Storytelling for Business Growth — The 5-Part Framework That Makes Sales Grow | Bill Blankschaen

Business owners don’t need a “perfect” story—just a structured one. Bill Blankschaen (StoryBuilders) shares a 5-part storytelling framework to make any message matter, build credibility, and turn your story into impact, influence, and income. 

If you’ve ever thought “my story isn’t that interesting”—this episode will change how you see your experiences (and how you use them to grow your business).

Michael D. Morrison sits down with Bill Blankschaen, founder and Chief StoryArchitect of StoryBuilders, a team that helps entrepreneurs and thought leaders turn their ideas into brand stories, books, and learning experiences that increase impact, influence, and income. 

Bill breaks down a simple, proven storytelling model you can use immediately—whether you’re:

• selling a service
• pitching an idea
• leading your team
• speaking on stage
• or just trying to explain what you do in a way people actually remember

In this conversation, you’ll learn:

• Why most business owners undervalue their story (Bill calls it the “normalcy trap”)
• How to make your story impactful without exaggerating or getting “too dramatic”
• The 5-part framework that makes any message matter: Attention → Tension → Connection → Solution → Action
• How to identify your core audience so your message lands with the right people
• The real value of a book as a credibility and business-building tool—and why a book should be as long as it needs to be (no magic number)
• What it typically takes to publish a book (and why “30-day AI books” can backfire long-term)

Bill also shares the concept of a “story ecosystem”—how your message can evolve from a brand story into a book and then into IP (courses, workshops, coaching, and more).

Chapters

• 0:00 Meet Bill And The Big Pivot
• 2:23 Leaving A School To Chase Story
• 5:20 Fear, Faith, And The First Book Deal
• 9:00 Breakthrough Begins With Your Story
• 11:06 Why Owners Undervalue Their Stories
• 13:30 Familiar Yet Fresh: The Disney Lesson
• 16:25 Make It Matter By Knowing Your Audience
• 19:00 Story Everywhere: Not Just For Books
• 20:05 The Five-Part Story Framework
• 24:25 Connection Through Lived Examples
• 27:45 Solution And Action That Stick
• 30:10 Ad Break: Boss Loans And Coaching
• 31:25 Book Length, Purpose, And Strategy
• 35:10 Authority, IP, And The Story Ecosystem
• 39:28 The Publishing Paths And Timelines
• 43:10 Writing Solo Vs. With A Team

Transcript

SPEAKER_01: 0:00

Welcome to another Small Business Pivots where we have special guests from around the world, and we have one from the sunny state of Florida today. And as you know, if you listen to the show at all, I let the business owner introduce themselves and their business because no one can do it like them. So, my friend, go ahead and introduce yourself and your business, and let's get started.

