Storytelling is an effective way to convey what your business is about. But there is one story that has a special significance.

The Story of Your Company’s Birth is One of Your Most Important Marketing Tools

Founders are often inspired to start a business by a specific personal experience. The story of this experience gives you authenticity. Stories like this act as a magnet for others who share the same values.

Record, refine, and retell your founder’s story. It may become the folklore that inspires your customers and employees for years to come.
– From the Startup Daily

Fans that will evangelize your product are valuable, but customers who invest the time to learn all of your product’s nuances will stick around even longer.

Experts are More Loyal than Evangelists

Evangelists will cheer for you as long as you can hold their attention, experts will cheer forever.

The expert has become internally motivated. For as long as the knowledge stays with them, the expert will seek out new opportunities to put their expertise to use.
– From The Startup Daily

Most business plans are based on banker wisdom—a good understanding of money, markets, and numbers. But be wary of any plan that puts too much distance between the founders and the customers.
– From The Startup Daily

The Best Founders Have a Shopkeeper’s Mindset

Shopkeepers are passionate about understanding the needs of their customers. The numbers have to work, but for a shopkeeper the customer’s experience comes first.

In the long-term, customer-focused innovation trumps numbers-driven innovation every time.

The unexpected will get people to stand up and pay attention, but if you want to keep their attention you need more than just something shocking.

Make Them Say Huh?

To hold someone’s attention, create a mystery. Mysteries create a need for closure. If you can make someone say Huh?, then they will stick around for quite a while to get to the Aha!
– From The Startup Daily

A high energy leader can motivate people, but the gains are short term. This type of motivation is a manipulation, and it does not inspire loyalty.

Energy Motivates but Charisma Inspires

This is the difference between Steve Balmer and Bill Gates.

A charismatic leader doesn’t need to be high energy and he doesn’t need to be a great public speaker. Charisma comes from having conviction and an unwavering belief in something larger than yourself. It comes from understanding why what you are doing matters and being able to share that vision with others.
– From The Startup Daily