Confidently Share Your Story for Business Growth

Hey y'all, I am so excited for this episode because I am sharing with you how to really use your story to create an amazing brand that makes it easy for you to market, sell with ease, without stress. And I get this question often around how do I tell my quote unquote story? What does that even mean? Or what does that even look like? And so I'm going to share with you in this episode how you can build confidence around sharing your story and using it as a way to create a really unique, easy way to attract your ideal clients to make sales, even though you are flaring up and dealing with life. But before I get into that, I want to shout out one of these amazing reviews that you guys have been sharing and like posting. And I just want to thank you all for your reviews because it really does help me know what to talk about, know what kind of things to continue to do more of. And I'm so excited to share some of these with you all and just kind of bring you in even more so into the circle of Crafted to Thrive. One of these reviews is from AKD. Thank you so much for leaving a review. This is a 5-star review and it says, very encouraging and informative. I am impressed with the empathy and encouragement you hear in Nikita's voice. Not only does she speak from experience, but she helps you feel motivation because you know you can do this. You can succeed despite chronic illness. So refreshing to know every podcast episode is going to be packed with valuable tips I can use in my business and life. Thank you so much for that review. I'm glad you're motivated. I'm glad you're also finding tools to help you do this entrepreneur journey as a chronic illness warrior, and I'm so thankful for you for being a listener. So this is a shout out to say, if you haven't left a review, please go and share it, because this is the best way we can grow this community so that more of you can be served around growing your business with a chronic illness. All right, you guys, we're about to hop right on into this episode.

Welcome to Crafted to Thrive, the globally ranked podcast for entrepreneurs living with chronic illness. I'm your host, Nikita Williams, and after being diagnosed with multiple chronic illnesses myself, I figured out the surprisingly simple missing links to growing a profitable business without compromising my health. Since then, I've helped dozens of women just like you learn how to do the same. If you're ready to own your story and create a thriving business that aligns with your health and well-being, you're in the right place. Together, we're shifting the narrative of what's possible for entrepreneurs with chronic illness. This is Crafted to Thrive.

All right, y'all, so welcome back. I know you didn't go anywhere, but today's episode is really about sharing your journey as a powerful tool in your marketing and sales system. So oftentimes I find a question around from my clients and from people that I talk to that's always like, what does it mean to share your story? Like, how do you do that so that it's not just you talking about yourself and it's not just like you talking about what it is that you do and your offers and all of that jazz. How does this serve people that you want to work with? Like, how does it attract people to work with you. And for years, I kind of was trying to figure that out myself. Honestly, I was trying to figure out how do I help my clients and myself to share our stories with more ease so that we feel more confident, right? I feel like when we are able to articulate our story so that it serves our ideal client, therefore attracting them almost like a magnet to us, we never feel, we never feel salesy. We never feel like we're forcing anything. We always feel like we're coming from this place of service because we're sharing the things that have helped us, that we would have wished and begged for someone to tell us, right? To give us a hand up. Like if we didn't have to go through the pain of figuring out some of these things and someone just said, hey, here's my story and here's how it can help you. Wouldn't it be nice, right? And I have experienced this so much in my life as a chronic illness warrior. I'm so thankful for the people who show up and share their story because they've given me the golden nuggets that have helped me find healing, find tools and resources, and have questions and feel empowered and be a good advocate for myself and even for my friends and family when they're in need of help. And so when we're coming from this, and you guys know, I talk a lot about foundation, which to me is really the intention of why we show up, why we do what we do. It becomes a lot easier. It also becomes a lot easier to convert folks, right? And I, I don't like using like these terms that people use too much in marketing, but it really does allow people to make a decision with so much less trepidation. You know, it's so much easier for them to say yes because of this. So I really want to show you how to do this step by step in this episode, because I believe, and I know that this has been the reason why my clients and myself have had dry spells and gone from like making no money to making $3,000 in one month to making $10,000 in one month to making $100,000, right? And so To me, this is a skill every chronic illness warrior needs to have. And here's something I want to kind of put out there for a second. I totally get that sometimes sharing your story feels scary, right? You don't want people to know all your business. You also don't want to feel like you're being boastful or prideful. And I don't believe if you have this trepidation about doing that, that is actually going to happen. It's kind of almost like I tell my clients, the fact that you're so dreadfully scared of being salesy, you won't even get close to that. Like, you won't even get in the same hemisphere to be salesy, right? So that's what I want you to think about when I talk about sharing your story. And also, one of the things that I truly believe, working with my clients, is defining what sharing your story means for you that creates safety. So in this context of what I'm going to share with you now, you're gonna learn how you kind of— I'm really giving you the steps to create the safety that you need to feel comfortable to choose the things you decide to share with that really does align with who you're wanting to serve, who you're wanting to work with, and it doesn't feel icky like you told all your business. Okay, so here we go. This is in what