Share Your Story

Are you tired of pouring time and money into marketing efforts that just don’t connect with your audience? Have you been told to simply “tell a good story” but still aren’t seeing the sales boost you were hoping for? It’s time to discover the power of strategic storytelling.Our next featured small business advisor is Michael de Groot, the Chief Storyteller at Staying Alive UK. As Dutchman born living in the UK and born to an Anglo-Indian mother, he has quite the story to tell himself as he starts off by revealing his journey from the textile industry to video production.In this episode, Michael shares tips to:Uncover the vital role of an enthralling business story in attracting and retaining customers,Tap into emotional connections for authentic, captivating stories that audiences will love, andCreate impactful marketing videos that zero in on customer concerns and drive engagement.He also walks us through his 13-step process for crafting a perfect business story. It involves several essential elements such a

My story is one of extreme darkness and trauma to one of transforming these difficult childhood experiences into a non-dualistic spiritual journey of deep healing and discovery for myself and many others.  The first 23 years of my life, I was sexually abused, physically tortured, and trafficked. Those words cover a vast amount of territory which I will only briefly discuss. There is no darkness I’m unaware of. What is and will be appearing on the world stage will shine further Light and Truth on my story.Through over 45 years of study and practice in various esoteric and alternative healing arts, both professionally and through personal transformation, I have assisted many in healing different conditions along with childhood abuse and its traumatic effects. Even at a young age, I knew I wanted to be of service to humanity.  Starting off at 10 as a self-appointed neighbourhood summer play counselor, I later volunteered as a teen nursing aid, and then shifted to being a dental hygienist for 26 years.I

Alicia Butler Pierre is on a quest to revolutionize the way small businesses operate. She does that by speaking, coaching, writing, lecturing, and podcasting. She is the Founder & CEO of Equilibria, Inc. and the bestselling author of *Behind the Façade*, the world’s first published book on business infrastructure. She hosts the weekly *Business Infrastructure* podcast, which ranks in the world’s top 2%. She’s an adjunct instructor of Lean Principles at Purdue University and Operations Management at Nichols College. A chemical engineer turned entrepreneur, she’s advised, designed, and optimized processes for organizations including Coca-Cola, Shell Oil, The Library of Congress, and The Home Depot.Websites: https://aliciabutlerpierre.com - https://eqbsystems.comPodcast:https://businessinfrastructure.tvLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliciabutlerpierreTwitter: https://twitter.com/Alicia_B_PierreInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/Alicia_B_PierreFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/AliciaButlerPierreAmaz

Sandra Adeyeye Bello AKA The Different Woman is a theatre and media practitioner with over 12 years of media experience from the print to radio and screen. She has been there and seen it all. She is a writer, content developer and also a social entrepreneur.Sandra is a mental wellness advocate that's why she founded The Different Woman Network to help merge her career in media and passion for gender advocacy.The Different Woman Network, a multimedia production and events coordination agency based in Abuja, Nigeria.A social enterprise with over twelve (12) years of media experience in idea generation, script and content writing, video production and consultation, content creation and development, event coordination and management etc.We create original and commercial audio-visual productions with humanized experiences through storytelling for better understanding of our themes and agendas. We also plan exciting and impactful recreational activities for Nigerian families all year round.The Different Woman Netwo

Hey, I'm Hazel June - Nice To Meet You!I‘m a certified Potterhead but Hogwarts wasn’t hiring so I decided to help muggles instead. I have no talent in Potions and I certainly don‘t have a knack in Transfiguration or an inclination to the Dark Arts…So l decided to focus on what I love – training & education.I was always told to finish college and get a job to be successful. But after over a decade of working in corporate, I felt trapped – very far from feeling successful. I was earning a good amount of money that gave us a comfortable life but that didn’t give me the flexibility on work hours. I missed so much of my son‘s childhood because of work. So when the opportunity came for me to work from anywhere, I grabbed it. Constantly learning and acquiring the skills that allowed me to help my clients ultimately gave me the freedom that I was looking for. As a Corporate Trainer turned Online Course Strategist, I’ve been helping multiple clients convert their expertise into a profitable digital course.Website:

