Stories That Sell: The Power of Storytelling in Branding and Business Growth

Sandra Yancey [00:00:00]:

I get asked all the time, if you're on a. If you're on a panel and you only have time to tell one story, which do you pick? Do you pick humility? Do you pick humor? Do you pick heartbreak? And I always say it frames you.

Kym Yancey [00:00:12]:

I mean, it is a key branding, marketing, communication tool done the right way. It frames you in front of the audience before you even start speaking.

Briana Dai [00:00:24]:

Look at every season of your life that you've lived as a chapter. I have very distinct seasons of my life, and every single one of them is a chapter in my story, and every single chapter taught me something. So this is the time of the day that we get slap happy. So this is going to be a fun one. So welcome back to. She means millions.

Kym Yancey [00:00:55]:

Oh, did you say business?

Sandra Yancey [00:00:57]:

I did.

Kym Yancey [00:00:58]:

Oh, my goodness.

Briana Dai [00:00:59]:

Because she means more than business. She means millions. Welcome back to. She means millions. I. I'm. I'm a little slap happy and tired, so you're in for a treat. I think all three of us are on the same level.

Briana Dai [00:01:18]:

Would you agree?

Kym Yancey [00:01:19]:

No, I'm. I'm very bright and fresh.

Briana Dai [00:01:23]:

I love that for you. How are you feeling?

Sandra Yancey [00:01:28]:

I'm still eating my mint.

Briana Dai [00:01:32]:

All right, well, on that note, we're gonna be kind of piggybacking off of the last episode, because we were talking about branding, and one of the things that kind of came up that we all agreed that we could do a whole episode on in the spirit of building off of your brand, is how you tell your story. And the art of storytelling is not an easy one to master. And I think all three of us are pretty confident in our ability to do that. And so who wants to kick it off? Who. Who has a story?

Kym Yancey [00:02:02]:

I say the CEO and founder. Ah, she lays it on us. Go ahead. We'll take your. We'll take your lead.

Sandra Yancey [00:02:09]:

So I. I have a. I have a very strong opinion about stories. I think stories is what makes you unique. I can't do this with a mint.

Kym Yancey [00:02:27]:

Closer.

Briana Dai [00:02:28]:

Closer.

Sandra Yancey [00:02:30]:

I have a very strong opinion about stories because I do think that stories are the key differentiator. I think your stories are as unique as your fingerprint. And so while everybody has fingerprints, no one. No one's story is just like some other person's fingerprints. It's as unique as your own. And I think knowing when to tell a story is critically important. And I know. And I believe that knowing what type of story to tell is important when you're connecting with an audience, whether you are speaking live or you're doing a webinar Knowing how you bring people along through your journey is critical.

Sandra Yancey [00:03:15]:

I have always looked for what are the types of stories that are out there. And to make it simple for me, I categorize my stories and I happen to like alliterations. And so I categorize my stories in terms of humor, heartbreak, and humility. And when I am, when, whenever I am writing my keynote or my webinar or whatever it is that I'm presenting in whatever format it could be as a podcast guest, right. I'm always thinking about what are the most poignant stories that I can tell. Not for the sake of telling the story, but for illuminating what it is that I want my listener or my audience member to receive. So it's not just to tell a story for story's sake. It's so one of the things that you can use for connecting with someone in humility.

Sandra Yancey [00:04:10]:

And I do think the more successful you become, the more people think that you lose touch of what they are going through. So reminding them of your journey and particularly if you are very easy. For me, someone that was raised by a single mom, my dad died before I ever had a chance to really know him. And my mom wasn't from this country. She was from Mexico. And so England wasn't her first language. And that created some, I think, uniquenesses in how I was raised in a small town, farm town, like Dayton, Ohio at the time. And Dayton, Ohio's come a long way.

Sandra Yancey [00:04:51]:

But back when I was there, you know, it was, it was farm country to this day, about five miles, would you say, from the house I was raised in is Cargill, which is a corn syrup plant. And so to be where I am, what I've accomplished today, which I've worked really hard for, nothing has been handed to me. Reminding people that, or for people that don't know me, sharing with people kind of the beginnings, I think is really important. I think it helps them appreciate where you've come from, what you have learned, the passion of why you have, particularly for me, the passion to share everything that I know with as many people as I know, because I do believe in abundance and I do believe there's enough for everyone is really important. So, you know, knowing where, if you feel like your audience could feel like you are out of touch with them. A humility story anchored in the right place. And sometimes in the beginning is really helpful to get the whole room grounded. Humor is a great story.