SPEAKER_00: 0:23

Well, Michael, a privilege to be here. Bill Blankchain is who I am in terms of my name, but I thought I'd, if you don't mind, I'll tell a story that'll help take the listeners to who I am and how I became that, really. Um, and I'm I'm gonna start back uh oh about 14 years ago. I was uh previous my previous life, as I call it, I helped to start a private school and was leading a private school for about a dozen years. Uh, I was doing really good work, helping make the world a better place, uh, working with kids, getting hugs from kindergartners every morning and helping teenagers navigate the next season of life and families and all that. But yet inside of me, I began to feel stuck. Like there was this sense of a deeper calling within me that I wasn't touching. You see, for most of my life, I had thought of myself as a writer, but I wasn't writing. You know, I had thought of myself as a storyteller, but I wasn't really telling stories. And so I eventually came to the place where I realized, you know, either I need to let go of this calling within me and just put it aside and just focus on what I'm doing, running a school, or I need to let go of the school and pursue this calling. And ultimately, otherwise I thought, you know, I'm gonna regret this. I'm gonna look back years later and regret it. And I didn't want that to happen. So uh I stepped out, stepped away from the school, stepped in this direction. Uh, we had six kids. Uh, we went a year with no income going through this process. Wow. Uh, but I never worked harder in my life. You know, I was creating uh book ideas and developing book proposals and talking to publishers, everybody in the storytelling industry, just learning, growing, sucking it all up. Um, and I became almost a student of the art and science of storytelling and really focused in on that. Um, but you know, it it was not easy by any stretch of the imagination. If you can imagine six kids, no income. There were a lot of times that I was wondering, what on earth are we doing? I can't imagine what your family was thinking. Yeah, yeah. Well, they were super supportive, but you know, I just had this probably irrational fear that, hey, if I what what the worst that could happen, what if we end up, you know, living out of a cardboard box under a freeway somewhere because it didn't work out. And I remember one day in particular, uh, I was living in northeast Ohio at the time. One day in particular, I'm sitting in the backyard. It's a beautiful spring Ohio day. The birds are singing, the sun's shining, the winds kind of you know drifting by. And I'm sitting there with a pen and a paper working on a book idea, trying to develop that. Uh, and so on the outside, I remember thinking everything is just beautiful here. And on the inside, though, I've got all these fears that I'm wrestling with. All this, I don't think this is gonna work. What if this fails? What if, what if, what if, what if all these things? And it was like this, Michael. It was like I had this idea that it was like I was sitting in the middle of a road at the bottom of a steep hill. And the road coming down the steep hill at me. On that road, there was this tractor trailer semi-truck loaded with steel, like barreling down toward me as I'm sitting at the bottom of the hill and with no brakes, right? So it was like there's no way it could stop. We were, it was not gonna be pretty, something bad was gonna happen. And all I could do was sit in the middle of that road and do what I felt called to do, like what I believed to be true for me to be doing and write and develop that. Uh, and that's what I did. I just I kept moving forward. As it turns out, the very book idea I was working on that day ended up being picked up by a publisher. And it proved to be a real pivot point for me because it I realized as I wrote the book that I'm actually really good at this. I'm really good at writing books. I'm really good at taking ideas and turning them into this story form and engaging. And then other people began to ask me, hey, can you help me with my book? Can you do that? You know, suddenly I realized, you know what? I think I think we can actually help a lot of people here while I'm doing what I love to do and helping get those stories out to the world. And so, you know, for the last 12 plus years, that that's what we've been doing. We've we've helped people with big names like uh Lewis Howes and John Maxwell and Dean Graziosi and all these bigger names, but also a lot of people who are, you know, uh coaches, consultants, entrepreneurs, business professionals, thought leaders in various ways helped take their message and turn it into something powerful that they can really build a business around and increase their impact, their influence, their income through that. Because what I realized through that whole experience was this. I realized that my breakthrough began when I started with my story. When I was like, hey, what is what is the story I want to tell? This is what it is, this is the story I want to live. I'm gonna lean into that and share my story going forward. And I think the same thing is true for everybody. That breakthrough begins when you have that courage to start with your story and lean into that and build something around that. So that's a little bit of that's a that's a long introduction of who I am and and what we do, but hopefully that gives a little bit of the context and the story behind it.

SPEAKER_01: 5:33

Absolutely. Well, let's just dive in because storytelling is a big uh thing that people don't think about. And for most uh business owners, when I asked, tell me your story, they can wrap it up in about 30 seconds. So but to tell a good story, how do you how do you mold that so it's interesting, it is impactful, like you said.

SPEAKER_00: 5:55

Yeah, well, I think there's a couple ways of thinking about this. One is well, we use our our storytelling structure, which we created to it's a proven storytelling model based on millions of years or thousands of years of storytelling uh techniques. So it's not, it's not it, it's it's a solid foundation that you can leverage that. And if you want, we can talk through the different parts of that. Um, but I think the the first part of that even is recognizing the value of our stories. And by what I mean by story, I don't just mean what's happened to you, the events that have happened to you. I mean the lessons you've learned from that, your successes, your failures, your credentials, your this whole body of wisdom that we accumulate as we go through life. And and I think that that we often undervalue that. We don't see the value of that because it we fall into what I call the normalcy trap. It just feels normal to us, and therefore we think it probably isn't very valuable to somebody else because it it feels normal to me. Right. And then we share it with somebody and a light bulb goes on. And they're like, oh, you too? Oh, I didn't that's awesome. I didn't know that. I can learn from that, right? And I so I think it really is a lot about having the courage to share our stories in the first place. And then I think overcoming overcoming uh this other barrier and understanding the the connection continuum. And what do I mean by that is, you know, think of Walt Disney. Uh, what what made him such a good storyteller was he didn't try to come up with something amazingly fresh and new that nobody had ever heard of. Instead, he found proven stories that were already out there that he knew people were drawn to, and then he gave them a fresh twist or a fresh perspective. So he took the familiar and he put a little fresh to it, and he had a story that people connected to. They were drawn to it. Um, you know, a good example is uh Beauty and the Beast is a more modern rendition, or Snow White. You know, Snow White was Walt's first big one. It wasn't a new story, it had been around for as a fairy tale for a long time, right? It was a proven story, and he took it, put his own spin on it. Beauty and the Beast, another one more recently, right? There's a tale that's been around for hundreds of years, and what Disney did was they put their own fresh take on it. And I think people need to understand that is they don't need an amazingly crazy fresh story that nobody's ever heard of. In fact, that can alienate people. If it's too fresh and too different, there's uh it creates a disconnect. Now, on the other hand, if it's too familiar, if it sounds just like everybody else's story, then that feels that creates the sense of like it's a duplication. I've heard this before. But when you find that middle ground and that connection continuum, that's where people really start to be drawn in to our stories and where they start to resonate with it, they start listening to it because it feels familiar and yet fresh all at the same time.

