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3 “Shark Tank” Successes Who Built Their Brands Through Story
Some of the most innovative and interesting products can be found on the reality series Shark Tank. Besides the great products, one thing I really love about Shark Tank is that every entrepreneur who appears on the show comes with a personal story. This story is used to build a unique brand that is truly their's. David Heath and Randy Goldberg: Bombas Heath and Goldberg launched their athletic socks company after learning that socks were the number-one most requested clothing item at homeless shelters. Determined to help, they decided to follow a model similar to TOMS, where for each pair of [...]
Telling Your Story – It’s a Performance
Once you have finished organizing your story, the next step is to go out in the world and tell it. This may mean casually telling it to friends and family, or it could be in more serious situations such as a job interview or even a speech at a conference. For any of these situations, no matter how serious or casual, you should think of your story as a performance. Although you may have your story written on paper and know it in your head, you'll find that getting it into conversation with others is not the same. It takes [...]
Choosing the Best Job Offer
Whether you're going into your first full-time job straight out of college or transitioning within your career, choosing between several job offers can be challenging. There are a lot of different factors that go into deciding on a job, such as work environment, compensation, benefits, culture, and location. With all these things to consider and a limited amount of time to make a decision, it's not unusual to feel a bit stressed. The best way to get yourself through this decision with ease is simple: know yourself. Although there are many factors that will play into the decision you make, [...]
Three Reasons to Get Your Story Straight
Be honest. If someone were to ask you "what's your story?", would you have an easy time answering? Most people wouldn't. Although you may think you know yourself, what you value, and where you want to go in the future, knowing your story is not something that just happens organically. It is a process that takes a lot of time and self-reflection. However, the effort put into figuring it out will be well worth it in the end. Here are some ways that knowing your story can be beneficial: 1. You'll learn about yourself. Sometimes it's hard to uncover [...]
Showing vs. Telling: What’s the Difference?
Showing vs. Telling: What's the Difference? If you've ever had to do a creative writing assignment, you may remember receiving the instruction "show, don't tell". If you're like me, you probably wondered what this means. How exactly do you "show" in your writing? And why is it so much better than telling? Consider the following two statements that you might see in a college essay or cover letter: "I'm a natural leader who is passionate about helping others." "In the past year, I organized several fundraisers to help raise money for my local homeless shelter, which I also spend time volunteering [...]
Making Your Career a Meaningful One
According to State of the American Workplace, 70% of today's workers are either not engaged or "actively disengaged" in their work. This shows evidence that for them, their work lacks meaning. If you aren't feeling satisfied at work and find yourself unmotivated most days, there's a good chance that you are part of this 70% of workers. So how do you make your work meaningful and become engaged? There's always the option of giving up your 9-5 job and attempting to pursue your pipe dream, though for the majority of people this option is not in touch with reality. Instead, you'll [...]
Great Stories Make College Essays Stand Out
"Describe a moment of personal growth in your life." "Recall a setback you faced and how you overcame it." "Discuss an interest that is meaningful to you."...these are some of the most common prompts for college essays. Although the question may vary across different applications, the purpose of the essay remains the same: to allow the admissions board of the college to get to know you, the applicant. While you may spend days or weeks editing your essay to the point of perfection, remember that college admissions officers are likely only going to spend about 10 minutes reading it. Your [...]
How a Strong Story can Make Your Business Stand Out
Every new business has trouble setting itself apart from the competition. Almost 100% of the time, there is at least one another business out there that offers the same goods or services. Most of the time, there are many that have already developed a strong following and customer base. With circumstances like these, how does a business that is just starting out make a name for itself? The answer, of course, is owning and knowing how to tell your unique story. If you are a business owner, then there is bound to be a story inside of you. Starting your own [...]
The Importance of Mentoring
For young professionals who have recently graduated or are just starting out in their industry, getting their foot in the door somewhere can be quite the challenge. Once they've found a job, adjusting to the new environment can be an even bigger challenge. Through their college education, young professionals have acquired the "hard skills" that are necessary for their selected profession. However, these skills are only half of what makes a successful professional. "Soft skills", such as leadership skills, understanding and communicating with others, and personal confidence are also a requirement. Since there are no college courses on confidence (at [...]
Why are Students Taking so Long to Get Their Degree?
According to a study by Complete College America, most students take about six years to get their bachelor's degree. However, in most colleges and universities throughout America, a bachelor's degree is designed to be completed in about four years. The extra two years students spend in school costs an extra $50k on average. So, where do the two extra years come from, and how can they be avoided? Complete College America found that two major factors contribute to students not graduating on time: 1. Transferring schools. When a student transfers schools during the process of obtaining his/her degree, that student often [...]
Three Brands that Know How to Tell a Story Through Video
Today, more than ever, people want to be engaged emotionally when it comes to supporting and believing in brands. The way to do this is through story. A good brand story is unique, engaging, and personal. Recently, technology has proven to be incredibly useful in helping brands tell their story. In particular, video is a great medium for storytelling as it allows for both visual and auditory storytelling, as well as creativity in the way the story is told. Below are some examples of brands that utilized video to their advantage. Blue Apron Blue Apron is a company that delivers [...]
Why Storytelling is the Most Effective Way of Teaching
Throughout my time in school, I never had much of an interest History class. While it wasn't my weakest subject, I couldn't help but find the course content to be dull. To me, it was just a bunch of facts, names, and dates that I had to memorize. However, this changed during my junior year of high school when I had a History teacher who approached the subject in a way I had never seen done before. He thought of History in the way it was meant to be thought of: a story. Unlike other teachers who would break their [...]