Grow Your Podcast Through Powerful Storytelling

Amplify Ambition with Kristen Edwards

Kristen: [00:00:00] This is Amplify Ambition. I'm your host, Kristen Edwards, and this is a show where I help you reclaim your time while you grow your business. Simplify your path to success when you decide to dream loudly. Welcome back to another episode of Amplify Ambition. I think this is the second time I've actually had someone come back.

Twice. Um, so it's not because of how awesome her name is, but really because of the message and the work that she does. But welcome back to the show, Chris Jones. 

Kris: Uh, thank you. Thank you for having me. I'm thrilled to be here. 

Kristen: Absolutely. Well, I think it's always important to bring who we are. To the surface.

And so over the past couple years, I'm sure life has ebbed and flow, but what is the passion of the month or the season that you're in that not necessarily an obvious part of the work you do, but something you're really enjoying right now? 

Kris: Oh, something I'm really enjoying. You know, I've, I've recently, in the last year, um.

Written a book and that's what I've [00:01:00] been delving into. It's been kind of a new, even though writing is really my, you know, it's my profession. I have had never written a book before. And so that, that process was really fun and kind of getting to the finish line with it was. Even more fun. It's like, it's such a journey.

There's like the messy middle part, and then it takes shape and then it gains momentum, and then you reach the finish line and then the, then you market the book anyways, so it's, it's been a really fun to like learn something new and, um, ultimately have a tool that allows me to be able to help people when I'm not around or if they can't afford.

To work with me one-on-one, they can get the book. It's really, 

Kristen: really good. Feeling a win, win win, right? You got to try something new, which is something that I think you and I are both always kind of saying like, well, you know, [00:02:00] try just to see what happens. Um, and then at the same time you're thinking about that long-term impact and, you know, giving access to, to other folks and for so many different reasons.

And so yeah, that's like a triple threat right there. And, and 

Kris: finding something that you would 

Kristen: enjoy. 

Kris: And I think the key word there is fun. Like try something new. If it sounds and feels fun, if it feels like drudgery or a homework assignment, don't do it. Like we're all in charge of our own businesses, so we shouldn't have to do the things that we, that we dread.

Right. That's the whole reason we got into be becoming self-employed. 

Kristen: Yeah, I love that. And such a beautiful reminder. So you mentioned this book and so I'm curious, you've obviously been an entrepreneur for, for quite some time. What led you to say like it's. Time to write it down. And has the message changed?

Are you still kind of in the same niche and space that you've, you've kind of been in historically, like what's that [00:03:00] looking like for you? 

Kris: Yeah, I mean, I, I've been in the industry now 23 years, which is insane to even think about, but been doing, really doing the work that I was put on the planet to do.

It's evolved over time. I started out as a visual storyteller, like even as a child. And then in my. In my early days in my career, and then I started to realize that beautiful design can only get used so far. Like you really, the thing that will sell your work and your business or your offering is. Words, the right words.

And then when those right words are crafted and they're clear and, and our ideal clients can really understand them without burning a bunch of brain calories and putting forth a lot of effort to understand what we do and how we can help them, then we wanna pair that with beautiful design. But it's kind of secondary, in my opinion, so, so the work that [00:04:00] I've been doing for many years.

Is really helping people write their signature story and really. Finding the words that allow you to communicate what you do with confidence in a way that really connects with your ideal client and compels them to wanna work with you. And that's the work that I've been doing for year, many years now.

Uh, so the. Fundamental work that I've done hasn't necessarily changed, but the reason that I wrote the book is because, so I've worked with so many clients at this point that I've honed my process to a point where I understand my clients, like inside and out, and I've iron out a process that has really streamlined, really efficient, really gets people from overwhelmed.

Frustrated with their message feeling, you know, awkward when people ask them what they do. Oh. Or having a [00:05:00] website that doesn't. Properly convert, you know, bring in new clients and convert them. A lot of people that I work with have websites that when they really think of it, that website has not brought in any clients or maybe one or two over the course of a year.

So that's not good enough. Your website should be your top sales employee and I. Firmly believe that because when our website can do that heavy lifting for us, we get to focus on doing the work we love. Nobody becomes self-employed because they wanna be a part-time marketer. They become self-employed 'cause they wanna do the work that they love to do.

