Good vibes Singapore - Storyletter #13

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Hello Storyletter family, Nir Zavaro here, writing to you from Kohpangan in Thailand (but more on that in the next edition).

This week’s Storyletter takes us to Singapore with a reminder that you can make an impact on other people, one person at a time.

Thank you so much to Hubspot for sponsoring this edition. As someone who enjoys their content, I’m happy to collab with some tips for your LinkedIn, so please check it out.

A warm welcome to almost 100 new friends joining us.
If you are working on some cool ideas, mail me, would love to hear

And for this week's edition:

• Stories work in every industry; just start

• The man in Singapore

• Good vibes—a music thing

Let's dig in.

Nir Zavaro

You are not that special, & that’s a good thing

Our company is unique, our target audience is very special, and the vertical in which we operate is narrowly focused, most won’t understand it.

Actually, my friends, that is not entirely true. While your business idea may be unique, bringing people on board is the same as with any other idea. And who is your target audience?
You are not the first to pitch, sell, or contact your target audience. It's been done before, and they were sold on other ideas, so you're not unique; we all speak to the same audience, and people are people. We need to define the audience and the goal, but the rest is based on emotions, experience, and data wrapped up in a good story.

While traveling the world this past year, I've worked with founders in dozens of industries and markets, and the experience has been consistent. You are not the main focus; your audience is.
People react to stories and emotions, not data. Every company I work with changes the story they tell, not the product, market, capital raise, or pricing.

When asked if this could be done in all industries,
The answer is YES.
I'm often asked if I've done anything similar in the same industry.
The short answer is that it is not always relevant. Your and my knowledge, combined, will make the difference between other ideas and products, whether in the same or different industries.

Remember that you know more about your business than most people, and probably more than I will ever know. I frequently have the opportunity to work with founders who are experts in their fields. Here are some things you should consider:

Clearly define your goal—raising capital or increasing sales are examples.

Know your audience—investors, users, new markets; create your persona.

Collect your data—everything you think might be interesting or necessary.

Read my book. Sorry, I had to include this here 😉 

Understand the story and emotions you must create.

I don't need to know everything about your business. Many times, I never see the product or meet the entire team. Sometimes I don't need to completely understand the project.
I need to extract your knowledge, wrap it up in a good story, and ensure your audience understands it.

One of my favorite responses from founders is, "Yes, exactly! You got it; you said it so well".
It's funny because all I do is listen to them, understand what they want to say. I write it down, and then present it in a different package, a different story.

You must understand your business; I will take care of the story, but the more you practice this skill, the better your story will become. It's a must-skill, not a soft-skill.

What is your next goal? What type of audience and story should you focus on? Reply and let me know, I’m interested.

❤️‍🔥Singapore week: First visit, not last

one week, two fireside chats, about 15 meetings, and I have lost count of all the good food, drinks, and friends I have had during my first ever visit to Singapore.

It is a magical place, almost a life by design (except for the heat and humidity). Everything is planned, structured, and well thought out before it was created, but interestingly enough, it leaves very little room for mistakes and failed stuff, and well, it lacks that gap where creativity might flourish.

Maybe that is one of the reasons Singapore attracts some of the best people in Asia and from around the world. I met great people, building interesting ideas and companies. the level in every aspect is some of the best in the world. but even the best need a good story, and I hope the next visit this year we will bring some big workshops to this unique place (and hope to see the F1 race).

But the moment that stuck most with me during the visit happened at the laundermat.

You see, part of my travels varies from crazy hotels and locations to dodgy hostels to friends homes. and yes, laundry is one of my concerns here. it was hot, and it took me an hour to find the laundermat, only to learn there is no ATM, a person, or anyone to help me get some coins.

Here I was, standing there, lost, with dollars, euros, a few bank accounts, GooglePay, and a bag of dirty underwear, without coins. A Chinese guy was sitting there, playing on his phone, when he saw me, smiled, and tried to figure out what I was trying to do. ATM is the only word he understood.

I’m lost. He smiles, takes out money from his bag, and gets me the coins I need. he puts them in my hand, bows, and takes out his phone.

‘I help you today; tomorrow you help someone else’ said the translation from Mandarin to English. As my laundry keeps going in circles, we speak via the translation app, and I’m reminded once again how awesome people can be.
Thank you, Harvey Li.
Good luck on your journey to move to Canada with your wife.

When was the last time you paid something forward?

A huge thank you to Paul and Coline from Scalerr for all their support. I also had a pleasure working with Raz; you are a Rockstar

🥳Good Vibes Only: Music to enjoy

I love stumbling on cool stuff on the web, and I thought it would be cool to share some of the stuff I like, so what better way to start this off than music?

I spend hours working, reading, and editing my stuff. While working on the book, I found a YouTube channel I really like. This couple, plays mostly chill jazz and house music, always in a different location, and usually while preparing food.

Their channel is called FlavourTrip, and I know you will also wonder how they make money ( I know I did), so I searched their site. They play around Europe, sell their own apparel, and do some cool stuff. I’m pretty sure they live out of a van.
I thought it might be fun to interview them but didn’t get any response until now so have fun, chill and let me know what you think

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Share the book with someone

Buy the book F*ck the Slides and help someone else thrive

When Alicia reached out, I had no idea who she was, where she worked, or the fact that her boss gave her my book. She has been reading and learning how to craft a better pitch and wanted to thank me, but it is I who should be thanking her.

If you have a team, get them copies. If you have friends or family who might need to present or sell, buy them a copy.

DM me for discounts if you need bigger quantities, but start with a small impact—one person, one life, one book.