Hello, I'm Phil.I am an #ActuallyAutistic (and #ProbablyADHD) aspiring lawyer, content creator, writer, speaker, and workplace neurodiversity inclusion consultant.I love to talk about and engage in all things law and the legal sphere, particularly around Employment law, disability inclusion, autism, ADHD, and wider neurodiversity including meaningful inclusion in workplaces and learning how other neurodivergents can leverage their own strengths and abilities to make work and life work for them and for us all!Over the last 5 years, I have gained experience and expertise in a range of practice areas including Employment law, Commercial Property, Debt Recovery, Corporate law and Litigation, and developed my skills in drafting documents and agreements, research, giving commercial advice, clear communication, and community building in the legal community.I write articles and blogs and create content for my own platform The Neurodivergent Lawyer, for LawCareers.net, and for anyone else who wants to hear from me and

Scott Schwarz is a 30-year veteran of the insurance and financial services industry based in Kansas City, KS and the founder of Never Too Much Money.Millenial entrepreneurs hire Scott to gain clarity on their road to maximal wealth, because most feel stressed out by debt, confused about what to do with their money and don’t trust banks or Wall Street, just like I don’t. So, he helps millenial entrepreneurs recycle their money to either start or supercharge their investments with confidence.Bottom line, he shows how to reverse engineer banks and the wealthy to DO what they DO rather than what they tell us to do, recycle their money and make bank… like a bank!Website: https://nevertoomuchmoney.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-schwarz-2dollarbill/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/scott.schwarz.37Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/never.too.much.money/

Mark founded his creative production company in 2006, grew it to a little over $2mm in annual revenue, and then slowly watched as it all crumbled around him.  Through the hard lessons learned and working to not make the same mistakes twice, today Phanta Media focuses less on growth and “keeping the machine fed” and more on doing extraordinary work with really cool people.As a brand strategist, Mark also understands the need to be courageous and has developed a killer process that can help you make your next courageous move.Website: https://www.markdrager.comPodcast: https://www.markdrager.com/we-do-hard-things-podcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mark.dragerYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MarkDragerLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markdragerTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mark.drager

Alexis is an award-winning entrepreneur, with over 10 years of experience, currently running two SaaS businesses (AirManual and Spidergap) with a remote & global team, and supports others as a board member or consultant including well known companies like Sony PlayStation.In the last few years, Alexis has worked with 100s of business leaders to help save them 1,000s of hours of their time each year and unlock their business’ growth. He’s been sharing his findings, and it’s had a huge impact on many businesses. For example, Alexis won the ‘Most valued content’ award in 2021 for his workshop at Dan Bradbury’s Success Mastermind (a community of 60+ small business owners), which led to over 30 business owners adopting the tools and processes recommended.Alexis is a husband, and dad of two, and is passionate about balancing work alongside family life (and makes sure his team does too!) He also enjoys craft beer, whisky, skiing, skateboarding, dancing, gaming, golf, touch rugby and squash.Airmanual: https://www

Laurie Sjostrom is passionate about empowering parents to advocate effectively for their children with a serious medical diagnosis. As an intercultural communication expert working 21 years with top executives from multinational companies, Laurie trained experts on how to effectively get results from counterparts in other countries. After her first child was diagnosed with a very rare condition, Laurie encountered all of the overwhelming emotions and the disorientation of no longer knowing what was best for her kid. After her second child was diagnosed with 3 different serious issues, she experienced the transformation that today gives her the confidence to set up events for businesses that support families, speak on the radio, and raise awareness for Scoliosis treatment. Along with this experience, Laurie chose to learn more about coaching and is a certified Mindvalley Life coach working one to one with parents who reach out to her. While her schedule is filled with speaking engagements, she always finds tim