Sandra Yancey [00:06:06]:

Poking fun at yourself or your life situations is really resonating. People like to laugh and people like People that they like. So people, sometimes I get asked all the time, if you're on a, if you're on a panel and you only have time to tell one story, which do you pick? Do you pick humility? Do you pick humor? Do you pick heartbreak? And I always say go for the humor because that will make people like you and want to know more about you. They're gonna go and they're gonna check out your social media channels and that kind of thing. They'll might go to YouTube to see what your videos are all about and that kind of thing. So humor is always good. And I like to use humor. Humor in a very self deprecating way.

Briana Dai [00:06:48]:

Like what?

Sandra Yancey [00:06:49]:

Like what?

Briana Dai [00:06:50]:

Like what?

Sandra Yancey [00:06:51]:

Like. I've often talked about how my mother, you know, wanted me to marry a CEO and that she, you know, when I, when I was first growing up and coming out of school and getting my first job and working at the bank, you know, she talked about, you know, pay attention to the CEO when I told her I was going to parties, you know, pay attention to the CEOs. And of course I didn't marry a CEO, but you know, oh, so much better.

Kym Yancey [00:07:22]:

So much better. Oh, I'm sorry, go ahead.

Sandra Yancey [00:07:25]:

If I say married. So much better. But you know, I mean, she lived long enough to see that I became the CEO that she wanted me to marry. And how about that? You know, and so ultimately. Pardon?

Briana Dai [00:07:41]:

Ultimately.

Sandra Yancey [00:07:43]:

Ultimately what? I ultimately became the CEO she wanted me to marry.

Briana Dai [00:07:49]:

But. Yeah, but the funny part is that you. He slept his way to the top.

Sandra Yancey [00:07:53]:

Oh, well.

Kym Yancey [00:07:57]:

You guys are something else.

Briana Dai [00:08:02]:

That's not funny.

Kym Yancey [00:08:03]:

Oh, wrong audience.

Sandra Yancey [00:08:05]:

You know. Yeah. That I may have been a groupie in the, in the 70s while you were on Capitol Records touring the world with Peter frampton and the OJs and the Commodores, but you're the one who ultimately slept your way to the top.

Kym Yancey [00:08:18]:

Oh God, we hit it again.

Sandra Yancey [00:08:21]:

Yeah, that's where that comes from. Yeah. So there's humor. There's an example of it. Right?

Briana Dai [00:08:25]:

Yeah. Sorry, I just had to, I just, I needed the whole story.

Sandra Yancey [00:08:28]:

Yeah, yeah. And you know, so I have those ones that are anchored, that I know kind of work, particularly if I'm with a newer audience. And sometimes if I'm with an audience where I have a lot of people that know me that are in our community that are part of the Ewomenne network tribe, I will sometimes just say for those of you, I'll have people raise their hands or put in the chat. If you're new to Ewomenne network or you're new to this woman, Sandra Yancey, you know, let me know, say me in the chat or raise your hand and then everybody can see the audience, whether the audience knows me well or not. So then I can say to the people that know me, for those of you that know me, indulge me for a couple of minutes while I bring everybody else up to speed. Because I think what happens is I often hear speakers say, gosh, I don't want to sound like I'm a broken record where all I have is one message. And that is true. But some of your stories are signature to you.

Sandra Yancey [00:09:27]:

They are part of your thumbprint. They are part of what makes you you. And when you know what that is, it is okay to repeat them. And so you have to level set the audience so that those that hear it for a second or third or fourth time just know that you're only going to take a couple of minutes to get everybody else up to speed. Because you have a no person left behind policy. Right. You want to make sure that everybody comes along at the same pace in the same way. So I just think that, you know, stories are a critical component to delivering your content and your core message of how you help and transform and people ultimately buy.

Sandra Yancey [00:10:05]:

People buy from people that they like. And your stories is what makes you memorable and it makes them decide to like you in many ways.

Briana Dai [00:10:12]:

I remember, I think it was at a conference with you and Russell Brunson was speaking, I think it was his conference. And he said something that really stuck with me. And he was just saying, you know, you get tired of your own story way more than other people, you know, so never, never shortcut your story.

Sandra Yancey [00:10:29]:

Yeah.

Briana Dai [00:10:29]:

Even if you've said it a million times, if you think they've heard it a million times, you are tired of it. But other people aren't.

