The Power of Storytelling

Friday, March 17th, 2017
11:30am

"The Power of Storytelling"

by Tanner Dame; CEO, Proof Eyewear

   In this seminar session, Mr. Tanner Dame talked on his experiences with entrepreneurship, giving back, and telling your personal story.  Along with his two brothers, Tanner started Proof Eyewear, "the most sustainable eyewear/sunglasses in the world" in 2010.  Dame started his presentation with what he believes to be the most important aspect of starting a company, namely having 'pillars' as a foundation of a company on which to define/base all decisions.  At Proof, their pillars are: Heritage (relating to the sawmill their grandfather started & became very successful with), Friendly (eco-friendly/sustainable), and Giving Back (being a for-profit company that still gives to & helps others; having team service projects, such as their "Philippines Project"). The Dame brothers were given a great experience in recent years when they appeared on the hit TV show "Shark Tank," where they were given offers from Kevin & Robert but declined both offers. Ironically, they had asked for a $150,000 stake in their company of the sharks, but the exposure of that episode was worth it enough, as they saw a great number than what they asked for in online sales in the weeks following the release of the episode.

"No one can tell your story better than you, tell it to others! Put yourself out there, be unique, & be passionate about it," Dame told us. According to Tanner, what makes a meaningful story?
A meaningful story is:

• Memorable - 5% of people remember statistics, but 63% of people remember stories
• Personal - Truthful & relevant to who/what/where you are
• Impactful - Tells your story to others in a way they can relate to

How to tell your story:

• Use your resources
• Creative guerrilla marketing
• Utilize your network & have others share your story
• Tell your story to everybody! ("to the point where it's annoying"; get it stuck in their heads)
• It's your story to tell, be proud
• Social media (specifically LinkedIn... make sure it looks good)
• Self-improvement (be selfish, educate yourself, make yourself unique & constantly improve yourself)

Tanner left us with some final wisdom on starting a company (especially with other people):

• When starting a company, create ground rules & limitations; relationships between friends/family/coworkers are most important
• A company name should be something simple (easy to remember) and representative
• Do your research, but don't over-research to the point where you psyche yourself out"