't have a key. I don't have treats. He doesn't have a leash. He doesn't have a collar. He's looking at me. I'm looking at him. And you know that TikTok could sound like, he looks at me and I look at him. Like that was us. And I looked at him and I said, don't you, and before I finished it, he darded. And this is like the layout of the hotel. like a big square. So I'm sprinting in my, like no bra, a bonnet, like crazy, like running through this hotel.

Candice (21:50.35)

trying to get my dog. Finally, I had to corner him and he's like 40 pounds. I had to pick him up because I didn't, he didn't have anything. And I had to walk my ass to that front desk and there's a line of people and they're all just staring at me. And I had to walk to the front desk and I was like, can I please have a key to my room? It's a different type of walk of shame. was a different type of walk of shame. And they gave me a key. They're all like, everybody's laughing at me. I'm pissed. I put him down in the room and I said, get the hell away from me.

And what does he do? He's jumping on me. He jumps in the bed, does this little rolling on his back, just super happy. Now you're like, why am I sharing this? So why do you care? Yes, it's funny, but how can it relate to your business? Let's take some key things, right? Like let's talk about entrepreneurship, how sometimes shit just hits the fan, right? And sometimes you just got to roll with the punches. That's another way that you can link it to your business. Like there's so many different ways that you can link your everyday stories to your business, right? Like that's a, that's a prime example of that.

Right. Like when life throws you lemonade, like lemons, you make lemonade. Like that's a prime example of that. I was on another podcast episode with Molly Cahill and she was saying that her highest converting email was her talking about shopping for cantaloupe at the grocery store. That was her highest converting email because why everybody can see themselves in the story. That everyday story where she talked about getting a cantaloupe and she we all talked about like either getting the pre -cut cantaloupe.

or just getting the regular cantaloupe and how many times we're like, yeah, pre cuts too expensive. So I'll just buy the regular cantaloupe and then you go home and you never cut it and then it's expired. How many years Yeah, and then it's done. Yeah. And then it's then you just throw out. everybody can see ourselves in the story. And again, it was a mundane everyday story that she was able to convert and increase sales in her business. And like, you're like, how the hell does cantaloupe connect to that? Right. So that's what I'm talking about. You really think of like, I don't have stories. I can almost guarantee you.

You tons of stories. have tons of them all around you. Exactly. And where you feel like you may lack in stories or your life's not that interesting, which is something I hear a lot, is, well, I don't really do anything interesting, or I just work. I don't live a glamorous life like you do. I'm like, I am literally in a pair of yoga pants with a nice shirt on right now recording this podcast, but I do not live a glamorous life. There's really nothing glamorous about my life. I make it look a little nicer than it is because that's what you're supposed to do.

Candice (24:12.728)

But there are tons of stories all around you. But outside of that, I think wedding pros have this really interesting gift, which is you have clients who have stories that are unfolding every weekend during wedding season where you have this opportunity to tell the stories of your customers too and weave in the work you do for your clients, the happy stories of your customers and what life is like for your customers after you do whatever it is that you do, which is...

By the way, what your next customer is buying from you is what they want from you. So you not only connect with them on your love of Real Housewives of Potomac and Flavor Flav and whatever else you might really like, but you connect with them on a deeper level by telling the stories of your clients. Hey, friend, hear that noise? That's the sound of HoneyBook depositing cold hard cash into your bank account.

HoneyBook is an all -in -one client flow platform that helps you manage your leads, send wedding proposals, and sign more contracts all at the click of a button. HoneyBook also offers a variety of resources and materials to help you grow your wedding industry business. One of my favorite features of the HoneyBook platform is actually the community of creative entrepreneurs just like you.

HoneyBook is offering listeners of the Power in Purpose podcast 35 % off any of their three plans for your first year. 35%. It's an amazing deal. Use the code PURPOSE at checkout or go to CandaceCoppola .com slash HoneyBook to learn more. That's CandaceCoppola .com slash HoneyBook. And thanks to HoneyBook for sponsoring this episode of the Power in Purpose podcast. Today's episode is brought to you by our partner,

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Candice (26:32.75)

where you can start designing beautiful email campaigns while I teach you about marketing here on the podcast. That's CandaceCopla .com slash flow desk to start your free trial and use the code Candace50 at checkout to save 50 % off your first year. Check it out and see what's possible. And thanks to flow desk for sponsoring this episode of the podcast. Now let's get back to the episode.