Sandra Yancey [00:10:35]:

Yeah. You know, and there might be one or two people that roll their eyes and just know those aren't your people. I mean, you can't change everything because a few people, you know, aren't going to be in alignment with where you're going. I mean, you're going to have that for the rest of your life. And in, I think the more successful you become, sometimes you become a little bit more polarizing and you're just going to have those people that aren't your people. That's okay. There are millions of people out there that are your people.

Kym Yancey [00:11:01]:

Yeah. Yeah. And you know, one of the things about story from a branding standpoint as well As I think about it, is using it for stage introductions. But I, I, I would tell everybody, run, don't walk. Get a stage introduction that is video that is produced because it frames you. I mean, it is a key branding, marketing, communication tool done the right way. It frames you in front of the audience before you even start speaking.

Sandra Yancey [00:11:34]:

It totally elevates you. And I can't, no doubt about it.

Kym Yancey [00:11:36]:

I can't tell you how many people, you know that I've done stage introductions for through celebrity science and all that, that get a standing ovation before, before they start. Because the story in that. But here's, but here's the kind of a secret hidden gem that people don't think about. All you have to do is make a little edit at the end of your stage introduction and now it becomes a standalone promotion piece that you put in the about section of your website, all right? So you get all the glamour, you get all the pizzazz, all the excitement that's created in a, you know, a kind of a quick moving, updated, hip piece that frames you the right way.

Sandra Yancey [00:12:18]:

So you can repurpose it.

Kym Yancey [00:12:19]:

Well, yeah, so, so you can have it on your website. Yeah, on your website or in your YouTube or whatever the case may be. And that doesn't, that doesn't end. You edit out the part that says, so help us bring, you know, Sally George to the stage. All right? You don't say that at the end. You edit that out and now you.

Sandra Yancey [00:12:38]:

Say, now it's a sizzle reel.

Kym Yancey [00:12:40]:

Pardon me?

Briana Dai [00:12:41]:

Now it's a sizzle reel.

Kym Yancey [00:12:42]:

Now it's a sizzle reel. So now the end, it just says, it just introduces you and it doesn't, doesn't give them a command to go, you know, to welcome you on stage. You see, you have, you have. It's really two for one.

Briana Dai [00:12:54]:

Yeah.

Kym Yancey [00:12:54]:

You know what I mean? But, you know, nothing, especially for those of us that have a reel, that have a stage introduction, nothing gets you more than someone who's got something on paper. And I love this. When people do this, they do the, you know, I've been around Breonna Day for years, and I feel like I know her. I'm going to tell you from my.

Briana Dai [00:13:18]:

Heart, I'm not going to read her bio.

Kym Yancey [00:13:21]:

They are well intended. They think they're doing something nice, but they're blowing the framing of who you are. You know what I mean? And, you know, it's kind of funny. It's almost like I've been in a situation where I was speaking, let's say, At a chapter, and they were like, doing that kind of, you know. You know, he's the president of e Women network and so forth and so on. And I'm like, play the video. Play the video. You know, because again, they think they're doing a good thing for you.

Sandra Yancey [00:13:51]:

Right. Or they're running. They're running late, and so they want to read your bio and cut it in half on their own.

Kym Yancey [00:13:58]:

Yeah.

Sandra Yancey [00:13:59]:

They want to edit it on their own in order to make up some time when you've got your. Your intro reel. That can't happen.

Kym Yancey [00:14:05]:

I think it's one of the most important things that you have for anybody. That's one speaking or anyone wants to speak more. But you know that you're framed in front of the audience before you ever hit the stage, and the best parts of you are being brought out and spoken.

Sandra Yancey [00:14:19]:

It's a story, right?

Kym Yancey [00:14:20]:

Yeah, it's a story.

Sandra Yancey [00:14:21]:

And your intro is a story.

Kym Yancey [00:14:22]:

It is a story. It absolutely is. But then they have that on their website. I can't emphasize it enough in terms of it being a jewel for you. It also helps clarify your message at the same time.

Sandra Yancey [00:14:35]:

Yeah.

Kym Yancey [00:14:35]:

You know what I mean? When you're introducing yourself to people and what I'm saying, your message, it's letting the audience know, boy, I'm gonna pay attention to her. I. Wow. I didn't realize, you know, that whole thing, you know, you have a surprise.

