Will Sampson talks about how important it is for businesses to share their story. His guest is Andy O’Hare, president of the Composite Panel Association. He has some fascinating facts and statistics to share that might change popular views about the environmental impact of wood products.
This episode of the Woodworking Network podcast was sponsored by the Executive Briefing Conference. It’s really easy for woodworkers to stay stuck inside, focused on their shops and production. But over the last couple of years, the pandemic has forced them be even more isolated than usual. And it’s even harder if what you want is to network with the top-level executives in the industry. Where and how can you do that? The answer is the Executive Briefing Conference coming this September at the spectacular Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. This is an unparalleled opportunity to boost your business with intelligence on techniques, tools, and technology and to feed on inspiration from real leaders in the industry. Not to mention take in all the high-altitude hospitality, beauty and recreation offered by the Broadmoor. Learn more at ExecutiveBriefingConference.com. See you there.
Woodworking Network is a home for professional woodworkers, presenting technology, supplies, education, inspiration, and community, from small business entrepreneurs to corporate managers at large automated plants.
You can find all of our podcasts at WoodworkingNetwork.com/podcasts and in popular podcast channels. Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss an episode. Thanks again to today’s sponsor, Wood Pro Expo. If you have a comment or topic you’d like us to explore, contact me at will.sampson@woodworkingnetwork.com. And we would really appreciate it if you fill out the survey at woodworking network.com/podcast-survey. Thanks for listening.
Intro music courtesy of Anthony Monson.
Are you telling your story?
Years ago, a friend who was running a custom cabinet shop in a small town told me a story of a somewhat embarrassing social gathering he had with friends.
He and his wife and a few other couples would get together at each other’s houses on a regular basis for a social evening of dinner, drinks, and maybe a few hands of poker. At one such gathering, the hostess was excitedly ushering everyone in to see her newly remodeled bathroom featuring all new custom cabinets. But my friend hadn’t made the cabinets. They came from some shop out of the area.
Now, my friend just shrugged it off as a minor lost job, but his wife was not going to let it go. She confronted the hostess and asked, “Do you know what my husband does for a living?” The hostess was completely embarrassed to find out that he built custom cabinets and would have been happy to bid on their job if they had approached him.
You see, my friend the custom cabinet shop owner had not told his own story to his friends. If you don’t tell your story, no one will know it.
In business parlance, this is often given some slick title and an acronym such as your Unique Selling Proposition or USP for short. In a nutshell, it’s what sets you apart and makes you different in a positive way from your competition. But if you use the business term, there’s a danger you’ll think of it too much like a sales pitch. You’ll start adding in competitive language. I think it’s better if you just tell the story of your business and let that tale set you apart by leaving a lasting impression in people’s minds.
Maybe your story is how you started in a garage and built up the business into a thriving professional enterprise that serves discriminating clients. Maybe your story is how you have sustained and grown the business started by your father or grandfather. Maybe your story is how you developed a singular way of doing something and crafting that product in a way that makes it special and in demand. Or just maybe you built your business on a legacy of outstanding customer service that helped build your business by word of mouth.
Whatever it is, it is your story to tell. But you do have to tell it. And you have to be comfortable — maybe even proud — to tell it over and over again, so everyone you come in contact with knows at least a significant piece of that story. If you make it memorable and worth sharing, your listeners will help you spread the word without your even asking them.
This is why social media is so powerful. It’s not about business competition so much as it is about telling and sharing stories, stories that are memorable, entertaining, and fun to share. What’s your story?
I want to get to our interview with Andy O’Hare, but first, let’s pause for a word from our sponsor:
It’s really easy for woodworkers to stay stuck inside, focused on their shops and production. But over the last couple of years, the pandemic has forced them be even more isolated than usual. And it’s even harder if what you want is to network with the top-level executives in the industry. Where and how can you do that? The answer is the Executive Briefing Conference coming this September at the spectacular Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. This is an unparalleled opportunity to boost your business with intelligence on techniques, tools, and technology and to feed on inspiration from real leaders in the industry. Not to mention take in all the high-altitude hospitality, beauty and recreation offered by the Broadmoor. Learn more at ExecutiveBriefingConference.com. See you there.
Now let’s get to our interview with Andy O’Hare.