wedding pros, I think also to have a heavy advantage that I just don't think a lot of the times that they're taking honestly, like their season the opportunity because it's true, like you have a plethora of clients, a plethora of stories that you can absolutely sell and it I mean, used to leverage to get other clients and it doesn't have to be like, yeah, like typical, you know, client books with me, I get them photos, they're happy and boom, they move on, right? Like, no, there's a multitude of layers within that and there's always stories within stories.

right? So like looking at something that's like an overarching story of like within that, like, yeah, a couple buys from me, right? They book with me. And then I do the services I do like the photos, take all the photos, edit and send it to them. Okay, but what happened within that at each step? Right? Is there something that happened? Was it like, while you were at the wedding, the drunk groomsmen or like, you know, like these types of things always happen in these like major points of the customer's journey. So like,

what happened within that there are stories within stories. And that's also what I always like to tell people. So where again, you're really sharing these really unique perspectives and experiences. And I think when you're honest about what it is that has happened in your job, I think number one, it just really leans more into that thought leadership, like that authority piece. And I think a lot of people will really appreciate that. Because for me, I've had people book with me that like literally I'm just sharing.

at my like what's happening in my business and life and people will be like, your values align with me. I love what you do. I would really like to book with you. Yeah, like your personality. Yeah, love your personality. Like you don't be afraid to share of like, yeah, you love reality TV or whatever. And this not because that's what's going to really build that connection and really differentiate you from the next photographer that they're looking at or wedding planner that they're looking at or caterer or whatever it is. You know what I mean? Like I think we have to be like

Candice (28:45.716)

Again, like you are your superpower and you have a plethora. Like you guys are doing weddings every single weekend, especially in your busy seasons. You guys have stories every single day around you. You do. Every day. of stories. And in fact, if you look back at some of your marketing, you're already telling stories. You just may not realize it. That's what you're doing. So Akua brought up a really good point. When I think of storytelling, I think of writing because that's

my original way of storytelling and it's what I rely on myself. But Akua opened up my eyes and maybe yours to the fact that stories can be told with videos. They can be told obviously with pictures. If you're a photographer, you're telling stories with your images all the time, every time you snap your camera. And so if you even look back through your marketing, you're going to see the stories that you've already told. And if you can tell them a little more intentionally,

And also maybe have a little more fun with storytelling, make it a little easier for yourself, a little lighter for yourself. It won't feel so hard. yeah, 1000%. And I think too, so I usually in my workshops too, I'll do like these prompts I give to people, just things to like think about. like, you're like, hey, I'm really struggling right now of like where to start. Just ask yourself of some questions, just prompts of like, who was somebody that really inspired you in your life? Or what's something funny that just recently happened?

or what adventure did you just take? Or what recent challenge did you have to overcome? These are just everyday questions to ask. What did you do today? What did you do today? You know what I mean? I think a lot of times you just have to really check in with yourself because we're always on this hamster wheel, right? As business owners, we just wear a multitude of hats. We're doing so many different things all the time. And so you have to really just take some time aside just to check in with yourself. Because like I said, there's been times like I...

on the go that I did not realize that has been a story and it comes to me months later. And I was like, wow, cool. That is a story. Yeah. And that's okay that it comes to you later. Yep. And I just hurry up and I log it in my story, like in my notes app, or if I'm like in my Google docs or writing it, if that's easier, like again, any way that you can put together your storytelling library. But yeah, that has absolutely been me where like sometimes things that come months later and sometimes I see it right away. But either way, if I'm like, shoot, I don't have anything, I use one of those prompts.

Candice (31:04.824)

What's going on in my life right now? What happened in work yesterday? What happened in my business yesterday? Right? Like just to start and just write, like just write. You don't have to have like there's, that's what I like to tell people. Just write it out. Just to start, even if you're not a good writer or just record it, right? Just say something. You don't have to use it for social media. This is not to be like, let me think of a hook in this that no, just shoot the shit. That's it. That's how I like to people tell people to start. Just write it out. Doesn't have to be perfect. Nobody cares. Or, you know, record yourself, do a voice note. I don't care.

Just get it out there. And now once it's in your mind, then you want, right? And then you're aware of it. Like, okay, here's a story. This is a rough edit of it. Now go back and revisit it and be like, okay, like what can I pull from this? What's the value I want my audience to take away from this? What steps do I want them to take? Why am I sharing this story? And then it's like, okay, it may not be relevant to you right now. Okay, then move on. Think of something else. You know what I mean? Think of a, go back to a different story and like, see again, like what is, what do I want people to take away from this?

think that's a lot easier than which I have always, you we always hear in marketing of like, yeah, your five categories or whatever, which I there's nothing wrong with that. That just didn't work for me because again, I felt like I was putting myself in a box and having this storytelling library. just gave a amazing just again, permission and just opened it where I can talk about whatever I want to talk about and it can always relate to my business. Yeah, agree. You what I mean?