SPEAKER_01: 8:46

How does someone turn their story to be impactful? Because I hear a lot of people try to tell their story and it's just like as simple as well, I went to the grocery store, bought some groceries, went home, put them in the shelves. Who wants to hear that? How is that impactful? So I know a lot of us you talked about the normalcy. Our stories are normal to us because we witnessed them. And for a lot of people, they're like, Well, no one's interested in my story. Yeah. How do we make it interesting or impactful? Turn those things into impactfulness. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 9:16

Well, I think you you put your finger on it when you said it feels normal to us, right? So we have to understand that the story that we're telling to the rest of the world is about us, but it is not for us. Right. So, whatever it's that story we're telling, we have to get clear on who our ideal audience is. And I talk about this in great detail in my book, Your Story Advantage, to help equip people to get clear on their audience. Because when you understand that, that changes how you tell your story. I mean, think about it yourself. The story you just said, you know, I went home, put groceries, and did this and that. You would tell that story differently to a seven-year-old than you would to a 70-year-old. Right. It would be in is it an old friend? Is it a fellow entrepreneur? Is it, you know, um, you know, somebody you met at church or a social event or something? That story, we automatically tell that story a little differently. And but when it comes to our businesses and our brands and so forth, often we don't think who is who exactly is my audience and who's at my audience at the core? You know, I talk about the ideal audience as kind of three circles, like at the core, who is that that I'm talking to? And then there's a secondary audience that, all right, they're in the neighborhood. And then there's a third audience that, all right, they might be drawn in or attracted, but they're not who I'm really pursuing. You have to get crystal clear on that core. Who are the people that I'm speaking to? Like at Story Builders, we're really wanting to work with entrepreneurs and business professionals, thought leaders who feel like they've got a message we're sharing with the world, but they want to, they need help elevating that. They need help getting it into the form of a book or brand story or IP development. Right. And so we're not, you know, trying to pursue a bunch of other uh people at that time. Now, along that way, we're gonna meet other people who maybe they don't quite fit in that box, but we can help them too. Um, but we're not trying to, you know, help people who are way outside of that and and are just don't really have that interest in that. So getting that core focus becomes really critical to shaping what parts of your story you're sharing, how you're sharing it, either for your organization or your personal brand or your message. That whole that same process applies, although it gets applied a little bit differently through each one of those. And that's what I walk through in the book is how do you do that in each one of those uh different areas?

SPEAKER_01: 11:33

It's interesting because just not too long ago, myself, I wondered why I would ever need to tell a story. When would I ever use that? And then it didn't dawn on me because I do public speaking. So yeah, storytelling is a big thing in public speaking. So I started picking up some books, and some of these books have reminded me like you tell stories at the family dinner, uh, you tell them in sales, like it you don't have to be a book to tell your story, it can it can be anywhere, just more interesting and impactful. So for those that are on here going, I'll never write a book, it's not about just books, it's it's just storytelling the impact that they can have.

SPEAKER_00: 12:14

Yeah. And in fact, I devote a whole chapter to this, and and we give away a resource in the book, the free resource in the book that people can use to message anything in a way that will make it matter. Let's say you're a leader talking to your employees about something or your team about something, you're like, all right, how do I position this? That storytelling structure gives you that proven formula for exactly how to do that. How do you think through it intentionally? Rather than just, oh, I got to say something, I'll just blurt it out there. And no, it let's be intentional about it. Uh and let's think through the five parts of that. If that's right, Michael, let me just talk through the parts. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01: 12:48

That's where I was going.

SPEAKER_00: 12:50

Yeah, because I think this will be really helpful. Uh, the five parts at a big picture are attention, tension, connection, solution, and action. And so I'll walk through each one of these. The first one is attention. If that that's about how do you get someone's attention to make them actually want to hear what you have to say. We often assume that because I'm talking, everybody must want to listen, right?

SPEAKER_01: 13:14

But that's simply not the case. Just because you have the floor, no one cares.

SPEAKER_00: 13:18

Yeah, exactly. It's almost like positional leadership. Just because you have the title doesn't mean anybody's following you, right? So uh when it comes to attention, the key question to ask there is what do they want? Right? What your employees and your communication, what do they want? Your customers, what is it that they want? Your family at the dinner table, what is it they want? You know, so you start with that position, and then the tension is really what's keeping them from getting what they want. What are what are the challenges? What are their fears? What are their concerns? I literally just had this happen, a communication today in our own, our own company as storybuilders, where I was communicating something uh to someone. And as I was going in advance of that, thinking, you know, they're gonna have this concern, they're gonna have this fear as as a mom and as a family and so forth. And so as I presented the message I was presenting, I I called that out. Like I talked about it and I presented it, and they were nodding, yes, yes, you get me, you understand me, we're connected here, right? So it positioned us in a really powerful way. And I think a lot of people um kind of gloss over the tension portion because they think, oh, I don't want to talk about the problems, I don't want to talk about the potential challenges that are here. That's kind of awkward. But it's in those awkward places where that's where people live. You know, they they they are very much familiar with the challenges they're feeling and the fears and concerns. And there's a there's a lot more depth to each one of these, but that leads to that third step, which is connection. All right, right. So the first question is what do they want? What challenges do they face? And the third question is connection, which is why should they listen to you?

unknown: 14:55

Right.

