I actually got out of my house and went to a business networking event last night.
Working from home and running my business online is great, but it results in a serious lack of human contact. Therefore, I’m committing to getting out into the world to be social at least once a week and to join at least one in-person business-related event a month.
The “being social” part is pretty easy. I normally attend a swing dance class every week, which gives me a chance to connect with other people figuratively and literally.
The in-person business-related event commitment has been harder. I moved to Ventura, CA right before the pandemic and everything went online as soon as that happened. A lot of these networking events are still online, because we’ve all realized our reach goes a lot further when we host virtual events. That and it’s hard to roust people (including me) from their cozy home offices.
Last night’s event reminded me why I enjoy connecting with people in person, and how much I love hearing the stories behind why they do what they do.
The Event
Last night’s event was a SPEED Networking event. I have no idea what SPEED stands for, if anything. Think speed dating at a local winery/brewery, but talking about business stuff and you’ll have a clear picture.
There were 12 of us, sitting in pairs across the table from each other. My side was stationary, the other side picked up and moved down one seat every 10 minutes.
I spent a rather lovely hour and 15 minutes talking with people about what they do and why they love it. I learned about several industries I’m not terribly familiar with, and I exchanged cards with everyone I spoke to.
What struck me most about talking with each person was the personal story behind why they do what they do.
A couple of them were there representing a company or organization they work with, but really have other passions they want to focus on, so we ended up talking about the story behind those.
The ones who talked exclusively about their businesses were open about how they got to where they were and why what they’re doing matters to them.
I walked away with a genuine appreciation for each of them and what they’re doing to serve their people.
Stories and Why They Matter
As I’d never met any of these folks before, I have no idea if they share these stories with their audience as a part of their marketing strategy. Perhaps there was something about me that pulled these stories out of them.
Listening to each person, I found their personal stories to be the most compelling part of our conversations. That’s what drew me in, and made me want to learn more about them and their business.
I spent part of the next day following up with each of these people (like you do). In each email, I called out the personal story they told me and how much I appreciated it. It helped me understand why they’re so passionate about what they do and what they want to bring to the world.
Your audience feels the same way about you.
They want to hear your personal story. They want to know what drives you. How you got to where you are now. Why what you do matters so much to you, because they want it to matter as much to them. Your story can be the path for them to get to that point.
This is why I regularly urge you to tell your story in your weekly nurture emails, and I tell you my story here.
Stories are what help us connect with each other at a deeper level. Once you know someone’s story, you’re invested in the outcome. Especially if that outcome involves you and your success, whether it’s directly or as a supporter of the overall mission.
They also allow us to see ourselves in the story being told.
For example, one person I met last night is financial wellness coach. When I asked how she came to this work, she told me it was her personal experience of getting into debt because she and her husband didn’t talk about the problems they had with money. So it got worse and worse, until they had to.
Now, she teaches people how to be aware of and talk about money, so they’re more conscious of what’s going on with their finances.
I totally saw myself and my ex in that story.
If I had been aware of this woman and her coaching services while I was married, I would have dragged my then husband, kicking and screaming, if necessary, to an appointment with her, so we could learn to talk with each other more clearly about the financial problems we had.
When people can see themselves in the story you tell, they want to make it their own story, with the positive outcome you’re promising.
Telling Your Story In Your Nurture Emails
When I talk about this, most people grimace and tell me that no one wants to hear their story.
Not true.
When we look back on our lives, we are ultimately the sum of our stories.
Yours is a good one. The people who are attracted to you and what you’re doing want to hear that story.
For example, as I was talking with all of these lovely people last night, I found myself talking about the fact that I have a degree in creative writing and theater rather than my email marketing experience. All of them wanted to know more about that.
There were a few times I wished I had recorded what I said, because whoever I was talking with really perked up when I said it.
That’s a great way to figure out which parts of your story people are most interested in, BTW.
Tell your story to a few friends. Some who know all of it, some who don’t. Notice where they pay more attention. Those are the parts that matter.
Share those with your audience.
Not all of those parts will be happy. It’s just as important to talk about your struggles as it is to trumpet your victories.
There will be parts of your story that aren’t relevant to your audience, until they are. For example, you may not have known that I used to be married. Now, because I talked about the financial wellness coach I met last night, you do.
You don’t have to tell your full story all at once. It’s probably better to share bits and pieces as it relates to your business and your audience. But it helps to connect the dots whenever you can, so people understand how everything fits together.
“But I’m Not a Good Storyteller”
I hear this a lot. I get it. The good news is you don’t have to be.
It’s your story. You’ve lived it, you know the ups and downs, the twists and turns. You’ll find the right rhythm and know what to emphasize because you know how it all ties into your business and your mission.
My favorite way to get everything “organized” is to record yourself telling your story.
Use the voice memo app on your phone and start talking. If you need to pace while you talk, do that. If sitting still is better, do that. Don’t think about it. Just talk. If it helps to tell it to someone, so they can ask questions, ask a friend to join you.
Upload all of this to the AI of your choice or to a transcription app, to get a clean transcript of everything you said. Then go through the transcript and pull out the parts of your story you want to start with.
Depending on your story and how it links to your business, I’d break it up into several emails. That gives you more content over several weeks and it lets you get as detailed as you want to (or not).
You get several genuine, authentically “you” emails to share with your audience. They get to know who you really are, how what you’re doing supports them in their lives, and why your mission matters to the world as a whole.
Everyone wins.
If you have any questions about how to tell your story, please feel free to ask. I’m happy to help you figure it out, so you can feel comfortable and give your audience what they want. Just comment below or shoot me an email here. I read, and respond to, every one.
Finally, in honor of Halloween this past Saturday, this week’s pictures are of the Halloween decorations in my neighborhood. We tend to go a little overboard around here, but it’s fun.
Also, as you are reading this on November 3rd, 2026, I am working at a voting center here in Ventura. If you’re in the U.S. and you’re eligible to vote, please do (if you haven’t already). Democracy works best when we all participate.
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