Want to talk about your story, your marketing, or your profitability? Book a complimentary coffee conversation with me at www.dirt1x.com/coffeemtg, or call 770-301-8706.
In August, I stood in front of the Business Women of Fayette and Coweta at the Connect & Conquer business conference and asked a simple question:
Who here has been through hell?
Nearly every hand in the room went up.
I was not surprised. I’ve worked with enough business owners to know that behind the polished website, professional headshot, and confident introduction, there is usually a real story. Sometimes it is loss. Sometimes it is starting over. Sometimes it is carrying a business, a family, or a team through a season that felt impossible.
I have my own story.
I’ve walked through mental illness and difficult seasons that began when I was 16. I’ve learned what it means to keep going through daily care, support, and what I call extreme resilience.
That history is part of me. But it does not own me.
That is the difference I wanted to explore in that room:
Owning your story does not mean being trapped by it. It means understanding what happened, recognizing what it gave you, and deciding what you will do with it.
1. Name the Wreckage, But Don’t Build a House There
Most of us have wreckage behind us.
Maybe you made a business decision that cost you money. Maybe you trusted the wrong person. Maybe you stayed too long in a situation that was hurting you.
The danger is getting stuck in the coulda, woulda, shouldas:
- I could have started sooner.
- I would have handled that differently.
- I should have known better.
- I am a failure.
I often tell clients that we need to look honestly at what happened, but we do not need to let the worst chapter write the whole book. Rehearsing failure does not make your next marketing campaign smarter. It just keeps you standing in the ashes.
2. Turn the Story Into Strength
Triumph is not pretending the wreckage never happened. Triumph is learning from it and using it well.
For me, the work I do through The Citizen and Dirt1x is part of that transformation. I use my experience to tell stories, support nonprofits, help businesses communicate clearly, and help people create change.
Your version may look different. Maybe you survived a business failure and now help other owners avoid the same trap. Maybe you rebuilt after a personal crisis and now lead with more empathy and wisdom.
Your story does not have to be dramatic to be meaningful. It only has to be true.
A better question than “Why did this happen to me?” is this:
“What did I learn, and who can I help because I know it?”
That is where experience becomes leadership.
3. Choose What Goes in Your Wagon
During the presentation, I talked about a wagon and the things we choose to carry forward.
Every business owner has limited room. You have limited time, money, energy, and attention. You cannot carry everything.
You have to decide what belongs in the wagon.
Here are a few things worth carrying:
- Carry the lesson. Keep the wisdom you gained.
- Carry the skill. Maybe hardship made you a better communicator, organizer, or problem-solver.
- Carry the empathy. What hurt you may also be part of what helps you serve people well.
- Leave the shame. Shame is heavy, and it is not a business strategy.
- Leave the old script. “I always mess this up” is not a fact. It is a sentence you have repeated too often.
Your business story should not be a storage unit for every painful detail. It should be a carefully chosen set of experiences that helps people understand who you are, what you believe, and how you can help.
What are you carrying because it is useful, and what are you carrying simply because you have never put it down?
4. Make Your Story Matter to the Right Customer
This is where personal growth and marketing meet.
Your story is not separate from your marketing. It is one of the things that makes it credible.
The right customers are not only looking for a list of services. They are trying to decide whether they can trust you. They want to know if you understand their problem and whether you have been in the arena yourself.
That does not mean turning your About page into a diary. It means choosing the experiences that explain your perspective and connect naturally to your work.
At Dirt1x, we help clients shape those experiences into compelling stories for websites, brochures, social media, email campaigns, presentations, and more.
This is brand messaging with a human face. Your story helps customers understand why you do what you do and why your approach may be different from the next company they find online.
5. Use Your Power on Purpose
As I looked out at that room full of women, I saw people who had been through hard things and were still building, leading, hiring, serving, creating, and showing up.
That is power.
Not the polished version. The real version.
The version that says, “I have been through something, I learned something, and I know how to help.”
That is the story that attracts the right customers. And we would all rather do smart marketing than keep spending stupid money on messages that say nothing, right?!
Book a complimentary coffee conversation with me. We can talk about your story, your marketing, or your profitability. No tricky forms. Just a useful conversation about where you are and what you want to build next.
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