I call, like, I have a 4-step really simple system on how to articulate your story. But this is the first step here that I'm going to share with you today. This alone will help you create content easier. This alone will help you to see social media easier. This alone, if you're going to use what I call my framework, which is creating long-form content to help you grow your business, this framework alone will work as a podcast, will work in Blogging will work in YouTube videos or even Instagram Lives or Facebook Lives if you're doing that. Knowing this skill of sharing your story will help you. So I want you to remember that the moments that have shaped you, the highs, the lows, the turning points, the confusion, the wonder, the excitement are all things that kind of converge into your why. And they are part of the reason why you do what you do. And guess what? Your why becomes for your client, their how. And I had an episode talking about this, so I'm not going to go so deep into this, but basically when you're really clear on your why and how, when you're really clear on your why, the people that want to work with you want to work with you because of your why and how you came about doing and delivering this service, right? It's not, these demographics that are like, what state do people live in and how old are they and yada, yada, yada, which I talk about in the episode. But really it's about finding an aligned value system that people are like, she gets me so well, right? And she also feels like I could totally get down with her. I can listen to her, I can take her advice. I also know she might kick my butt every now and then, and I'm okay with that because I know we're kind of aligned in the things that we want. So go to the episode, I'll put a link to that in the show notes, but your journey as a person, as a business owner, can really give people evidence or basis for knowing that you can help them, right? So I want you to take a moment and think about the dreams, the challenges, and those really big defining moments. You guys have heard them often for me on my show. One of my like defining moments was when my good friend, coach, spiritual sister basically told me that things could get better and I didn't have to like be in this dark place, right? I could see and hope for things getting better. And just that belief in me, just that love in me, I borrowed that from her and it literally changed the course of my life in so many ways. So remember those nights that you were literally sleeping in bed, or not even sleeping, you were like on the edge of bed feeling like all of this anxiety, like a weight on your chest, and you've been worried about what is coming up the next day, right? You like sleep and then you're like, are you like, you lay down and then you feel like, oh my gosh, why do I feel like an elephant is on my chest? Those moments when you're questioning everything, you're wondering all of the things, or the days where it feels like you climbed Mount Everest and you only did one or two things, right? What about the things that comes to your business where you had to figure it out? You had to do the hard stuff. You had to invest in the courses, you had to invest in the coaches, and you learn so much, not just about the tool or the program or your services, you learn so much about you because you put yourself outside of a comfort zone, or you push yourself in a comfort zone that you're already in to expand your ability to be better, right? Sharing these type of moments with your audience is like holding up a mirror to the people you want to work with. Like, you can just imagine— have you ever been listening to a podcast or reading a blog post and you just feel your head nodding and you're like, this story's resonates with you even though it is not your story. It almost transplants you into a part of your life or a place in your life in the past or in the present that feels like this person is talking to me, right? That is the power of storytelling. That is the power of connecting with your audience beyond the— you get this You get that, you get 25 images, you get 2 hours of virtual assistant hours, or you get to work with me one-to-one every week in our coaching calls and we'll talk for 60 minutes. This goes way beyond that, right? This is more than just telling your story from a context of strategy and like helping people to be attracted to you. It is healing. Okay, like, it is so healing to be able to articulate the journey that you've been on that has led you to today, to see how far you've come, just to say it out loud, just to experience what it feels like to say all the things you've accomplished. And it's beautiful, really, because you get to kind of see yourself in a different view. But remember, a lot of this that I'm talking to you about, nobody knows yet. Right? These are just things, you know, these are just kind of the things that are kind of sitting in the back of your head or in your journal somewhere, and nobody knows, and that's okay. But what I'm going to share with you today is how to do this in a way that you can use your story as like the sugary dust on your favorite cupcake. Okay, don't worry, so I'm thinking about cupcakes is A good friend of mine was telling me, who's in the hospital right now, who's like, I love cupcakes. I'm like thinking about bringing her one. But anyway, the marketing magic of your story, or the mark— the marketing power of your story, is really knowing how to connect the dots between your story and what you do or how you solve problems. Real stories foster real trust. There's no gimmicks. This is just you being real, being authentic, right? The other thing that happens and is happening when you learn how to tell your story is that it really does connect to your, your audience's hearts and not just their mind. They're not just going to be learning about how to do something. They're going to be involved in how you are doing the do something and they will remember. People remember stories. We all do. This is basically how we all learn. And so this is just driving into the psychology behind sharing stories and how they connect us to each other. The other most important thing I think your story creates in any market is helping you to be different, for people to learn the nuances of the different things that are happening in your life. This helps them to see you differently. I will never forget one of my clients came to me and she was like, I don't have chronic illness, but I love that you have a background in photography and