And so I love setting my clients up with tools that allow them to do less marketing and have tools that work on autopilot so they can really do the things that they enjoy. Once I had hundreds of people go through this process, and it was proven time and time and time [00:06:00] again that it worked, it became time and clear to me that now I can communicate this and hold people's hands through it in a book format so they can do it.

Uh, on their own or kind of with me, I'm with them in spirit, right? I'm holding their hand through while they're reading the book. My, to work with me one-on-one is, you know, right around $5,000, which I. Is a huge value for what you actually get. I mean, you get all the messaging for your entire business forevermore, but not everybody's in that stage where they're ready to invest in their business.

So it just feels good to be able to help people and reach people at, you know, a price point that's under $20 where you, you really get to. Peek behind the curtain and I walk you through every detail. I don't keep any secrets. I don't believe in keeping secrets. [00:07:00] Like I put it all out there on the, in this book, and you can take it and run with it.

Kristen: Yeah. I, I love that. And I think, one, it's helpful that you're sharing your secrets and, and putting them in a book for, for people to access. But I think another thing, especially as, as a podcaster, and before we hit record, we were talking about audio books and stuff, and I'm like, I don't want to write.

Anything down if I have the choice, um, and if I'm honest, but you are completely correct in saying that your website sells. And we did talk about that on the last time you were on the show. But I think when you think about that spa, right, if you're speaking on stages, if you're a guest on other people's podcasts, if you're going live on social media, there's so many audio visual types of things that we're doing where.

That same message that we have on our website needs to be condensed into the three minute version or the 30 minute version. And so I'd love for you to kind of share like those principles are still the same. How do people. Dig in and say, okay, what makes [00:08:00] me unique in a world where it looks like everyone else is also a female entrepreneur?

Yeah. What helps me stand out in my space and really 

Kris: own that with confidence. Yes. I love this question. Um, I wanna start by saying all you need is one signature story for your entire business, and that seems kind of. Counterintuitive, you know, in a, in a day and age where we're like feeling obligated to create new content all the time, and I just totally take a different approach to that.

And the reason why you can have one story that works for your entire business is because signature stories. They're, they're different than founder stories. Like your founder story is your background, how you got into this work, and it's kind of like a glorified resume in many ways. Your clients aren't interested in that.

They wanna know that you can help them solve a problem. So the [00:09:00] stories that I write for my clients are less about the founder story, and that's more about crafting a narrative that invites your potential clients. Into a story with you, a story where they play the hero. Your clients are the hero, the central figure in the story, and you play the guide.

You're the wise guide that can shepherd them to, that's the story that I'm talking about and it works a lot like an accordion. When you think of that instrument, you, you know that it goes like this. And this in order to play it. And if you're listening, I'm widening my hands and then bringing them together very closely and back and forth.

And your signature story does the same thing. So the shortest version of your signature story is gonna be the answers to, to the question what you do. It's gonna be like a two sentence. Statement, it's still a story. It still contains all those story components. And then a longer version of your story might live on [00:10:00] your website, on your homepage.

It might be a long format sales page, so that would be the longer version of the story, or a blog post or a podcast interview, and then. Maybe a medium length version of your story is gonna be a video script that I always write video scripts for my clients. And, but they're not too long. They're like 90 minute, 90 seconds, not 90 minutes.

So. It's really malleable and the more you repeat that same story over and over again, the more people trust you, the more people remember you, the more respect you get, the more clients you get, because people are like, they are the the master at solving this problem. So it's way less work for us as business owners.

And it's actually way more effective, which is key. That's the goal. And to answer your question, like what makes us stand out, what, what makes our [00:11:00] story different than than other people in our industry? I. The reason everyone starts to look the same in your industry is because everybody is looking at each other's website to gain inspiration from that website, and then they pull that idea over to their own website.

Ultimately, everything just starts to look pretty vanilla and it's hard to to stand out. So what I want to share is that you. Everyone has their own unique, compelling story. Every business owner does. It is inside of you. Your story is not created. It's not. You know, pulled from inspiration from your competitor websites.

Your story is like gold and it's mind from inside of you. And this is what that my book teaches you how to do mind for gold inside your own head and your own heart. So we pull out the gold that's inside [00:12:00] of you. We craft your story using timeless story principles, meaning there are really seven components that make up any story.

