What Does a Business Need More than Anything? Words.

This truth was shared by a colleague of mine, who passed it on from one of her mentors, who wisely knew that one of the hardest things to do is write succinctly about the thing you know best. The thing you love most.

And when it comes to our businesses, we know them and love them more than anyone.

Which makes writing about them effectively, provocatively, authentically, SUCCINCTLY… challenging.

As someone who makes her living with words, specifically, poetic words, I know this truth very well.

Because in order to write about something powerfully, we need to be able to detach from it, and detaching from the thing we’ve been pouring our blood, sweat and tears into (our businesses!) is practically impossible.

That’s where poetry comes in.

Poetry’s job is to find the heartbeat of something, and tell it. It can be the heartbeat of a moment, a relationship, an event, a feeling, or….a business.

Here’s an easy poetic exercise to help you hear the heartbeat of your business and give you a solid foundation for writing about it.

Simple Business Mantra:

1. Write the name of your business and the word “is….” after it. This is the title of your business mantra.
2. Write the story of your business in 12 words. That is the only rule. 12 words. It can be a list. One long sentence. Fragments. There is no wrong way. Let yourself ignore grammar. Just close your eyes, take a deep breath and focus on the why of your business. Listen to the words that rise and write them.
3. Once you have 12 words, choose 6 of those and write them down beneath the 12. The only rule is to keep the 6 words in the same order you originally wrote them.
4. Once you have 6 words, choose 3 of those and write them down beneath the 6. Again, the only rule is to keep the 3 words in the same order you originally wrote them.
5. Once you have 3 words, choose 1 and write it down beneath the 3. This word is the essence, the heart of your business.

 

Here is an example I wrote for my business poemgrown, in which I write poetic mission statements and marketing copy, as well as commissioned poems, in collaboration with you, your life, and your occasion.

poemgrown is….

Love witnessed, shined, shared. Threshold crossed. Time stopped. The heart out loud.

Love witnessed. Time stopped. Heart loud.

Love witnessed loud. 

Love.

Now print these words out. Hang them up in your office. Put them in your wallet or with your business cards. And the next time you have to write something about your business, whether for a newsletter or a website, a blog, anything, read them first.

Use them before you give a sales pitch or an elevator speech or meet with a new client.

Use them to hear the heartbeat, the why of what you do, before you do it.

And then beautiful business owner, go and do it.

The world is waiting…

Content provided by Women Belong member cin salach