SPEAKER_00: 14:56

And it isn't just because you're the boss that that doesn't actually motivate them to listen to you, right? But why should they listen to you? And I think there's there's two components of this. First, they want to know that you get it, you get the pain, you get the struggle that they've had, you get the challenges that they're going through. And this is where your story begins to come into play because you can hearken back to where was the time when I felt something similar? When did I deal with something similar? Um, you know, let me let me just share this example with you, something I've used at Storybuilders many times. Um, during that season, when I had stepped out from the school, we had no income. How are we going to pay the bills? Uh, we did have a few assets. I'll call them assets, but um, one of them was a massive John Deere backhoe tractor that had been left in our backyard by the previous owner of our house, just left there, and it was rusting. And uh me and Mechanical don't get along, so I could never figure out how to make it work. Uh, and I was sitting one day out there, you know, thinking and praying about how we're gonna pay the bills. And I looked at that thing and I'm like, you know, it's got all kinds of parts on it. I bet, I bet it's worth something to somebody somewhere. And we could sell this thing. Um, and I was praying about that, and I was this was on a Thursday morning, and I was like, you know what, I would love to have is to have that thing out of here in two days for a thousand dollars. That would be a help. That'd be great if we could just get that out of here. And as I thought about that and prayed about that, I realized in order for that backhoe tractor, massive tractor, to leave our property, it was gonna have to come over a little creek that ran through our backyard. And there was a wooden bridge over it. And it was about a 14-foot uh expanse that it was gonna have to go over. And I realized, all right, if I'm serious about that, if I expect that thing to be out of here in two days, it's gonna have to go over that bridge. Is that bridge ready for it? And I realized it's not. And so the message that I got from that was I need to brace the bridge. I need to shore up that bridge if I'm expecting this to take place. And so I share that with the family, with the family, my business family all the time, the story builder's family. I've shared it often at times when it was like, all right, if we expect X, then we need to do Y. Right. If we expect this to happen, we need to brace the bridge. It's the brace the bridge story. They all know it by now, right? It so we need to brace the bridge. It's all I have to do now is hey, I think we I think we should brace the bridge. And they're like, oh, that story, got it. I I get the message. Uh as a matter of fact, two days later, Saturday, that thing left our yard, came over that bridge that we had braced for a thousand dollars, right? So so that that was like, but if I hadn't braced the bridge, it couldn't have made it over. Right, right. So that's what I'm talking about. That connection is letting them know, hey, I understand what it's like, whatever the situation is, and I've had success in navigating it, or failure, and here's what I've learned from it, right? So that's kind of where that connection comes in. And then uh the fourth step is solution. This is really the heart of the message, right? Well, what do they what do they need to do based on what you're sharing with them? What is it, what is it that, what is it that the main message that they need in order to solve that problem they're having before, whatever fears, whatever concerns they have, right? So we go back to attention, what do they want? Tension, what challenges are keeping them from getting what they want? Uh connection, why should they listen to you? And then fourth is you know, what is it that they need to know in order to solve this problem? This is such a powerful step in a simple messaging, it could be it could be a simple statement, but this is this is really what you want to talk about. This is really what's on your heart and mind. But notice it comes forth in the process. Usually I think leaders, we we jump to all right, here's what I want to say, boom, there it is, and walk away. Uh instead of thinking, what do they want? What challenges are they facing? How can I present this in a way that shows that I feel their pain, I get it, I've been there, done that, I know a way forward, and then here's the way forward. So leading up to that in that way. Now, the reality is this solution piece of this model can be expanded out into your entire brand message, your meaningful message. It can be built your intellectual property. There's so much that can be done with it. But in the context of a distinct message, um, it often is much more compact. And then the final step.

SPEAKER_01: 19:29

You're listening to small business pivots. This podcast is produced by my company, Boss. Our business is helping yours grow. Boss offers business loans with business coaching support. Apply in minutes and get approved and funded in as little as twenty four to forty eight hours at business ownership simplified.com. If you're enjoying this podcast, don't forget to hit the subscribe button and share it as well. Now let's get back to our special guest.