Storytelling library is great. In fact, I was jotting down some stories the other day. I have a content bank, and it's just ideas of things that I want to talk about, but also stories I feel like it can tell. And today, I'm actually sending an email out, which our listeners would have received promoting episode 144 of the podcast. in the episode, I talk about if your brand needs a facelift. And the story I'm telling in the email is how someday you will see me on Instagram.

bravely showing my new face because I fully intend to get a facelift when I hit a certain age. And I even have like my facelift surgeon picked out. It's the housewife surgeon in New York. Like I know my new face is gonna be, gonna be awesome. And so there comes an age where a woman needs to consider maybe getting a facelift rather than doing the tweak means she's been doing for many years. So anyway, the story that I'm telling has nothing really me having a facelift surgeon picked out has nothing to do.

Candice (33:26.584)

with whether or not it's time for you to rebrand. But in fact, it has everything to do with that because it's how I think. And I know for all my housewives fans out there, all my skincare fans, all my ladies and gents and folks who don't wanna get old, like who don't wanna like, who wanna maintain a youthful look will very much laugh and appreciate my And they'll appreciate it. My story. Absolutely. Like I'm in my mid thirties and so now I've been taking my skincare a lot more serious. like again, I

going to relate to that instantly. And I'm going to be like, my gosh, like I, again, I see myself in the story because I'm thinking the same thing. You know what I mean? And so again, like stories that you just never think your audience would relate to just, think filtering out in those ways of asking yourself those questions. And then you'll really be able to know you just start naturally, just start doing it. Like I can now just make stories off the riff. You know what I mean? Where I'm just like, shoot, I got to post today and I'll just like do something real quick. You know what I mean?

You find a story, but it takes practice. It really doesn't. I'm not perfect. I'm still learning myself and all of my storytelling skills, but you just have to consistently practice and just be open and curious and just look at what's around you. Yeah, 100%. And I feel like for our wedding pros listening, if you still have this hesitancy to look to your own life and your own business and your own personal

endeavors for stories. Just look to your clients, what they're asking you, what they're saying they want, the fairy tales that you're creating or quote unquote, the modern kind of fairy tales that you're creating these days for your clients. One of the places I have been loving for story ideas though is threads. And I feel like threads is a gold mine of content ideas, things that you can talk about. You see what everybody's bitching about or what everybody's on their high horse about over there. And you can

give your own hot take in your own marketing or just use it as a way to add your flavor to the conversation? Yes, 1000%. You just gave me a content idea right now, actually. I love that. We talked about it earlier and I was like, yeah, I should really just talk to people on threads about it where I was like, yeah, like people have been saying lately that they are just like really sick of storytelling and they just want to be sold to. We just talked about that. I'm like, you know what? I should really bring that up and ask people on threads. Why is that?

Candice (35:43.982)

I'm like, that's a content idea right there that I can lean into and just kind of see what people say. But I mean, yeah. you mind exploring that a little bit with us? Because that was something that you and I were just chatting about before we hit record. Yeah, no, I've been finding that because this isn't the first time I've seen it. I also saw it on Instagram. Somebody sent me a story where they're like, I have to share this with you. And another woman, too, was just like, yeah, I don't really care about the journey. Just tells me, can you solve my problem or not? And I think, again, it just really speaks to the fact

People are tired, right? I think we consume so much that people are tired. Our attention spans are a lot shorter and we just don't have the time. And I think like it's no longer enough to be like, yeah, like here are my steps to make six figures in your business. Nobody gives a shit, right? Because like, again, it's, we know now that entrepreneurship is not a one size fit all, it's just not. And so why people are like hating that is it's true because it's not a one size fit all, but what people don't realize we talked about earlier is that.

Well, why are you with this person? I bet you they shared some stories that brought you here. You know what I mean? Again, it's just the way that they're telling it where you may not even realize it's a story. And so again, like this is where the style of storytelling, so like, you know that you have people in this certain type of, that they're at this point in their, the customer journey where they're like, I'm just ready to buy. Then they want data. want - Yeah, make it easy for them to buy. Make it easy for them to buy. that's the type of storytelling that you'd be leaning to is data.

