Are you an out of the box kinda thinker?

You can decide to fill your days.
You can decide how to fill them.
You can decide not to fill them.
But you can choose to fill them with time you enjoy.

Doing less, spending more time on things that matter, on things you enjoy.

From Chicago to New York, a great Storyletter awaits you.

In today’s Storyletter:
• What’s in the box?
• The Business Storyteller – Ep. 05
• My Chicago visit
• Fun stuff – Weekend vibes

But what if the mistake is not about defining something, but about the words we choose?

We became lazy. Our vocabulary has been reduced to the same words, describing too many things.
With over 700,000 words in the English language, I would assume we can be a bit more specific.

But we want it fast, better, cheaper.
We expect the surface level to become our deeper level.

So instead of investing time to learn, to craft, to be specific about what we say or the words we choose, we just pick and go. And storytelling is the best example of that laziness.

I cannot recall the number of times people said, “ha, so you do storytelling,” referring to pitching, marketing, writing talks, creative work, books, or communication. It all gets pushed under one word, because why bother?

During a call this week, a CEO was trying to explain his business, not very successfully. When he described what I do, he did not take the time either. He simply said consultant and storytelling.
His inability to describe things meant he would struggle to sell more or market better.

Clarity sells. Confusion kills momentum.

During a masterclass a couple of weeks ago, I asked people to describe their startup in 70 words, then in 30, and finally in 6. Most people could not describe their own projects or their ideal client persona.
They all guessed it. Strange, right?

But what if we stop looking for definitions and start creating them?
What if instead of thinking outside the box, we work on improving the box?
What if we start looking for clarity?

If you cannot define it, no one can buy it.

Check your homepage.
Check your cold outreach emails.
Review your thank you emails.

Ask yourself two questions:

Sometimes, working on the box, finding the right words, describing things more precisely, is exactly what we need.

The same goes for your brand character, your customer journey, or your sales pitch.
We need to define the box better and work on small improvements. Not changing everything, but changing enough to take us forward.

During a workshop this week, all this became really clear to the management team. A lack of the right words meant people were describing things differently. They presented the company in numerous ways, nothing aligned with what or who they want to be.

A small example: I am an author, speaker, and entrepreneur.
It took me a while to figure out the order.

So, what are you? What will be your company box?

Let me know what you are struggling with, how you define your company, and your messaging.

In this episode of The Business Storyteller Show, I share some learnings from a startup accelerator session I did a while back.
Hope this helps you rethink your writing efforts.

This has been one of the best weeks in a while, and one of the coldest.

A whole week in Chicago dedicated to working with clients. It has been a challenge in the snow, with so many things happening while I was there trying to move projects forward.

But Tuesday marked a great day for me. My new workshop about the customer journey was a smash hit. A real proof of concept and an important part of the Business Catcher method.

Twelve people, the entire management team in one room, and we accomplished more than I could hope for. We went from raising issues to understanding the brand to understanding how the team operates, and we followed the process by building one flow of the customer journey.

We took a break to try some great Chicago-style pizza, then set goals, timelines, and task forces for each goal.

To make the day even better, I spent a few hours with another client getting to know the team while building a new marketing plan that should take us from almost 500 million closer to the 1 billion mark in the next 26 months.

And the topping on the cake was a dinner with YPO and EO members. We had such a blast, the food was excellent and the company even better. We laughed so hard.

Next up, New York, and I cannot wait to be there for some VC meetings, office hours, and my new talk on Tuesday. Same concept as the workshop, but this one is a flamethrower of information.

Yalla, I am ready for what’s next.

🎧 Music
This week’s newsletter was created while listening to Back to 1987 – The Morning Glow.
Listen

🎬 If South Park Was Real
With the ability to turn animation into real life, this one is insane.
Watch

🍿 Did You Know Trees Are Dead?
A strangely interesting video about trees.
Watch