Business & Story-Telling

Recently, I have started to think about entrepreneurship and the need for business owners to open up be vulnerable and tell their stories.  This is the story that defines why they do business that tells us about the worries, fears and drive to be an entrepreneur. In a capital world filled with eccentric spending habits, direct fiscal competition and trying to navigate a simple meaning to our existence, we somehow struggle to understand what would direct someone to the challenging and often unpredictable world of business.

I have had the pleasure of talking personally with many business owners and although we all want to show case an imminent amount of success, we know that the struggle to make profit, the difficulties in advertising, marketing and getting our product to a broader market is fraught with unbelievable challenges.  In a capital market, we base our plausibility on a notion of supply and demand, if you need it and I have it, how much will it cost to provide you with this gem.  We have those that are remarkable in their field and have studied profoundly, but we are also navigating these murky waters and trying to identify a fish from a shark.

Business does not have to be cut throat, but we also must sit back and ask ourselves what is our success.  As business owners we have all taken a plunge into the unknown and put our talents, ambitions and passions up for public scrutiny and to some degree constant competitiveness.  Once we can define what we believe is success, I believe business can become a lifestyle, one that we can hone, tailor and craft to make it feasible for ourselves and those around. I asked my brother one day when we were driving, John what would you consider success in business.  His response was not to get rich, nor was it to be popular of famous, it was make a living.  

In business we take a risk and most entrepreneurs have unbelievable stories of risk, but unfortunately we only hear stories of success.  Business owners that are now millionaires, the media does stories on these people, ask for their opinions on business and they are who we read about.  We never read about the failed business owner or why they failed?  I personally enjoy hearing about the struggle, the risk, the blood, seat and tears (sorry if I am being over dramatic) that goes into creating a brand, fulfilling a dream and connecting with your local community.

I want to know these incredible stories of our business owners, we hire social media marketers to inform and sell our supply to a demanding market and to enhance our product visibility.  Saavy social media-ites come back to us with analytics that only sort of make sense and an expert understanding of how digitally social we need to be to get even more success.  This is all fine and good and I know some amazing social media marketers, but what about your story.  Why did you do this?  What have been the barriers?  What did you put on the line?  In the book "ALL IN" by Arlene Dickenson, she states that to become an entrepreneur, you need to have a new understanding of work-life balance and this is so true.  In her book, she tells amazingly inspiring stories of entrepreneurs just like you and me who went for it, figured it out and risked much.  Being in business is so much more then just selling product or concepts, it is a lifestyle that coincides with your family life, relationships, community involvement and everyday interactions.

I want to tell that story of our business owners in Southern Alberta, I want to sit down and hear from you about your failures, your successes, your challenges, your aspirations and your inspirations because I believe that every entrepreneur has a story just waiting to get out and inspire way too many people.

Your Pal,

Roy Pogorzelski

(Pogo Bros Inc.)

(4 Gents Inc - Good Times YQL)