Every story begins with a guide that has a, I mean, every story begins with a hero that has a problem they don't know how to solve. That's your client. Your client has. A problem they don't know how to solve. They're looking for a guide who can give them a plan that can call them to action, that will ultimately help them avoid failure and experience success.

So those what I just shared with you in that last like 30 seconds, applies to every story you've ever heard. A, a great book, a great movie, a great spoken story. Always follows that same format. And when you think about movies that our box office hits like Top Gun, the newer Top Gun, like followed that formula to a t.[00:13:00] 

Made a a bajillion dollars. Why not use that same strategy on your website? It works. It captures people's attention. It gets them engaged, and it's authentic. It's not, it's not a manipulative, broey marketing approach. It's timeless. It's real. It's gonna attract the ideal clients if they're the right fit for you.

Kristen: Yeah, I loved the example you gave of the accordion going in and out of like, it's the same instrument and you just get to decide, is this a long note, a short note, a high note, right? But really, you know, as you said, is this the, the one hour signature talk that I'm giving at, you know, a presentation at a conference?

Or is this the. Two minute intro that I give before the next question in a podcast interview, or is it the long version of sales page on my website for a particular offer. And to be able to ebb and flow and go in and [00:14:00] out the same way that instrument does of like, okay, this is how my story fits. This moment, but you're not changing your story.

And then you also talked about it being authentic. And so whether you're speaking to a co-ed audience, a young audience, an older audience, all women, whatever it might be, it's like, well, this is my story. This is who I am. Here's the takeaway point that makes you the hero and how I solve this problem for you.

But also like, don't show up in a space where you're not. Helpful. So like side note, but saying, Hey, this is a place where my interest, my expertise, my situation is going to help guide you to solve. Your problems. And so here's how I can bring it, I don't even know the technical terms of the accordion, but the in and outness of an accordion to, to make it relevant to, to your audience that they're like, Hey, you are able to solve my problem.

You are the right person for me. And conveniently, there's 8 billion other people on the planet. So if you're not their person, they [00:15:00] get to go find the one that's out there that's able to help them. And if we're thinking about True Impact, it's about. Everyone getting what they need, but not us selfishly serving every single person ourselves.

Kris: Oh yeah. We can't do that. I mean, it's, it's kind of a relief. There's a couple things about story that I find kind of a relief. Number one is story is a filtering device. So it really clarifies your message, and when your message is really clear, you're gonna attract the right people. If you wanna attract people that have bigger budgets, or you wanna attract people that are really invested, or whatever it is you're looking for, it's gonna attract those people.

But it's also gonna repel the wrong fit clients. So you're going to, you're not gonna have to be on the phone with a bunch of people who you, you aren't passionate about helping and serving. So that's a huge relief. And then the other piece of that is that our stories [00:16:00] aren't really about us, which is kind of a relief, right?

They're about our. Audience or our clients, and they're the central figure of our story. Not that we don't play a role, we play a very, very important role of in the story, but it's, in a way, it's the secondary role. We're the strongest character in their story. Story, but we're the secondary character in the story.

So the hero, our clients are really that central character and that allows us to be able to focus on them, lets them know that they're the most important thing to us. Their struggles. We get their struggles, we care about their success. And when they've, and they meet you and they recognize that they're the most important thing to you, my gosh, does that feel good?

And. Just the very nature of taking that approach is gonna help you stand out from everybody else because everyone else at your, in your industry, [00:17:00] very, very likely the business owner is making themselves the hero of their own story. It's happening on 99.99% of the websites out there. And we don't wanna be the heroes of our own story because that hero is the weakest character in the story.

There's only room for one hero in every story. So when we are the hero of our own story, we kick a potential client out of this story. They can't envision what it's like to work with us. And that's why when you go to a website. And you're like, okay, this is a pretty website. She seems cool, but I'm just not feeling a connection.

I'm going to bounce and I'm gonna move on to the next website. That's why that happens. We don't know it consciously, but, but subconsciously that business owner is likely making themselves the hero of their own story, meaning they're talking too much about themselves and they're making. All the communication about them, not about their client.

And so there's no way to connect [00:18:00] on a website like that or with a story like that. And so we bounce. And so this, you know, you don't have to be dramatically different or unique or special to stand out in your market. You just have to really double down on making your client the most important central character in your story.

