Storytelling is a wonderful part of our city. From unique storytelling events, like this past weekend’s book festival that hosted renowned authors reading their own works, to the almost common sound of a period actor waxing to tourists in a downtown square, we’ve got great stories to tell and people to tell them.
But the business of storytelling here in Savannah is not just limited to authors and actors. Storytelling is an integral part of our business community. And not simply in the expected realms of advertising and marketing. Believe it or not, storytelling is also a major part of economic development. It’s the first step to evangelizing and growing a new business idea that will eventually generate jobs and economic growth.
Most people creating something new know they can protect their idea with the help of a patent attorney. Or they know they can set up a new business structure, like a corporation, with a good CPA. But few entrepreneurs understand the first step to creating a new business is learning how to tell a good story.
It’s not enough to work their way through a checklist of how to start a business. Growing any idea is about recruiting people — investors, connections and eventually customers — and momentum. If a great idea can’t be shared, it’s impossible to attract the human capital needed to make it a reality. The business of storytelling is the critical first step to gathering the right people around an idea that can help bring it to life.
In Savannah, we have access to world-class professional services such as CPAs and attorneys, but did you know we also train business storytellers? It’s offered through an event called FastPitch, and for the third year, those with dreams of starting a new business or launching a new product will take the stage on March 28 to tell their stories. They’ll compete for $6,000 in cash and garner much needed attention from investors and local businesses.
The event, organized by Georgia Southern, Georgia Tech’s Advanced Technology Development Center, and The Creative Coast, provides applicants with guidance and practice sessions with seasoned business “storytellers” to better hone their pitches. And backed by some amazing sponsors, this year’s event is looking to be better than ever.
Make no mistake, sharing a new idea with an eager audience of investors, local business, city and academic leaders and the press is hard. But our local creators, doers and risk takers know that telling a better story is the critical first step in growing their new business here in Savannah.
And while the best stories, or pitches, may win some cash, everyone participating gains one of the most valuable tools needed to start anything new: Experience crafting and sharing their story.
So mark your calendar for March 28 and come out to hear a different kind of storytelling. Not stories of days gone by or some entertaining fiction, but stories of the future, of what could be, told by the people who are dreaming of that future right now.
Radford Harrell serves on the board of The Creative Coast, is CEO of TalentSoup, and tells a lot of stories. He can be reached at 912-289-7728 or rad@talentsoup.com.