Right? Because you're going to show the word. They want the receipts. They want to know that your process is repeatable and provable. Like, is it going to work for me? So what you're going to do with that, you're leaning into data storytelling. That's still a form of storytelling. It's just short. Client testimonials, even showing what your clients have said about your of storytelling. Exactly. That's another form of So people don't realize, like, well, you're still being fed stories. You know what I mean? So I'm like, I hear what you're saying, but it's just in a different style that's more quicker and it's just giving you what you need when you need it.

that's still a form of storytelling. so like data storytelling has increased stress, a lot of B2B corporate, like even me, a lot of B2B, like I have lean more into data storytelling because I have to provide certain numbers. I have to show a story within the numbers, like, and I'm learning even that right now in this season. So like now it's okay, even to in my business, how do I show that data storytelling piece of like, this is what you're gonna get when you work with, this is the outcome, this is the percentage.

Candice (38:03.51)

Right. And so that's what people want more of. And so I do want to encourage business owners to lean more into that data storytelling. Like, don't be afraid to show those client testimonials, those receipts, because that's what people are craving more than anything right now, I feel like. so, and like I said, a lot of B2B, like look at a lot of companies that that's what a lot of them do. Yeah, I think that those are my, that's my two cents. I had something else that I just like.

No, no, agree with you. And I think for wedding pros, the best data and receipts that you can show are the words that your clients, your past clients or your current clients say about the work that you do. Obviously, your portfolio, your body of work, you actually get to show people what they're buying most of the time as well, which is really one of those superpowers that not every entrepreneur or small business has. So you get to show them that. But relying on your testimonials, your reviews, and it just

also illuminates how as generations begin to change and shift in the wedding industry and we're moving from millennials into Gen Z's, Gen Z customers and couples rely heavily on data and facts and testimonials and information. There is this sense of like cuts of the chase. Tell me what this is going to do for me and if you understand what my problems are and if you're the person to solve them.

establish that for me pretty quickly. And then once I realize if it's a yes or a no, if it's a yes, I'm going to hang out with you and we're going to chill, I'll listen to your stories. If it's not, then I'm piecing out, I'm done. And that's completely fine too, from a business perspective, your information, your data, your receipts, and even your stories can help filter out the wrong people. So when we think about Gen Z and storytelling, well, hold on, let back up for a second.

Because I do want to talk about Storybrand a little bit and this framework that Donald Miller created. It's probably been like 15 years now. I feel like Storybrand's been around a long time. And when it came out, this book by Donald Miller, which I think many of our listeners have read or are familiar with, but I'll just do a very quick summary. It is this book that Donald Miller wrote where it put the customer at the center of the story and not the business. And that was

Candice (40:17.644)

And in essence, it still remains true. Your customers should be at the heart of every story you tell in some way or another. Even when you're talking about yourself, you're trying to relate your life, your experiences to the experiences of the people within your community. But Donald Miller has this framework where it's like the hero of the story is always the customer.

And you are simply the guide that takes that customer from where they are right now in a painful problem and brings them to like the salvation on the other side where life is so much sweeter. My question for you, Akua, because you have followed Story Brand and I know it's likely influenced the work that you do. Do you think that it's still relevant with a Gen Z audience? What are your thoughts? Yeah, I do. I do. I still do. I think, again, like that

that core. That's why I said I think story brand is such a great book foundationally. Like if you're just starting out in your business and storytelling, I think it's really great because I still use that core when I'm creating all of my everyday content. Like you just brought it up. Like even when you're talking about yourself, I'm still making sure that my customer, my target audience at the center again, like why am I sharing this story? What value do I want them to take? That's still that foundational piece. And so I do still think that that

core of that foundation is always going to be true. Like it's always going to work well for you because again, people need to see themselves in your story in order to make the decision that you would like them to make, which is to purchase your products and services. So I absolutely agree. However, I do just think there's a lot of rigidity in StoryBrand, the framework, right? Like there's a lot of rigidity in it. However, foundationally, do think it's, like I said, I do think if you're starting out, it's a great place to start, but I think using that foundation to evolve.

And that's where I think that we have been missing that. And I think that's where people have been getting so over storytelling. So Donald Miller is a huge reason why have the business that I have today. I read his book. I love him. He is wonderful. Right. Like I think. And so you got to go credit where credit is due. And but I just realized, OK, like this is the foundation. But here is what has worked for me as a business owner in regards to my storytelling. I don't always want to have to feel confined.