And just that will help you stand out. 

Kristen: Yeah, and I think that's such an important thing to like let that simmer right of go look at your website. Am I being the hero or am I letting my client have that moment as the hero? And then also, where else am I doing that? Am I doing that in my other marketing of social media, my podcast, other things?

And it's usually not a major shift, like you don't need to start from scratch, but what are those? Two sentences or what is the way that you can update your bio, that you're still saying, here's how I can help you. 'cause that is the entire point. Right. Um, and also, let's be honest, [00:19:00] most of us, like as, as consumers, we're like, I see myself in that new shirt.

I see myself eating at that restaurant. They are out there marketing to make us feel like the heroes. And so let's do the exact same thing that's going to allow our clients to be like. She sees me, she gets me. She knows what I'm looking for. Let me open up my wallet and share. And so, like from a very practical business standpoint, letting your client be the hero is a way to make you profitable.

But at the same time, we're also really good people, um, at saying, this is how I make a difference. This is how I get to enhance my impact. This is how I get to serve more, more people. So it becomes. A great balance and a win-win situation for you as a business owner, as well as your clients, that you're allowing them to be the hero in that moment.

I love, I love the way that you explained that, so thank 

Kris: you. Hmm. That was really beautiful. I loved the way you explained that. [00:20:00] Yeah. I think, you know, once you start to look at your business with this lens. I do have a freebie I wanna share with you that will help you get started and, and start shifting the way you look at things.

But when you begin to shift, shift your perspective and look through the lens of story. It's really easy. In a couple of hours, you can audit your bio, you can add a signature to your email signature or update that you can quickly update your social media profiles. Profile copy. I mean, there's like a handful of things that you can update that in a single afternoon.

Like your whole messaging is gonna start feeling more. Connective. 

Kristen: Yeah. Well, I'm a fan of quick wins, so I think that this is a great resource and we'll definitely have the link in the show notes for everyone to go ahead, carve out some time, some afternoon this week, and let's make sure that you are making sure that you're the [00:21:00] guide and that your clients, your readers, your subscribers, are able to be the hero of those stories in a way that you're still being authentic to who you are.

You're also able to help them transform their lives for the better with the work that you do. Yes, yes, yes. 

Kris: Yeah. That freebie, it's called How to Write Compelling Copy in five Minutes Flat. It's a five minute training and a little worksheet. I hold your hand through the whole process. It doesn't take more than n minutes total, and it's, it's a way, a great way just to begin this process of, of shifting that lens and it that can be found on my website.

Kristen: Um, well thank you for, for that, Chris, and as we're, we're winding down this episode and people are like, Hey, wow, I am so excited to wanna get the book and this freebie that you, you've mentioned, and I'll have those links, but really the message and the impact that you are looking to share in this world, what is that one thing you want listeners to remember this conversation by?

Kris: I mean, just really the [00:22:00] power of a story. Like if you begin to really understand. Stand what story is and apply it to your own business. Everything will change. I've watched it for hundreds of my clients. I've applied it to my own business, like it really. And if we drill down even one step further, like make your clients the hero of your, your story, and you be that guide role and that free bi shared will show you exactly how to do that.

But if you did nothing else like that's going to. Help. Help you reach the people that really need you. It's also gonna help you have a more profitable business. And it's also gonna help you do less work and focus on the stuff that you love. So you're not constantly out there trying to generate content.

Just once you have your story, you just regurgitate it and. All the different ways and, and so that's what's really what I wanna help people with the [00:23:00] most. 

Kristen: Yeah. I mean, I just got so excited that you're like, your one story's gonna do these 50 things. So Yes. I mean, talk about streamlining with efficiency of like, all right, you've crafted your story, you've, you've packed it up really well, and now you, like you said, just regurgitate it in different avenues.

I think that's a great way for people to remember you and to, to. Really wanna explore more with red door design. So thank you so much for being on the show today. 

Kris: Oh, thank you. It was really a joy to be here. And before I hop off, my website is red door designs.com. That's R-E-D-D-O-O-R-D-E-S-I-G-N-S. The freebie is there, the book.

Is there anything you'd ever wanna know about me? Is there, so check it out and I hope it's helpful. Awesome. Thank you.