SPEAKER_00: 19:58

And then the final step. Is action. What action do they need to take based on what they just learned? Right. You kind of have to define for people what do you what would be best for you to do based on my knowledge of things? Here's what you should do next. And don't just assume that people know what they need to do next in that communication. I do know one of the free resources that we have available is just a one-page uh kind of a handy sheet that you can use to make any message matter. Like it will we can work through that storytelling structure format. And you people can get that for free, by the way, at uh your storyadvantage.com forward slash free resources. They don't even need to buy the book, they can get the download for free and then use it to map out their messaging uh and hopefully it'll be a valuable tool for them.

SPEAKER_01: 20:49

How does the book process work? So we have the the framework, but we all know books come in different sizes, right? So how does how does one decide do I want a short story, long story? Is there any framework or method to that, or is that just personal preference?

SPEAKER_00: 21:10

Well, if we're talking about books, right? Um, in terms of the length of that, uh here's my thought on it. A book should be as long as it needs to be to effectively communicate the message full stop. Right. It's there's there's no magical size, there is no whatever. I I've worked with I've worked with and written books with authors that were. I'll say word counts that might not mean anything to you, but we're you know, 40,000 words, one of the most powerful, effective books you ever read. Other books, 75,000, 80,000, twice the size. Also powerful and effective, right? So it really doesn't mean my own book is I I don't know what the word count is like, the 40,000 range or something like that, because it's designed to be easily read, easily digested, easily put to use, right? So it really depends on that. I I think it goes to one of the core bookstarter questions that we ask at the start of any books book project, and that is uh your story strategy question, which is how does this book fit into what you're trying to build? Like what what what do you what are you trying to accomplish here? Begin with the end in mind, if you will, right? What what are you trying to, what's the big picture look like? And then retroengineer the book that you need to fit that spot, right? If it if you're looking for, hey, I want to be have a brand defining book that establishes me as a thought leader in a space, then it probably needs to be substantial, but not wordy, but substantial and really has a lot of the original thinking and so forth. Um, if you're looking for a book that will establish you kind of as an as more of an expert in the space around your procedures and your methods and so forth, maybe it doesn't have to be that long, right? Maybe it's um, you know, uh a book that uh I'll just use you, Michael, as an example, right? I know what you do, business coaching, consulting, and so forth. Maybe it's something that kind of captures your unique approach to things and your philosophy. And it's something that people can read and like, you know, I like this. I connect with this guy. I want to work with Michael, you know, that that kind of feel. Uh, because the reality is a book can go places you'll never go, and it can touch more people than you'll ever know. Books, books just find a way uh into people's hands, and you often are like, I don't know how that happened, but okay, great to meet you. Glad it had it in back.

SPEAKER_01: 23:26

What what do you think is the power? I kind of have my subjective opinion, but you do this professionally. So, what do you think the power of having your story in book format does for someone? I always see uh public speakers, always has books in the back. And so, you know, for a lot of people, they may not understand the power of what a book can do for you.

SPEAKER_00: 23:50

Totally, totally. Well, one, it serves as a tremendous credential, right? It establishes you as an expert. If you if you've written a book on something, you've well, you've literally written the book on that, right? And so people assume you must know a lot about that topic. Uh, and that's and what the reality is that's usually the case because if you go through the book creation process, and that doesn't mean you're doing the writing yourself, by the way. We can talk about that later. Uh, but when you go through that book creation process, it forces you to really get clear on your ideas and your message. And so you come out of that with this core content clarity that you're now better able to speak about the message because you've done the work of figuring out what you want to say about the message, right? So it gives you that clarifying effect. Uh, but it also becomes just such a business and brand building tool. You know, if you're looking to build a personal brand or a business brand, it it's a door opener. It opens doors in ways that people kind of know what to do with it. So um, you know, I mean, a good example in our conversation here. If I didn't have a book coming out, we probably would still be having a conversation. But because I've written a book on something, it kind of makes it easier for someone like yourself or others to be like, all right, that this person's probably pretty knowledgeable about this. They've written a book on it. Let's have them, let's talk, let's have a conversation, see if it has value, right? And so it it people know what to do with authors. Um, because you got to remember the word author itself is the foundation of the word authority, right? It it's in the word itself. And so people assume all right, that person has some authority in this space. They've got something to contribute in this space that matters and is meaningful because they've written the book on it, right? So it just does so much to establish someone in that way. And then it at the final thing, I would say it opens the door for that intellectual property monetization. You know, something I talk about in the book is your story ecosystem. And I think everybody needs to be aware of that and the possibility of building that out around your around our story. And the story ecosystem is how do how are we organically growing our around our meaningful message and the story that we want to share with the world? How are we growing it in a way that can produce impact, influence, and income? And it kind of begins with your brand story. I call it the message maker. Like what is your message? Getting clear on that. And then your message multiplier, which is your book, and then beyond that, your intellectual property that you can build to monetize the message, whether it's courses or workshops or coaching programs or trainings or just so many other ways that you can monetize that in a way that then produces the income that positions you to help more people, right? For me, that's what it's about. It's not about just making money, it's about how do we help people. I mean, that's one of the reasons why all the proceeds from the sale of my book go to help adoption efforts, right? Because we want to help kids live better stories and give them those opportunities to do that uh in that process. So uh a lot to think about there, but that that's you know how how I think about the value of a book.