Candice (42:33.73)

to this specific framework of like a customer has a problem and then here's the pain point and here's how I'm going to solve it. Yes, that's wonderful. And the basis of selling, absolutely, but that's not the only way. No, it's not the only way. It's not. And it's great to be absolved of having to follow that formula rigidly all the time. Yeah, people are going get bored. mean, again, there's different ways to showcase that. And that's why I'm always like your everyday life can showcase that.

It doesn't have where again, it's like not, hey, look at me when you're talking to your target audience. Hey, learn from me. You're I'm bringing you on this journey with me together so you don't have to go through what I went through. This is how I'm going to help you write. Like that's the way that you have to really look at it. then such a powerful story in that, especially if you started your business after planning your own wedding or doing something like that. Mistakes you made is a great way when you're just getting started to leverage some of the marketing storytelling, especially if you don't have a lot of clients yet. So I totally agree.

I'm curious to your thoughts around pain point marketing. mean, I, businesses are in business to solve the problems of its customers, but I think wedding pros are kind of in a unique spot where we don't like, our clients don't necessarily have like all these problems or all these pain points. I mean, the problem is, for instance, you know, they're getting married, they need a photographer. The problem is, is they need to find somebody who's the right fit, right?

So how do we navigate some of the brand story or just storytelling in general when problems aren't necessarily like the center of our clients desire to book the services we offer? Or doesn't, on the face it doesn't feel like it is. Yeah, on the face it doesn't feel like it. And I think that is such a good question because I do feel like even as a whole, which I would love to know your thoughts on this too, just where people are kind of tired of that like,

pain point marketing of just like always, it's almost kind of being viewed negatively. I've been seeing conversations about that. I want to know if you've seen it too. Yeah, I think so. Yeah, I think positive marketing has a large role to play here. I think people want to be sold to, but they want to be sold to in a friendly, nice way.

Candice (44:44.202)

Exactly. Not where they feel like it's anxiety or sense of urgency that I have to have this, otherwise my life is going to be, you know what I mean? Or feel bad about their circumstance. I feel like some people make their, it's almost like they're marketing rags on the customer, making people feel bad about the circumstance they're in. that their in. Yeah, don't particularly like that. Yes. And I do, I have realized that a lot of people are just leaning into more, I've heard ethical or non -urgency type of marketing.

Urgency ever marketing is like kind of where it makes you feel bad. And so I've been hearing like different terms of it. However, I absolutely agree. And I think that's a really great question. And I think for even wedding pros, when you are like, okay, they obviously want a wedding like a photographer, but how am I the good friend? This is where I think you really want to lean into your experience as a wedding photographer. Is there a certain situation, like I said, that you have been in that you can share a story that where it looks like like, where a person in the audience like, I didn't think that that could happen at my wedding. and they already know how to handle it.

You know what I mean? Like those different types of things and not in like a negative way, just say like, hey, like being a wedding pro and like being a wedding planner is just so unexpected at times. Here's like one crazy thing that happened and you know, this is how you made it through. Again, like people are that to me where I'm looking for a photographer, I want to know like, can you not only deliver, but can you handle all the situations that's going to happen during the day? Yeah, that's a big question that gets asked in the consultation process. And I feel like even more so with Gen Z.

They're very smart consumers. They come to conversations already understanding a lot about the questions they should be asking. Sometimes I feel like they know the answers to the questions they're asking. They're just wanting to make sure you do. They're very smart and very smart consumers. And this is because they've done a ton of research to get to this point. And they also have everything at their fingertips, information overload.

Yes, 1000%. Yeah. So they are aware of scenarios that could happen and they may quiz you on them. I think it's also interesting to speak about these scenarios and how you handle them in your marketing. But I will throw in a little caveat. I do feel like sometimes people speak about scenarios in their marketing and it's like, girl, you should not be talking about that in public.

Candice (47:05.484)

Like, what are you doing? Like, you shh, shh? Now, we don't need to know every Everything, yes. Everything. Yeah, I agree. I love that you brought that up because we need to work on boundaries in storytelling. Okay. What are some boundaries in storytelling that we need to observe? Because, I have agreed where I'm like, people are like, yeah, cool, I'm sharing the stories, how's this going? And I'm like, that's not what I meant. That's not what I had in mind. That's not what I had in mind. And I think, and

The right idea is there, but the execution is off. And I think a lot of it is because people, again, it's that misconception that in order to be a good storyteller, you have to be out here telling everybody your damn business. And it just doesn't work that way. If you don't have to sell pieces of yourself in order to get a client, you don't have to dishonor yourself in order to get a client. Not everybody deserves to know everything about your life, because I feel like there's just certain aspects of my story that are just sacred. And I want it to be with somebody that I trust.