Briana Dai [00:14:48]:

Yeah. And I think that knowing how to tell your story is something that we take for granted because it's something that we do for ourselves, but also for other people. But for somebody, if you're listening, you're like, well, I don't know how I would capture my story. I think that it's. The best way to put it is to look at every season of your life that you've lived as a chapter. I have very distinct seasons of my life, and every single one of them is a chapter in my story. And every single chapter taught me something. And inside of each of those chapters, if you can just sit with it and think about, what did you learn during this season of your life? Your stories will illuminate themselves.

Briana Dai [00:15:26]:

You know, when you really sit down and you think, oh, you know, when I was in corporate America or when I was meeting your dad or when I was, you know, moving to Texas and when I was trying to build a network, like, all of those chapters of your life, all the seasons became chapters that have now created stories that you speak on. And when you start to kind of do that inventory, you can really pull out the gold in there, because not all of them are gold stories, but there are certainly. There's silver, there's gold, there's platinum, you know, stories in there that you can really start to identify. I think it's helpful for me anyway, because I'm constantly thinking about that, not just in terms of, you know, the stories that we tell on stage, but just even how I show up online. You know, I think that nowadays, people want to connect with real people more than ever, and being able to effectively tell stories online that really connect you to your audience at a human level every single day and showing up every single day. Because even if you're not on a stage, your phone and your social media is a state.

Kym Yancey [00:16:36]:

It is.

Briana Dai [00:16:37]:

You know, people will kind of like, you know, brush off. I only have a hundred followers. Imagine putting a hundred bodies in a room, you know, every time you get on your phone, for those hundred followers, that's a hundred bodies. That's a full room. That's a big freaking deal. And obviously, the more that grows, the more that impact is. But every day you could show up and share your story, and it's your everyday stories and how you weave those into the lessons that you've learned in your life, I think is a really powerful tool that is super underestimated, regardless of whether you're on a big stage with lights and cameras or you're just opening up your phone and making a post.

Kym Yancey [00:17:17]:

Yeah. You know, you guys are doing this, and I'm. I'm reminded of the stories that stay with you. You know, how many times have you heard someone say, you know, they'll say, oh, I really like the speaker. It was really great. And I just say, hey, give me one thing you learned from it. And they go, oh, geez, oh, geez. Oh, gee.

Kym Yancey [00:17:40]:

You know, she was really good. You know, it's just good.

Sandra Yancey [00:17:45]:

Yeah, yeah.

Kym Yancey [00:17:46]:

No, really. You know what I mean?

Briana Dai [00:17:47]:

Yeah.

Kym Yancey [00:17:48]:

Just give me. Give me one thing that really stick with, one thing that stays with you, One thing that you're gonna modify or change as a result. You know, that. That impacted you. You know what I mean?

Briana Dai [00:17:59]:

It's always their story.

Kym Yancey [00:18:00]:

It is always the tool or the.

Briana Dai [00:18:02]:

Technique that's the hardest thing for me, y', all, as the digital marketer. Social media, like, how hell am I supposed to weave in impactful, memorable stories with the tools and the tactics of digital marketing? How are you supposed to make. It's really hard. I've really had to work hard at figuring that out.

Kym Yancey [00:18:17]:

And sometimes you have to borrow Other people's stories.

Sandra Yancey [00:18:19]:

Yeah.

Kym Yancey [00:18:20]:

You know what I'm saying? I. You know, I heard that, you know, hey, Sandra Yancey shared a story about that. That really got to me. And then you tell the story.

Briana Dai [00:18:27]:

Yeah.

Kym Yancey [00:18:28]:

You know, you do.

Sandra Yancey [00:18:29]:

You also can be a credibility builder. I mean, I've talked about Ken Cragan, of course, being one of my mentors, coaches. I mean, one of the most important, most influential men in my life. And of course, we. All those of you that know me know, because I talk about him all the time. That, you know, at one particular point, he. He managed what was at the top.

Kym Yancey [00:18:53]:

Oh, gosh. Sandra is like 47, 48% of all the number one selling artists right in the world were under his management agency.

Sandra Yancey [00:19:03]:

He managed them as a brand and as a business. Everybody from Kenny Rogers to Dolly Parton to Lionel Richie, and the list goes on. I learned a lot from him, and so I often tell stories about him, but when I tell them, I talk about how important he has been in my life, how what kind of, you know, relationship that I had with him. And that, in and of itself can be, you know, a credibility builder that you're not. You have learned from others who have been way more successful than you. It's another way to build what we call trust signals. Right. That I've invested in learning from somebody who has given me nuggets of information or tips or strategies that I've applied my business.