SPEAKER_01: 26:54

Yeah, I from time to time I will say I have my opinion and then I let the guests share theirs, and then I'll get an email that says, What was what was your opinion? Yeah, yeah. I'm gonna give my opinion. Yeah, for real. Uh I I think it also helps with are they credible? And here's why I think because on the internet these days, you know, it's this person posted this, but now the post is gone. It's been changed, it's been twitched with the book. When someone buys it, I can't go to their house and scratch out that part I lied about or scratching, you know, it's it's so you're gonna be found out. And so it really holds that's kind of why I think it really like you better be telling the truth because it will come out eventually. You can't change what you wrote.

SPEAKER_00: 27:40

Yeah, yeah. I like that. I like that. That's a good point. The staying power of books. Yeah, yeah. Staying power. I mean, I mean, as someone who has studied a lot of the classic storytelling, you know, Shakespeare didn't have the internet, right? And all the all the classic books, even the ones that have impacted me. I know uh one book that really impacted me. I'm looking on my shelf here. Um, Stephen Covey's book, uh First Things First, yeah, was just so powerful. I've read it numerous times, uh, but that was all you know pre-internet stuff back in the day, right? Right. Um, and and somehow that book found its way into my hands. I picked it up, I think, for a quarter at like a library sale or something like that. It's the best quarter I ever invested in. I was gonna say that was the best investment you've ever made.

SPEAKER_01: 28:25

Well, let's talk about the process of creating the book because you mentioned that earlier. What is it like for those that have never gone through the process? Because I know that's kind of like, well, where do I even start?

SPEAKER_00: 28:37

Sure, sure. Well, I mean, in the book, I I give all the key questions that'll really get you started, really lay the strong foundation. But you know, if someone's working with us, for example, there's kind of two ways it can go. Um you know, they they can either, well, I'm let me just put more definition around that. I'm not gonna talk about a lot of stuff that's in the book that might help answer nuances to that question, but there's a lot in there as well, and in the various courses we offer and so forth. Um, but you you can kind of have to make the decision am I gonna write the book on my own or am I gonna write the book with somebody else? And and to me, that comes down to um if if you want to elevate, you have to collaborate, right? If anything worth doing really well, you probably need to collaborate with somebody who knows more than you do in various aspects to help figure it out. The same's true with books, right? So do I want to get somebody coaching me through this process? Or our most popular vehicle actually is I want somebody to actually do the writing for me. And maybe I'm not a writer and I don't, I don't, that's a big barrier for a lot of people. It's not a problem. Uh, most of the successful authors out there, the books that you read, they didn't do all the writing themselves. They did the thinking, the communicating. And they had people actually come alongside and do the writing, do the creation of it and so forth that freed them to focus on the things they do well and speak into that message, and somebody else was able to shape that. And then from that, we handle everything from publication and all, you know, we can handle publication. We also work with a lot of traditional publishers as well. So that process is really, I would define it a lot of people define it as therapeutic. It it's, you know, all that stuff that's been pinging around in someone's heart and mind for so long to be actually able to get that out and see it come alive with their story and integrate it in a way that is shaped in a powerful way that actually has the impact and influence that they want. And to share that with the world, um, it it often feels like there's this load that's been lifted from them. Right. So they they may come into it with, I'm not sure what's going to happen. They come out of it with, man, I'm glad that happened. Wow, I'm so glad I didn't put that off. So glad we got it done. And then, and then they start getting the the results from that. People start saying, Man, your book changed my life. You know, they come up at a restaurant and say, I'm so glad you wrote that because now I'm doing things different because this and that, right? And so you have that kind of that kind of mentality that that is derived from that and the results from that when they begin that process. But it really is a fun creative process that, you know, it there's no any more, there's no reason to have the barriers of I'm I'm not a writer, I'm not concerned about it. Uh, we come alongside and help do all that and bring it to life. Uh, I'm thinking of a gentleman right now, actually is a really good business consultant. He has a unique style. Um, and he's um actually had a great deal of success. I won't name his name uh because I don't want to identify the group that he helps with, but it's a very well-known CEO, entrepreneurial advisory group that's international. Um he's had a lot of success there, and we're in the final stages now of bringing his book to life where we're doing the writing with him and so forth. It's a powerful but unique book, unique to him, unique to his voice. And uh we're getting ready to put it out in the world. Um, because you know he's he's seen the vision for I think I can do more, I can help more people if I can uh even stand more on my own and do more in that independent space. And that book is going to help him do that, really establish him in that way for all the reasons we just talked about. And then that is brought to life because he's got decades now of helping entrepreneurs and business leaders do that. He's got so much wisdom, and we're able to package it in a powerful way that meets the audience, thinking with the audience in mind. And then how do we how do we package it in a way that resonates with them? And then that opens doors for him to have greater impact, influence, and of course, income as a result of that.

