No, not his 200,000,000 house in Beverly Hills.ย
The house he started Amazon in.
I was speaking at a company in Bellevue, and his old house was literally down the street, so I had to see it for myself.
This garage is where Amazon was launched.
Today, itโs the 5th most valuable company on the planet.
I...
It took me 200+ talks before I felt comfortable speaking.
It took me 100+ articles written before I felt comfortable writing.
It took me 50+ podcast episodes before I felt comfortable podcasting.
Want to feel more comfortable?ย
Find wise people who know what they're doing, learn from them, and then i...
Take the place of:
-Empathy
-Compassion
-Love
A lot of people are talking about AI, but theyโre not setting the groundwork to combat it.
If you want to create a vibrant company culture, you need to have a surge of storytellingโฆ
โฆbecause storytelling touches on all these points (empathy, compassion, love)...
On Aug 11th, 1973 (half a century ago!), Cindy Campbell threw a party in the recreation room of her apartment building (1520 Sedgwick Ave, The Bronx, NY).
She had her brother, Clive Campbell (DJ Kool Herc) run the music.
Little did anyone know, Hip-Hop would be birthed that night.
What started out a...
Here are some thoughts to help you motivate others to buy-in to your ideas:
ย
โก๏ธ ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ๐. You do NOT need to make-up situations and lie to #communicate persuasively. By being authentic and real with people, youโre putting yourself in a position to make a genuine connection with some...
Hereโs what I meanโฆ
Let's use a writer like J.K. Rowlings as an example...
Twelve different publishing houses rejected her manuscript before she finally found a publisher.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was first published on June 26, 1997.
Years before LinkedIn became popular.ย
So Rowlings, eve...
Last week, I was teaching my 9-year-old how to set goals, so I used one of my BIG goals as an example.ย
He lit up with excitement as we spent an hour going through numerous details.
He even gave me some good suggestions.
At the end of the conversation, he said, "awesome; now you can prove to me how t...
PODCAST SUMMARY: In this episode, Claire Davis and Matt Zaun talk about how they created a storytelling system and positioned it to boost sales and enhance their marketing efforts.
CLAIRE DAVIS BIO: Claire is a branding consultant that helps people write their stories. ย The Stories With Traction podc...
Iโve never quite understood it.ย When a speaker cries in front of an audience, theyโre connecting with people on one of the deepest levels.ย
Should they apologize for being real?
Should they apologize for being vulnerable?
Should they apologize for giving a glimpse into their reality?
No.
The audience...
ย
ย
PODCAST SUMMARY: In this episode, Jacob Brown and Matt Zaun talk about how to turn failure into fuel for growth.
JACOB BROWN BIO: Jacob is a former NFL athlete turned entrepreneur, transformational speaker, and writer.
For more info, check out Jacob here:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobaaronbro...
PODCAST SUMMARY: In this episode, Lori Halverson and Matt Zaun talk about the motivational level of leaders and how this can impact their company culture.ย In addition, they dive into the importance of keeping everyone accountable regardless of generation.
LORI HALVERSON BIO: Lori is the President of...
ย
ย
SHOW NOTES:
PODCAST EPISODES MENTIONED:
Stories of Leadership
How to Get Involved in Politics
SUMMARY: In this episode, Terence Farrell and Matt Zaun discuss ways leaders can get more involved in their communities and why itโs important.
TERENCE FARRELL BIO: Terence served as a Chester County Comm...
Wanna piss off your prospects?
-Talk about yourself all the time
-How awesome your company isย
-How many achievements you have
Yadi-yadi-ya
Wanna captivate your prospects?
-Share stories where they see themselves in your story!
People want to feel that they can trust you, and the quickest way you can build that trust is through storytelling.
In addition, people are yearning for a real connection.
Understanding this is an opportunity for you and a chance to empower people through your personal and business #stories.
๐ Talk ...
๐ ย 5-years ago, I was sitting motionless, blankly staring off into the distance.
I had hit rock bottom in my career.
Everything I had worked so hard for fell right between my fingers, and it was all gone.
My wife came and sat down next to me and gave me an incredible smile, only like she could do. She ...
SHOW NOTES:
SUMMARY: In this episode, Mike Kramer and Matt Zaun talk about how business leaders can implement simple strategies that will lead to significant growth.
MIKE KRAMER BIO: Mike is the founder of ManageHub, which provides mid-market and smaller organizations leadership and coaching services....
I learned how to drive in my parentโs minivan while in high school.ย Let me tell you, I was not excited to be driving that Dodge Caravan every day during my senior year.ย
You should have heard all the names I was called.
My Dad said, โtake the kids' bullying and turn it into an opportunity.โ
I took out...
โ๏ธย The corporate culture at Starbucks was formed from an inspirational story that Howard Schultz continually shared early on in his career.
He would often tell team members of his significant financial struggles growing up and how challenging it was for him.
These stories empowered the company to d...
Last week, I shared my Powerfully Persuade Through Storytelling workshop with business leaders in Connecticut.
I had to stop by the house of one of the best storytellers America has ever known.
While there I saw something firsthand that many people talk about but donโt make it part of their routine.....
I remember my Dad telling me that when I was growing up because I was reading a lot of newspapers and magazines.
His point was to read more material (like novels and non-fiction), where the author put more time and energy into writing.
Social media is even lower-level writing than newspapers.
You may g...
SHOW NOTES:
SUMMARY: In this episode, Chanel Cook and Matt Zaun talk about how business leaders can give back through nonprofit work.
CHANEL COOK BIO: Chanel is the Public Affairs Officer at the Erie VA Medical Center.ย In addition, she is an Adjunct Instructor at Mercyhurst University, where she spec...
One of my mentors shared something with me that fundamentally changed my life.ย Took a while for me to truly grasp the magnitude of these words, but here they are...
โ๐๐
๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐.โ
๐ Read that again.
No wonder you're so stressed.
In business, we often place unrealistic exp...
Years ago, I had a boss that was a genius.
I asked him one day why his writing didn't reflect his IQ. ย ย ๐
โJohn, why do you use simple words in your emails and newsletters?ย Don't you want to impress people with your knowledge?โ
โMatt, some people use complex words to sound smart, I write on a 4th-gr...
ย
SHOW NOTES:
PODCAST SUMMARY: In this episode, Erik Wolf and Matt Zaun talk about the disconnect between C-suite, sales, and marketing and what can be done to change that.
ERIK WOLF BIO: Erik is the founder and CEO of estound, which is an award-winning fractional marketing department for mid-size co...
Stories With Traction Blog