Sandra Yancey [00:19:45]:

That's made me millions.

Kym Yancey [00:19:46]:

Yeah, right.

Sandra Yancey [00:19:47]:

It's. It's another way of telling a story. People are curious about your personal life, and sometimes it feels like, oh, if I'm giving a business talk, I can't really tell them too much. But people are curious. Never underestimate the power of people's curiosity around that. And so I often weave stories that you would think aren't linked at all. I talk about how women are often very uncomfortable with sales. And I have a passion of helping women fall in love with sales and to start by finding something that you can fall in love with.

Sandra Yancey [00:20:19]:

And I then segue into a story of. It reminds me of when my daughter Brianna first started dating Travis. And how, you know, you and I were down the street. You know where this is going. You and I are down the street having dinner. Brianna texts and says that she's just started dating Travis, that she. That Travis is gonna be picking her up. Picking her up.

Sandra Yancey [00:20:44]:

They're gonna be going out. You asked me, is everything okay? Because you saw me on the phone. I said, oh, yeah, it's just Brianna she's just letting us know that she's going out tonight with Travis. He's gonna be picking her up in about 20 minutes or so. And you excuse yourself from the table. Four doors. So we walked. We walked down there, and you walked home, and you got.

Sandra Yancey [00:21:04]:

You went into the house, and the.

Kym Yancey [00:21:07]:

Oh, here's. Here's. You guys love this part, don't you? Go ahead.

Sandra Yancey [00:21:12]:

The doorbell rings, and Brianna. You tell Brianna, I got it. Brianna now knows that you're at the house because she didn't hear you come in. You come walking through the foyer to open the door, and you've gone home, and you've put on a fedora hat, and Travis is really cool. Travis is really small. I think. You think that if you put on a fedora hat, you'll be 2 inches taller or something. I don't know.

Kym Yancey [00:21:42]:

That isn't what I was thinking.

Sandra Yancey [00:21:44]:

Okay, that isn't what I was thinking.

Kym Yancey [00:21:47]:

And.

Sandra Yancey [00:21:47]:

And so then you let. You let Travis in. Travis meets you, and he's trying to be respectful. And Brianna's bouncing down the steps, and Travis says, what time would you like to have her home, sir? And you look at him. You go. She knows. It's just, like, so not warm.

Kym Yancey [00:22:05]:

All you dads, all you dads, all you girl dads, you're cheering me on. I know you are.

Sandra Yancey [00:22:11]:

Tell the story and not laugh. And everybody's laughing and everybody's wondering, what the heck does this have to do with me teaching them about sales? And. But I loop it back, and I say, I looked at Kim, and I just said he was not comfortable with Travis, you know, with you dating Travis because he was five years older than you.

Briana Dai [00:22:29]:

Four.

Sandra Yancey [00:22:30]:

Four years older than you. But you were still in high school, so it was a big deal at the time.

Kym Yancey [00:22:34]:

Let's be clear. No guy would stand up. I got to protect my daughter, so.

Sandra Yancey [00:22:38]:

Okay, okay, okay. You know, you're five years older than me, so you know what my mother went through when I met you at 17.

Kym Yancey [00:22:43]:

She was.

Sandra Yancey [00:22:44]:

She felt like we were playing this whole thing all over again. And so anyway, I said. I said to you at one point, I said, you better find something cute on Travis to fall in love with. I said that to you. I don't care if it's his third toe on his left foot. Find something about him to fall in love with and let him grow on you, or otherwise she's going to run off and marry him. Kind of like, you know, I ran off with you. And so here's the thing.

Sandra Yancey [00:23:12]:

And then this Is. So what does that mean? Okay, let's talk about sales. You need to find something about sales to fall in love with. Find something about sales that you can hook onto. Fall in love with it, anchor on it, hold onto it, and let the rest grow. And so I'm just saying it's a story that people love. It always gets a lot of laughs. It's still funny to tell.

Sandra Yancey [00:23:32]:

You know, it's odder to tell it in front of you, because when I tell the story, you're never in the audience.

Kym Yancey [00:23:37]:

Well, yeah, you get to really have fun when I'm not there. Right?

Sandra Yancey [00:23:40]:

Yeah.

Kym Yancey [00:23:41]:

Hey, listen, Travis, if you're listening, I love you.