a friend, a partner, whatever. You know what I mean? And so even I always share things strategically, right? Like even when I'm going through a hard time in my life, I'm not going to sit there and be like sharing all the nitty gritty details because again, that's when you go now making people feel uncomfortable. And you don't want people to feel uncomfortable, honey. want them to buy from you. You don't want them following you because what you talk about is like

the tea that they're talking about in the group chat. yes, like we have to have some decorum you guys. We have to have, know what I mean? Like let's let and you know, and I think again, really think about those boundaries. And again, I'm not gonna bring back to those three. What is the value where you, if you're thinking about your audience, like think about this, would you really say this to a group of people? Like, like on a stage, would you say that to people? If you know damn well you wouldn't, then don't you dare put that in your content. You know what I mean? But also to just think about like really listen to your body.

as you're talking about certain things, especially if you're wanting to be a little bit more vulnerable. I said, you don't have to be right. have client testimonials, all those different types of things. just think about that. How are you feeling when you're writing certain things out in your storytelling library? Do you feel emotional? Ooh, maybe this triggers a little bit of anxiety, or know what I mean, like that. Then maybe that could be the cue right now that maybe you just don't share that right now until you really find the words of how to strategically share it.

Candice (49:19.714)

there's just different, just really listen to yourself and be like, okay, like maybe I don't want to talk about this. Like I had a client in my storytelling intensive. She is a wedding photographer and you know, she wanted to talk more beyond that obviously, because like again, like we are a holistic human beings, but she wanted to talk about being a mom and how like being a wedding photographer has really impacted that and like all those different types of things. And, but she didn't want to share her child. And I said, great, we can still share stories, stories around that. And we did, we strategically shared stories around her child with.

and still honoring the privacy of her kid. You know what I mean? Those are things that, again, really taking that time to think about what the boundaries are, what your boundaries are, and how you want to honor yourself. Because you matter, and you are the most, especially when you're sharing pieces of your life. Everyday stories are not, or even your clients' lives. Again, honor that. Honor them. And really think about those boundaries and what's OK and what's not OK.

Yeah. I always feel like putting a little distance between you and the story or you and the circumstance. So sometimes we might experience something at a wedding or experience something with a client. And we think, this would make a really good story, even though maybe it's a touch inappropriate to share, or it's just, it's not doing you any favors in attracting a new client.

We're going to put some distance between yourself and the story and then ask yourself in three or four days if the story is still something that you want to share and if it still matters and if it's still meaningful. You can also always run it past your story telling strategist or whomever is a part of your board of directors in your business. But I do want to just touch on that some stories out here are making their way to the group chat and not in a good way. Not in good way, honey. I've seen it.

When we, when Akua and I said that, I know that you listening thought of a person immediately. yeah. We all know what. you're like, is the example. Okay. That is the, so remember that. Akua, this has been so fun. We are out of time and I feel that there's so much more that we could talk about, but you are talking about storytelling.

Candice (51:31.718)

on your podcast and then you also help people tell better stories. So tell our listeners where they can connect with you outside the show to keep the conversation going. yeah, for sure. Definitely come hang out with me on Instagram at AkuaKonadu underscore or my website akuakanadu .com and definitely take my storytelling quiz. What is your storytelling style? And I loved that because I literally poured my heart and my soul into that quiz.

And people like you, Candice, I utilized as like this persona of creating the quiz. So many other business owners in the industry that I know and how we all share our stories differently. And so it's extremely personalized based on the type that you are to really give you some tangible exercises on how you can get started and leaning into your storytelling superpowers. So definitely check out the quiz. my God. I love that. We love a good quiz and we.

had a whole email marketing series here on the podcast and we built quizzes so we know what a great marketing funnel they are and also how fun they are to take. So I will link all of this in the show notes. Akua, thanks for making my Wednesday. Like thanks for hanging out with me today. my gosh, thank you for having me. This was fun. I love it. So thank you.

Yeah, this was so much fun guys. Thanks so much for listening to today. I will link all of Akua's information inside the show notes. Be sure to go connect with her on Instagram, DM her and let her know what you thought of this episode. I know that she would love that and love to hear from you. And I want to remind you there's so much power in your purpose. I'll see you next week. Thanks so much for tuning in to this week's episode of the power and purpose podcast.

If you enjoyed the show, be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode and consider leaving a review. Head over to power and purpose podcast and .com to access all of the resources and links mentioned in today's episode. That's power and purpose podcast .com. see you next time.