SPEAKER_01: 32:35

I wrote my book years ago and did all the writing, everything myself, because I wanted it to be my own voice and not have to remember did I say that in that book or not? Yeah, did somebody write that in for me? But uh for me, it was therapeutic. Yeah, healed some wounds, it made me vulnerable. I was able and it made me okay with some of the things like uh that I was holding within that I used to think less of myself. And then when I wrote it down and I saw what's turned what came out of that, I'm like, well, you know, that wasn't so bad. Good for you, little guy. Yeah, yeah. So there's a lot of things, it's it's uh emotional too, I would think, for a lot of people.

SPEAKER_00: 33:18

Oh, absolutely, absolutely. And and I would add to what you're saying there, you know, uh I I get the desire to want to make sure it's you and capture your voice. I mean, this the my own book, uh I used our own team. I I I went through the same process that anybody that works with us goes through because I knew they could add value to it, and they did, right? And so it's still, you know, I know everything in it is my own, and I've adjusted it and tweaked it and made sure it was everything that I wanted it to be and know it well. But you're right, as an author, what you can't do, this is what some people do, is they just outsource the book creation to somebody else. And just I just want pages with words on them that I can say I wrote a book, right? That's not what we do, and that's not what I recommend for anybody because that can actually do more harm than good for your brand. Uh so first of all, I applaud you for doing the work and getting that out and putting that into it out into the world. Um, and I and I get it. I mean, you gotta, you gotta, no matter who does the writing, the author is the one that's where the message comes from, right? That's where the heart of that is at. And that's the author's the one who's gonna be talking about that. And so it's gotta be something that's meaningful uh to the author to bring it to life.

SPEAKER_01: 34:28

And to your credit, I didn't know people like you existed at that time. So I was like, I just wanted to write a book, and it was more turned into more of a memoir than anything else. But it was a fun, it was a fun process. And for our listeners, I do not recommend doing that. It was the most grueling. Uh, I think I had to go through four professional copywriters. It probably cost me more to probably publish that book the way I did it than it would be to have hired someone like yourself. I'm curious. So we see all these books of different sizes, and I know there's bunches of variables that probably would uh be your answer to this, but what is the approximate time to write and publish a book? Like six months, two years, five years? I'm curious because there's so many books out there.

SPEAKER_00: 35:16

Yeah, it kind of depends on the path. So, first of all, I'll tell you right now, you're gonna hear people who are saying oh, just use AI and you can have a book in 30 days or something like that. Um, yeah, if you want, you know, like the styrofoam cup version of a book that isn't gonna withstand the heat and is going to be gone 30 days from now as well, go that route, sure. Um, but if you want something brand defining, then you need to invest more significantly, both in time, resources, uh, and and you got to be really careful. I'll just say this, Michael. A lot of people are being pulled into the AI loop. AI, super helpful tool, super helpful routine saver. But if you're gonna try to build your content or on AI, you're building it on this on a sandy foundation that's eroding as soon as you build it, because you can't actually own that content with AI, right? It's somebody else's content is being pulled in, it's being manufactured, it's shared. It's very hard to protect it when you do it that way. And so it in the short term, it's gonna feel good. In the long term, you're gonna really regret it that you didn't do that. But um, so the answer, big answer to your question, though, is if you're pursuing traditional publishing, which we can help people figure out what path to pursue and so forth, traditional publishing, the wheels turn slowly. So, you know, if you're gonna write a manuscript, you have to then pitch it to traditional publishers, and then their sales cycle takes a while. You're probably looking at at least two years. Oh, wow. Maybe, maybe more to get that up and out into the world. Uh, I we we work in that space all the time. We work with traditional publishers, it it just takes a while to do that. Um, what we do on the hot now, on the other side of that, you could go pure self-published. And if you want to dive in and become an expert and figure all that stuff out, it kind of depends on you how quickly you want to go to create something and how quickly you can get that value. Like you said, a lot of people start into that road and then they realize, oh wait, I need this, oh wait, I need that, oh wait, I need taking 12 steps backwards before they can take 13 steps forward. Right.

SPEAKER_01: 37:14

Yep.

SPEAKER_00: 37:14

Um, what we do in the hybrid space, typical time frame, uh, we like to say nine to ten months from start to publication.

unknown: 37:22

Okay.

SPEAKER_00: 37:23

Right. And because we have a system that we work people through and so forth. Um, sometimes that takes a little more, depending on the author, sometimes it takes less uh as we go through that. But if you figure, you know, nine months to bring a baby into the world, you can figure nine, ten months, bring a book into the world. Okay. And depending on depending on schedule, if it falls right at Christmas time and it's not the best time, well, it might take a little longer, et cetera. But you know, something around that uh is pretty much what it's uh what I what we see it taking.

