Blog
Lessons on creating and telling a founder story, plus in-depth case studies of founders such as Drew Houston (Dropbox), Carley Roney (The Knot), Scott Harrison (charity: water) and Bert Jacobs (Life is Good).
Every post on the Storytelling for Entrepreneurs (S4E) blog is written by Lyn Graft for founders who want a story that helps them raise money, win customers and get press.
Start here
Founder story examples
How Drew Houston used the story of forgetting his thumb drive on a 4-hour bus ride as a catalyst for creating Dropbox, a cloud-based storage solution now used by 400M people
Founder story examples
How Bert and John Jacobs found the three words that changed their business, and why every entrepreneur needs a story.
Founder story examples
How Carley Roney turned her disastrous wedding experience into a narrative that became the foundation for a $130M global brand
Founder story examples
How Scott Harrison went from nightclub promoter to founder of charity: water, and why authenticity has to run through your whole story.
Founder story examples
The 'aha moment' behind the Butler Bag, and how Jen Groover found her story by sharing it.
Finding the idea, the goal and the structure of your founder story.
Creating your story
Great entrepreneurial storytellers rarely have to ask the audience to buy their product, invest in their deal or write about their company.
By Lyn Graft · 1 min read
Creating your story
New Year's Day. That beginning of a new year. Always a great time to start out fresh with a blank slate. It's analogous to creating a story from scratch if you are launching…
By Lyn Graft · 1 min read
Creating your story
Forget the 'Hero' model when it comes to your founders' story. There. I said it.
By Lyn Graft · 1 min read
Creating your story
Your 'why' matters when it comes to telling your startup story. In fact, knowing your 'why' is one of the secrets to great entrepreneurial storytelling.
By Lyn Graft · 1 min read
Attention, the rule of three, visuals, credibility and practice.
Telling your story
“So what.” This is a factor every entrepreneur is going to encounter when sharing your story. Audiences are constantly going to be judging your idea or concept whenever you get…
By Lyn Graft · 1 min read
Telling your story
The beginning of the year is a great time to collect valuable end of year metrics to help see exactly where your business is at.
By Lyn Graft · 1 min read
Telling your story
As an entrepreneur, imagination is one of the most powerful forces you have in storytelling. That’s because imagination is the seed of all great accomplishments.
By Lyn Graft · 1 min read
Telling your story
The rule of 3 in business storytelling is basically a principle that suggests a trio of elements is more effective than the combination of other numbers. But it’s not just in…
By Lyn Graft · 1 min read
Telling your story
The Holidays. Also what I like to call the ‘Season of Storytelling’. Always a great time to spend time with family and friends. And sharpen your storytelling skills.
By Lyn Graft · 1 min read
Telling your story
Get the audience's attention. It's the first thing your story needs to do.
By Lyn Graft · 1 min read
Telling your story
Connection. One of the most important aspects of entrepreneurial storytelling.
By Lyn Graft · 1 min read
Telling your story
An asset often overlooked and rarely used when founders share their story. It's a shame because are a great way to enhance a story.
By Lyn Graft · 1 min read
Telling your story
We all need to practice telling and sharing our story before we share it with the ‘real world’ And there is an ideal #audience for you to share it with that you can access any…
By Lyn Graft · 1 min read
Telling your story
We have all heard that we need to practice telling our story. But rarely are we told that we need to ‘test’ telling our story. In this video I share the difference between…
By Lyn Graft · 1 min read
Telling your story
In this video I’ll break down the primary reasons why you should use them and use a founder’s product to give you an example.
By Lyn Graft · 1 min read
Telling your story
People prefer doing business with people they trust. It gives us comfort and confidence when making a buying decision or deciding to put money behind a deal.
By Lyn Graft · 1 min read
Turning disadvantage into advantage and finding your voice as an underdog.
Telling your story when times are hard
Turning Disadvantage Into Advantage in founder storytelling is a powerful technique all of us have access to as entrepreneurs. But in difficult times,
By Lyn Graft · 1 min read
Telling your story when times are hard
David vs Goliath Story – Why You Need to Change the Rules as a Startup Founder.
By Lyn Graft · 1 min read
Telling your story when times are hard
Controlling the narrative as a startup founder in times of crisis is imperative if you want to make sure and manage the perception of how audiences see you.
By Lyn Graft · 1 min read
Updates, reflections and behind-the-scenes posts.
Notes from Lyn
During the Billionaire Week for Women, I met Melissa "echo" Greenlee, founder of #deaffriendly, that helps advise deaf-friendly businesses, and corrective feedback to…
By Lyn Graft · 1 min read
Notes from Lyn
One year after publishing Start with Story, Lyn looks back on what the book changed, personally and professionally.
By Lyn Graft · 1 min read
FAQ
How to create and tell a founder story, plus in-depth founder story case studies such as Drew Houston and Dropbox, Bert Jacobs and Life is Good, Carley Roney and The Knot, Scott Harrison and charity: water, and Jen Groover and the Butler Bag.
Lyn Graft, founder of Storytelling for Entrepreneurs.
Some are first-hand: Lyn filmed Drew Houston and Carley Roney, and met Bert Jacobs and Scott Harrison. Others draw on public talks and interviews, which are linked in each post.
