In My World

One of the best things about living in NYC for 13 years is that EVERYONE wanted to visit. Family, hometown friends, college friends, living in London friends, Instagram friends.
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A revolving door.
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And guess what. I inadvertently moved to a country that ALSO is a revolving door.

This past week I had a few college friends pass through Lisbon on their family vacations.

And speaking of friends…making NEW friends as an adult is WILD.
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Add in making new friends in a new country whom you often don’t even share a cultural background with or mutual friends in common -even wilder.

But I continue to show up and put myself out there.
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And whenever I am invited to a party (photo above and below), a dinner or a playdate…it just feels a bit more sweeter as the road has not been easy.1

Let this email be your sign to also show up and put yourself out there. Even if the road is and feels hard.
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​Your Storytelling Audit

Melissa Panszi Reibe submitted the ABOUT page from her website.
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She is a social worker-turned- NYC-based jewelry designer.

Let me give you a few screen grabs if you’re not going to click on the page.

The good:
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• I love how she dives right into a story. And not only is it a story but it’s hooked to a SPECIFIC moment. Specificity is synonymous with compelling storytelling.
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• She manages to weave so much in only a few paragraphs and she hits on universal and relatable moments (all tenements of great storytelling.)
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• I love how she talks about her family immigrating as we immediately understand where she came from and her motivations for hard work.
• The fact she worked with death row inmates also tells you about her character. Even if I didn’t know her. I kind of already know her.
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• Because she did this so well, now when she tells you she makes handmade jewelry that is meaningful to her customers, you get it on a deeper level. Had she not told a story that line would be throw-away as most jewelry makers say that.
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• I love how she tells us she donates to a nonprofit each month. In a saturated industry, let’s say I had to decide between two talents, personally that would be the deal breaker for me. Again, it continues her narrative of “who she is.” Especially Gen Z, they buy with values in mind and who or whom you don’t support in mind.

Don’t be afraid to put your worthy causes front and center to your business -even if they repel some people.

The could be better:
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• While her storytelling is on point. I am not sure anyone will read it. Why? Because the look and feel of the website feels outdated and there is too much text in huge blocks.
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• When you are in the creative field, looks matter. People will judge you on it even if you have the most gorgeous product in the world.
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• I would have broken up this big text chunk with photos from childhood, a family pic of her mom and dad. Social worker Melissa.
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• This increases the probability someone is going to stay on the page and continue to read the story.
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• The ABOUT page is the second most popular page after the Home and for some people, they go there first if they want to learn about someone’s business.
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• So it’s a missed opportunity that as a jewelry maker there is nothing visual about her products or process on this page.

Assume that if someone is reading your ABOUT and it’s resonating, it’s a great opportunity if you are a maker -like Melissa- to showcase some of your best pieces or show a few visuals of you working and creating the product.
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Do you want something analyzed by me in your business?

Submit Here For Story Audit

Why This Works

My No.1 makeup artist NYC friend Brittney sent me this message the other day. She shares an agent with Rokael who happens to be Beyonce’s makeup artist.

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​This is Beyonce’s makeup artist. Like Melissa’s industry above. There are a HELL of a LOTTA makeup artists.
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But if you want to stand out in a crowded industry, do you know what you do?
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You tell us your founder’s story. And not just the surface story of “I like to create, make, experiment, blah blah.”
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But the HARD story.
The soul-piercing story.
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In order to understand what you do, we must understand where you came from.
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Remember what you do most likely isn’t that unique. But you are. And that’s the energy your people want to see.

And by the way, I will be opening up my Founder’s Fire applications soon if you want in on the Fall cohort.
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Waitlist sign-up is below to my most high-touch, intimate cohort of unraveling the biggest story of your life and then my team putting it to video.

Join The Waitlist

Real Resources​
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So this is a bit of a cheat, because I mentioned Kar last week but seriously, if you want to start taking your Instagram seriously, you need to get in on her program…NOW.

Because she only opens up the doors to her Social Department a few times a year.
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If you are a coach or a service provider and you want to make some sales in the next 90 days, joining her program is a MUST.

She’s helped over 150 coaches and service providers grow an engaged following, unlock sales with small audiences and create sustainable content strategies… you can join only this week so get in now and get access to some additional bonuses she is offering.

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​Inspire That Founder’s Fire​
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​Research by Edelman found that 64% of consumers make purchases based on shared values, underscoring the significance of weaving brand values into storytelling.​
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Evidence-backed proof that showing up as WHO you are is actually good for your bank account!
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Ok, that’s all I got for this week.
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I’m working on a kick-ass Summer Slump social storytelling challenge for my Business Storyprenuer Society and trying to wrap my brain around that basically all of June in Lisbon is just ONE GIANT PARTY.
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For real, my work life is not in alignment with my new Lisbon party life.