that you kind of have pivoted out of that, even though I don't want to. But I feel like you had to have a really good, you know, gate on how you are and who you are in order to feel okay with like, that was a part of me. It's still a part of me and shift into something else and not have anxiety and worry and all of these things like stop you and how you're all about the like, be intentional, go slow to go fast. And that's what attracted her to me, right? It's not that I'm a coach and I have chronic illness. It was literally something else that is a unique thing to my own journey, right? So she wouldn't have known that unless I had shared it. The other thing is when you share your story, it means that you're basically creating a clear brand. There's no mixed messages really happening because it's your story and it's very unique to you. It's kind of like how I believe business is personal. This is a standard of belief that I really tell my clients because so many people talk about business is business. But for those of us who have chronic illness or any other life hurdles and the reason why we started our business, right, was so that we can have more freedom and flexibility, create impact, and, you know, contribute to our households and our families and give and be generous. The reason why we started our businesses and the reason why we probably do the things that we do, like our services, is very personal. And also, we're the kind of people that brings our personal stuff into our business without even realizing it. So that's a belief of mine. That's a core belief of mine, a core belief that I talk to my clients. And these beliefs are the things that literally help me to help them discover where their mindset might be getting in the way of what they're doing. But that is a part of my unique story that I hold dear. And I don't hear a lot of people talking about business is personal. I usually get kind of funny eyes when I say that, right? So what's your kind of branding, your kind of value or thought process or belief about the industry that you're in. That is a part of your story. Also, this helps you with content creation. If you ever feel stuck with your content, diving into your story is so powerful. The other thing that your story helps you to do is to attract and resonate with the people. Find your tribe. We hear this all the time. I've kind of talked about this already. Also, it makes you memorable— not memorable. It helps you be memorable. I cannot say that, y'all. Y'all know when it's like when I say cinnamon, synonym cinnamon. Anyway, it's like it makes you easy to know and remember and to share with others, right? It makes it easy for you to create what I call your free sales marketing team. They will think of you when they talk to someone that makes them think of you, right? When, when you're talking to a friend, you're like, oh my gosh, I think I know the perfect podcast for you or the perfect business coach for you or the perfect whatever business because of something that they said that triggered your thoughts, your memory about a story that you heard from this person or this company. Also, your story helps marketing feel smoother, feels a lot more easy, and also attracts your people more, more naturally. That's the word I'm looking for. It helps your, helps your people be magnetized to you more naturally. And that's what I love, right? It's not like, and it's sustainable. It's not like necessarily like a stampede. I, I recently heard an illustration and I love this, like thinking about like Taylor Swift and Beyoncé and even Celine, Celine, you guys know I love that, and Jennifer Lopez. You guys know I love Jennifer Lopez. They all kind of started with twinkling audiences that kind of found that they really liked them, right? It wasn't like one day they showed up and then bam, they had these sold-out shows every single time. No, they attracted their people. Over time, building this long-term sustainable business model for them. And that's the power of your story as well. So how do we get— I want you to answer some of these questions. These are some questions that I like to ask my clients to think about when they're getting ready to kind of just like figure out what is their story. Like, how do I even talk about this? Here are some prompts that might help you right now. What struggles have you overcome? What were you looking for or missing at any point or any given moment in your life? Now, a lot of these questions too, let me preface this, can be used for your personal life or your business life, right? For the service or offer that you do. This is just something to kind of ground you. What hardships have you faced in your journey? What or who has impacted you in your life? What did you, or what do you want? What did you hope for or thought could never even happen? Right? So these are just a couple of questions to kind of prompt you and to get you rolling. And then when you kind of dive deep into this, I want you to dive even deeper, right? I want you to get ready practicing after you kind of written those answers to those prompts. Like if you're gonna use content to deliver this, either write it in, write the full story all together with those questions, write them all down. If you're going to be like a blogger, if you're a videographer and you're going to like spend time taking video, record yourself just talking through these questions. We're not gonna, we're not gonna post any of this stuff. This is just for you. This is building confidence and helping you hear out loud some of the nuggets that either you're so excited to share or the ones you want to keep to yourself. Same thing if you have a podcast, record yourself talking about these stories. Okay, now what about your business? What are your biggest regrets in business, if you have any? What are your most significant business goals? And how have you already achieved them, or how are you planning to achieve them? What has been your biggest win in business and in life? How did you celebrate? Was it hard to celebrate, right? What was your biggest challenge in your business? How did you overcome it? Who did you ask for help? These are all questions that you can use to ask yourself to kind of pull the story out of you. And my last and favorite thing, which is going— I'm going to tell you why this last is my favorite, is because it really brings it all the way home. When you decide on what things you want to share and how it serves your audience to attract them like a magnet. Okay, so when you think about your