Sandra Yancey [00:23:47]:

He called you Kim, and you were.

Briana Dai [00:23:48]:

Like, It's Mr. Yancey.

Sandra Yancey [00:23:50]:

It's Mr. Yancey, too.

Briana Dai [00:23:51]:

Yeah. And then finally we got married, and I think it was like the day after we did like a brunch or something, and at the Grill. At the Grill after we got married. And he goes, you can call me Kim.

Sandra Yancey [00:24:07]:

But I mean, these stories, I mean, they're kind of funny stories, and it's. It's got a little bit of levity to it, but you got to know how to bring it back and anchor it into your core message. I'm just saying stories are just a wonderful, wonderful way to build true connection with your audience. Never underestimate that, because people will not remember facts and figures and percentages. They're just those. All those little stats that you put up on your PowerPoint. I'm telling you, they're going to remember the story and how you anchor the story to the message about how you make people feel. Yeah.

Kym Yancey [00:24:40]:

You know, I have a favorite story. You guys remember this? So we had the radio show. We had a radio show on wbap, number one. It was the largest ABC affiliate in the country, based out of Dallas. So we did the E. Women network radio show there at wbap, and it was in Arlington, Texas, is where it was. We lived in Plano. So this really.

Kym Yancey [00:25:03]:

Plano and Arlington means something to you if you live in Dallas, for those of you who don't know. Yeah, it's like a. I don't know, 35 mile, 40 mile difference.

Sandra Yancey [00:25:11]:

Could be 45 minutes. That's really the bottom line.

Kym Yancey [00:25:14]:

Exactly.

Sandra Yancey [00:25:14]:

Yeah.

Kym Yancey [00:25:15]:

So anyway, Brianna and Rylan, we would take them to the radio show every Sunday. Every Sunday night we took them to the radio show, and they loved going there. They would get, you know, just scoot around and, you know, you have to say what you guys did. I don't know what all you guys.

Briana Dai [00:25:33]:

Did we just got into everything.

Kym Yancey [00:25:34]:

You got into everything.

Briana Dai [00:25:35]:

Probably drive everybody crazy.

Kym Yancey [00:25:37]:

Yeah.

Sandra Yancey [00:25:37]:

Imagine being Disney also owned, you know the station abc? Yeah, abc. So there they were in the station. Free reign while we're, you know, airing the show. So.

Kym Yancey [00:25:50]:

So we took. We took them. Took them there, you know, every week. And something happened on the way to the show. WBAP was right across the street from Six Flags theme park. And every time we drove to the show, Ryland would see Six Flags and he'd say, hey, dad, you think we can go there someday? Yeah, I said, yeah, we're gonna go, right? And we're gonna go. You know, I'm just. I'm just placating him, you know, I'm just trying to, you know.

Kym Yancey [00:26:19]:

So this is going on for months. This is going on for months. And like clockwork. There was never a time where he didn't say, dad, you think someday we can go to Six Flags? I said, we will run. And don't worry, we will. Well, I really felt inspired and I decided to do a surprise. And so it was Friday, and I went to Ryland's school, like at 10 o' clock in the morning and told them I had to take Rylan out for a doctor's appointment. And.

Kym Yancey [00:26:55]:

And oh, my goodness, they went and got Rylan. And he's looking at his eyes like, something wrong, Dad? I said, I got some place. We got someplace to go, something I want to show you. And he says, okay. You know, he's a little kid, you know, he doesn't know what. He's just know he's riding with me, he's getting out of school.

Sandra Yancey [00:27:12]:

He's sixth grade.

Kym Yancey [00:27:13]:

And you think six, whatever. I'm thinking fourth or fifth grade, but yeah, but anyway, so we're driving there and I'm waiting for him to say Six Flags again. And just like clockwork, he says, dad, do you think that one day we really can go to Six Flags? I said, I sure do. How about right now? He's like, what? I mean, he was just, let's go there now. What do you say, buddy? And I took him into Six Flags. And, you know, the most incredible thing about this is that he actually didn't care about the rides. We held hands, got a Coke or something and walked around the park. But he just was like, into the moment.

Kym Yancey [00:28:06]:

Now, if Rylan were here, he would tell you he's never and never will forget that situation. But here's the message. Like, why would I share that with you? It's because life is short. And how many Things do we put off one day? Oh, we sure will. Oh, yeah, we'll make that happen. You know what I mean? To make. To do that surprise. Not only is it going to make you feel 10ft tall and extra special, but you're going to get another benefit because of all that love coming from your kid right back to you.