SPEAKER_01: 37:51

That's interesting, and I appreciate you sharing because that just gives me more uh appreciation for all the books that are written. Just that it is a process and it does take time. It's a commitment.

SPEAKER_00: 38:04

It is a commitment. And and a good book, you got to remember too, a good book is just bringing the bringing together of learning, of experiences, the accumulation of years often coming together and and into that. So it isn't it isn't even just the commitment to do the book, it's it's all the stuff behind it that's gone into that. Um, what we really try to do with with the people we work with is make it not as much a commitment for them. Like we try to carry most of that load and strategically set them up. Hey, you need to do this here, you need to do this here, you need to do this here, but not feel like they have to carry the burden of that, right? We we try to make it an actually enjoyable experience that they go through. And and out of that comes this book and they're still excited about it, right? And they're ready to share it with the world.

SPEAKER_01: 38:50

Yeah, I don't know that I had that experience. When I didn't well by the time I was done with it, I never wanted to look at it again. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 38:59

So well, I know it doesn't have to be painful, Michael.

SPEAKER_01: 39:05

Well, you've you've uh been a wealth of information here, and I'm sure some listeners are probably wanting to know where can they follow you? Where's the best place to engage with you?

SPEAKER_00: 39:14

Yeah. Well, my first thing would say go to your storyadvantage.com, get a copy of the book, uh, and and claim a bunch of bonuses. We got all kinds of bonuses at that site. Again, it's because we're trying to equip people to to really do some good in the world. If you want to connect with us directly and have a conversation, we have a special link for you, mystorybuilders.com forward slash story, and you can just schedule a call with us. Let's talk. Let's hear some of your story. Let's see if we can be of help. If we can, we'll help you. If not, we'll get out of your way and you keep doing what you're doing. Uh, but you can connect with us at that. And then, of course, through the book, there's all kinds of free resources uh that we want to offer, like that story strategy one pager. Uh, let me just share that link again because if someone's thinking they want that, go to your storyadvantage.com. Forward slash free resources. So your storyadvantage.com forward slash free resources. And again, that's also in the book. They can get it that way as well. Very cool. And then you're on LinkedIn. I am on LinkedIn. Uh and our my story our story builders is on Facebook, Instagram, all that kind of fun stuff. If anybody wants to DM us in any of that stuff, we're happy to connect with them there too.

SPEAKER_01: 40:25

Fantastic. Well, I always wrap up with one final question. It's an easy one. If you want to take a minute to think about it, though. It's if you were in a room with small business owners, different industries, different seasons of business, what's one thing that's applicable that you found? It could be uh an insight, it could be a tip, a book, a quote that would be applicable to all of them to help them move the needle in their business.

SPEAKER_00: 40:54

You know, I'll say just what's on my kind of heart and mind lately is um guard against distractions. You know, what what what was the story that started you in the first place? What was it that moved you to go in this direction to start this business or to be involved in this business or whatever the case may be? What was that why that hopefully came out of a very authentic who you are? Uh, because my experiences in business, it's so easy to get distracted from that and lose connection with the reason you started in the first place, the re what motivated you to do that, and get just caught up in the busyness. So I would say, you know, take intentional time to revisit that kind of origin story, if you will. Uh, what what was it that was moving me to do this? What was it that motivated to do this? Do I have the same joy and passion that I have now as when I was starting to do this? If if if so, great. Let me continue to tap into that. If not, why not? Have I have I drifted from that focus? Have I drifted from that passion? Have I gotten distracted by that? And if I have, how do I get back to that? Let me just get back to that and reconnect with that and let that fuel me forward. Because at the end of the day, this entrepreneurial space, I mean, you can make all the money in the world, but if you don't enjoy what you're doing, then I think you've you've you've left the real reason for it behind it. And at the end of the day, you're not actually making the world a better place in a way that you could if you if that passion were aligned. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01: 42:25

Well, I know I needed to hear that today, so that's great advice. Well, I needed to hear it. That's why that's why I shared it. It works out for everybody. Well, Billy appreciate you. You've you've shared so many golden nuggets today in the power of storytelling, and I wish you continued success.

SPEAKER_00: 42:46

Well, thank you, Michael.

SPEAKER_01: 42:47

Appreciate the opportunity to share. My pleasure. Thank you for listening to Small Business Pivots. This podcast is created and produced by my company, Boss. Our business is growing yours. Boss offers flexible business loans with business coaching support. Apply in minutes and get approved and funded in as little as 24 to 48 hours at business ownership simplified.com. If you're enjoying this podcast, don't forget to hit the subscribe button and share it as well. If you need help growing your business, email me at Michael at michaeldmorson.com. We'll see you next time on Small Business Pivots.