story, what concepts, thoughts, mindset shifts, tools, resources, places, people did you lean into or discover that helped you to create the life and your business transformations, right? So you all know a part of my story is that a good friend came into my world and essential oils changed my life. They changed my business. I still use them to this day with my clients. It's the thing that I help create safety and grounding when they're feeling overwhelmed or stressed or anything like that. It literally is like a part of me, is a part of me. So what are some of those things for you? It could be— I have found some of my clients, like I have one client, I'm just thinking about her because I talked to her today. One client has been in the environment her whole life. Nature was her backyard, right? And she's all about nature and, and community and foraging and protecting the planet and the animals and all of those things. And that all of those resources helped during different stages of her life. And she has different concepts and thoughts about those things that made things better for her or made her to view things differently than some, right? So what are yours? And as I mentioned, what thoughts, beliefs, and values do you believe that are different from mainstream? Like different from the normal people. Like I mentioned, like for me, business is personal, totally 100%. Even if I didn't have a business, I believe business is personal. Behind those numbers that people are looking at on whatever corporate background, whatever thing they're at, there are people behind those numbers. I recently was talking to someone about a company who is about to integrate some more security features into their business, and they're going about it by talking to the people who are actually working with their customer base. And I was like, that's great because they will be affected the most by these, you know, security things. And what I find in most companies, and we've all experienced this, that sometimes these companies grow so big that they're making decisions and not realizing how they affect the people that they're working with or they're serving. So even when you're thinking about numbers on a corporate grand scale. Business is personal, right? It's not just a numbers game. These things are affecting people's lives. So that's a big mainstream for me. My other thing that I truly believe is that people help people grow, and you can't do it without genuine connection. And that takes time, and that's okay, because when it happens, when it happens, when that synergy and that power happens, It is a powerful bond that no matter what, a pandemic or internetageddon where we don't have that, you have people you can reach out to and your business and other things in your life will still grow and thrive. Those are my things. What are yours? And so here's where I'm going to share with you how to create your stories keys. So what are the 3 to 4 main vital pillars that made what you have possible today. Think of things as bridges from one place in your life to another, from one circumstances to another. In other words, what 3 to 4 things did you have to understand and embrace in order to have gotten to where you are today? Now, when you think about this, I want you to think about it and decide What are you comfortable with sharing and how does this serve your clients? And then sprinkle all of this juicy goodness into your content. And one last thing that can help you to do this, to feel more confident. And I know as chronic illness warriors, this is a little hard to do, to feel confident about our story because it's kind of like a roller coaster and it feels like a hot mess, but it can be used with finesse. Okay. When you get a second, exercise over and over again, sharing your life and your business stories with the pieces that feel good and natural to you. So whether that's showing up on an Instagram Live, writing a blog post, doing a YouTube video, or doing a podcast, share it a bit more. The more you share your story and sprinkle in your story, the easier it will become. You'll eventually want to sprinkle this into different other marketing avenues like your email, or if you're marketing with email, you could use an email on your social media content, things like that. But when you develop and learn how to use this skill, here's what's possible. What I love working with my clients when they learn this and we work through this, this is a pillar, y'all. When they feel stuck, we're, we're going back and being like, okay, what's, what were some of the core problems and situations that you had to go through? What if you were to look back at and give yourself like a mirror into your— or a window or a movie film and rewind and go back and like see it, what would have helped you, right? What, what would have made all of the difference? That's what the people want to know. Even though it was simple, like so simple, you, you don't even realize it was simple. But really kind of doing this work has helped my clients to really get comfortable in creating content and sharing their stories. Every single client, client that I've worked with who works on this framework has increased their engagement, their income, and they have made less stress on how they show up in marketing their business. So this is one tool and skill to help you to show up in your business, make connections, and attract your clients with ease. All right, y'all, that's it for this episode. I'm so excited. I hope this was helpful. If you have any questions, feel free to head up to the DMs or whatever on Instagram at Crochet to Thrive and let me know. Or if you're like, Nikita, this was a lot, or this was great, but I want some help implementing this so that I can feel more confident and more at ease talking about my story, book a connection call with me. At the link in the show notes. When you book a connection call, we can talk about whatever things are getting in the way of your business and make a plan specifically for you. That's a wrap, y'all.

Thanks for tuning in to Crafted to Thrive, the podcast that helps entrepreneurs with chronic illness to thrive and build a holistic business and life. Check out our website at craftedittothrive.com for this episode's show notes and all the gifts and goodies. Connect with me on Instagram at Thrive with Nikita for more tips and behind the scenes and more. Tag me to share what you loved about this episode and I'll feature you on an upcoming episode. So until next time, remember, yes, you are crafted to thrive.