I’m a Neuroscientist! The brain has always interested me, and somehow along the line I transitioned into Marketing and Business development and have been enjoying every moment of it.I started working with a digital marketing agency over three years ago (I was one of the first few team members!) and have helped to build the operations and talent from the ground up, from 3 people to 85 at its peak.My interest has always been in education, and I always leaned towards the side of strategy rather than execution, and I wanted to take my knowledge and skills to help other eCommerce and digital agencies achieve high-performing back-end operations so that they can grow and develop into scaling businesses.Out of all of this, I founded a company called Prosana (consisting of 5 team members and myself, to provide all of these services to those startups. In the beginning, we were focusing on operations, but I saw that the need was far greater, so my consultation expanded into more areas and new services (We also offer rec

My journey is not dissimilar to that of millions of people around the world. I grew up in chaos. My mother was a drug addict and alcoholic. My father abandoned me when I was barely 2 years old. My step-father was hyper abusive, and the kind of guy that you pray never enters your life. We grew up in The Mormon Church where I was molested by one of the Ward’s mothers in the night. Since we were often homeless and the church partitioners took us in I wasn’t allowed to say a word. By the time I was 11 I had been entirely stripped of my childhood. Between the beatings, belittlement, molestation, and homelessness I was ready to kill myself. By 12 I was using drugs daily. One of my brothers and I were adopted by our racist grandmother.My businesses were booming, but everything else around me was in shambles. I was addicted to sex, porn and love, I was drinking and getting stoned every day, and seeking validation from every external source I could find. I was also in the worst shape of my life at over 140 lbs overwei

Arti Kumar-Jain, Executive Director, is passionate in providing quality care and accessibility through the lifespan. She has over twenty years of experience in the education and mental health settings.Arti also is the Founding Director of Love & Light 4 Kidz LLC which provides parent, child, family coaching through contract services and support. Arti is a Certified Health Coach, Certified Holistic Cancer Coach, Certified Professional Coach, Death Doula, Master Reiki Teacher and Holistic Health Practitioner. She also is a Children’s Yoga and Mindfulness Teacher and facilitates workshops with inclusion of guided relaxation and ways to build positivity in one’s work environment.Arti believes in collaboration in partnerships and is currently the Transformative Education Coordinator for Pause Inc. located in Boston, Massachusetts. As a strategic alliance partner, the Founder and CEO of Pause Inc. Dahria Williams-Fernandes and Arti believe in education and advocacy to make shifts and change

One of the most in-demand Customer Experience speakers and consultants in the world today, David Avrin, CSP, Global Speaking Fellow, has shared his content-rich, entertaining and actionable presentations with enthusiastic audiences across North America and in 24 countries around the world. David helps organizations better understand and connect with their changing customers and clients to help future-proof their businesses. David's insights have been featured on thousands of media outlets around the world.He is also the author of five books including the acclaimed: It's Not Who You Know, It's Who Knows You!, Why Customers Leave (and How to Win Them Back) and his newest book: The Morning Huddle -- Powerful Customer Experience Conversations to Wake You Up, Shake You Up, and Win More Business. The ideal opening keynote speakerKickoff your meeting or conference with a bang! As your opening keynote speaker, platform pro David Avrin sets the stage for profound learning and meaningful engagement with his t

My name is Lucy Howell. I have been a virtual assistant for nearly 2.5 years, following leaving my profession as a Dental Nurse during the Covid-19 pandemic. I had my son Jacob during the first lockdown, and didn't want to return to nursing again for safety. I decided that I could put some of the skills I have learned over the years to better use, and work from home at the same time, and here we are!I am here to make business owners life a little bit easier! - I know how hard being a working mum can be … so that’s why I want people to reach out and find out Howell I Can Help You!Website: https://www.howellvirtual.co.ukLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/howellvirtualPinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/howellvirtualInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/howellvirtualFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/howellvirtualApproved Virtual Assistant on the BeMyVA directory: https://www.bemyva.co.uk/directory/lucy-howellAccredited virtual assistant with the Association of Professional Virtual Assistants (APVA) &n