Kym Yancey [00:28:36]:

I mean, you're getting all kinds of platitudes and wonderful things said about you and felt, you know what I mean? And that's what. That's what life is all about. It's about touching the soul. It's touching the spirit. Emotionally connecting at a level that is really out of the stratosphere, you know what I'm saying? Does that make sense?

Sandra Yancey [00:28:54]:

Oh, yeah. And the linkage, if you're talking to an audience is, you know, part of the reason why you became an entrepreneur. My guess is for some sort of freedom, right? Whether it be time freedom, whether it be boundary freedom, whatever that freedom is for you. What's that one thing that you have said to yourself, that if you owned your own business and you could do something, what would that be? Write that down and make a commitment to yourself to do it. Because the busyness of your business can completely consume you. And if you don't run your business, your business will run you. And when you make deliberate decisions, right, to do something, like you made a deliberate decision to leave work early that day, get Ryland out of school and go have a joyful, memorable. That talk about memory, memorable moment that you will both remember for the rest of your life.

Sandra Yancey [00:29:48]:

You made a decision that day, and it's very easy for us not to take charge of our lives and make a decision to do something that is really a representation of the benefits of what you want by running your own business. Make that decision. Everybody. Write it down right now. Make a commitment. Look at your calendar. Put it on a calendar. You know, and know that you're going to do this because when your weld runs dry and your well will run dry when you.

Sandra Yancey [00:30:22]:

When you run a business, it's easy to pour, pour, pour. And the next thing you know, you're feeling dry. Those moments and those memories are like the gasoline that refuel you. They say, you know what? I'm going to. I mean, there's a reason why I'm doing this, and I'm going to make sure that I do more of this because it makes me feel like I have a purpose for why I'm going through what I'm going through, trying to figure out how to make the Best of this business.

Briana Dai [00:30:50]:

And then it translates perfectly into social media, too. I mean, social media wasn't around back then, really. I don't think There was even MySpace yet when you did that. But let's say in real life, this is a real story that's happening right now. Like sharing that you went to Six Flags with your kid is all great, but the story behind that and the purpose behind how that ties into your brand and building your business and can then be shared in the caption, just like my mom said. And so I think that just understanding how to weave stories into building your brand and your credibility and, you know, sharing them in a way that's not just like, oh, look at me, but look, look at the message behind this. And I think that's the power of this episode and what I hope everybody takes away from today.

Sandra Yancey [00:31:33]:

Yeah. It's so when you do something that inspires you and you share it, understand you're inspiring others to take action, to do the same thing.

Briana Dai [00:31:42]:

Yeah.

Sandra Yancey [00:31:42]:

The very thing that you've given yourself permission to do in sharing that story, you're giving the people that are listening to you, that are following you, permission to do it for themselves. It's a powerful rippling effect. So, you know, you know, she doesn't just mean business.

Kym Yancey [00:32:03]:

Right.

Sandra Yancey [00:32:04]:

She means millions, millions of dreams, millions of opportunities, millions of moments. Right. Millions of impact and millions of dollars.

Kym Yancey [00:32:16]:

I love to hear, I'd love to hear, you know, your stories about your, you know, special, special moments that not only they were a special moment or a special connection, but how that tied to your business, you know, in terms of the business learning.

Briana Dai [00:32:35]:

Yeah.

Kym Yancey [00:32:35]:

Around it. By no means do. I mean, everything that you do, this kind is. Has to have a business driver to it. But you know what I mean, people remember it and we all know the thing. There are people who light up the room and people who dim the room, you know?

Sandra Yancey [00:32:48]:

Yeah.

Briana Dai [00:32:49]:

Share your, share your stories on social media. As a result of this, make sure you tag us. We'll put our handles in the show notes so that you know where to tag and what's a story in your life that you can wrap into your purpose or your why and you know, as a result of what you've heard today or if you're inspired, if you.

Sandra Yancey [00:33:06]:

Subscribe, leave a comment. As a result of listening to this episode, I am committing to what. What is the thing that you're committing to? Right. And guess what? After you do it, it will become one of your stories.

Briana Dai [00:33:21]:

Amen to that. We'll see you next week. Bye.

Kym Yancey [00:33:24]:

Bye. Bye for now.

Sandra Yancey [00:33:25]:

Bye.