Kate Strong leads by example when it comes to peak performance whether that’s climbing Mont Blanc, developing a sustainable business with a global reach or breaking 3 cycling world records. She is a widely sought after coach, enabling individuals and teams to redefine what’s possible and introduce flow into their daily way of being.Kate has lived and travelled all over the globe, earning a double Masters in Engineering while living in France & Italy, She’s set up micro businesses in indigenous communities in Central America & Asia as well as founding a hospitality business in Australia. It was during her time in Australia that she discovered triathlon. Within 14 months of taking up the sport, she was crowned age-group World Champion and later went on to break 3 cycling world records.She has faced her fair share of difficulties along the way, from being trapped in a toxic relationship to working herself out of the million-dollar debt her ex left her. However, she is not defined by these challenges and

A qualified insolvency practitioner, Andrew spent 16 years in the Restructuring department of the global accountancy firm, KPMG, as well as being seconded to Barclays Bank's insolvency unit.Taking on leadership roles highlighted to Andrew a passion and flair for working with individuals and the issues that affect them at a personal level. Through working with company owners who were in the process of losing everything, he became acutely aware of the emotional connection that exists between a business and its owner, something that is not always recognised or appreciated.Andrew believes that 'you', 'your environment' and the interaction between the two should be looked at as a whole, rather than in isolation. Andrew works with business owners and their team to get all three areas right – which then allows you to truly enjoy what you do on a day to day basis.Andrew has worked for himself for over 10 years in which time he has written eight books, won numerous awards and was also invited to be a policy advisor to

Vicki Moore spent most of her career as a corporate manager, leading diverse teams in both the US and Europe. For more than 15 years , she helped teams efficiently implement strategic changes, improve performance and achieve big goals. After founding and running a successful business in Los Angeles for ten years, Vicki pursued her dream of living in Europe. Now, she combines her skills in strategy, management and coaching to help others turn bold ideas into actions and pursue their dreams with confidence and courage.After reinventing her life multiple times, Vicki constantly found herself explaining that everyone can pursue their dreams and bold goals, once they recognise the influences that block success. This led her to write Life Beyond Should in 2021. The book is a practical guide for overcoming expectations in order to embrace what makes each of us unique and confidently turn ideas into reality.Website: https://moore2life.netLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vickimoore09Instagram: https://www.instagr

Traci Neal lives in the United States as a performing poet and professional writer. She is featured in The New York Times, Storyberries, Sheen Magazine, and InspireMore to name a few. She is the third place 2022 poetry winner in the United Kingdom Thalassemia Society for their Global Arts and Poetry Competition, the 2022 poetry winner of Empowering Justice Foundation Poetry Contest, the third-place 2022 State Winner of the SCCDA Poetry and Art Contest, and the 2021 second-place winner of the virtual poetry slam "Taking It Global" in Toronto, Canada.To the Editor (New York Times) - April 17, 2021:Imagine a young, Black, Southern teenage girl in middle school with thick glasses. This girl wants to do so well in school. She wishes she were popular. She desires to have more friends and be liked. She loves to read. She loves poetry. This girl was me.I have one philosophy. In my teenage years and now in adulthood, I have believed that rejection motivates reach. Poetry would become my outlet in life. In high school,

Envision yourself as a person who has a bright future, but then get diagnosed with autism at a young age, and you develop a lack of conversational skills when one of the requirements in society is discussing with someone. Now, I do not converse with any male or female easily because I have the tendency to talk about what I only want to, and it leads people the wrong way. I have never been able to figure out the reason, but at the end of the day, I brush the dust off, and I reclaim my territory. My voice is an attribute even though society may not agree. I have myself and others who would disagree with most of the human population. Each day before I go to bed I make sure that I lit my torch to know that I am here as well, so why are you not letting me in while giving me a chance at my redemption?When I am conversing with someone, the person who saves me from fainting is me. The reason is no one knows how I talk to someone one hundred percent as I go off-topic too much along with coming across as selfish by not