Your Founder Story Isn't Landing. Here's How to Fix It.

If you're a founder who bet on yourself, you're sitting on a gold mine. Your story can open doors, raise capital, and build partnerships.

But if you’re not being intentional about the way you are telling that story, you could be missing out on real opportunities. 

I spent 15 years as a TV news producer deciding which stories made it on air. I coached reporters before they went live, won Emmys, and covered White House events. I know what makes a story stick, and what makes people tune out.

Now I train founders, executives, and professional athletes on high-stakes communication. 

And one of the biggest mistakes I see founders making is treating their story like a pitch deck instead of a moment of human connection.

The problem with traditional founder stories.

Most founders think the story is about WHAT happened (the idea, the timeline, the traction). But the best stories include the WHY: why it mattered enough to push you to do the damn thing: to quit your job, drain your savings, work 80-hour weeks, and push through uncertainty.

Here are three ways to fix your story right now.

1. Set your intention.

Before your next meeting - whether it's a networking coffee, investor pitch, or partnership call - ask yourself:

What am I trying to accomplish here?  

Get granular. Maybe you want to secure a second meeting by building trust and creating curiosity about what you've started, get an intro to their network, or plant a seed for future partnership. Get specific - vague goals create vague results.

Why are you taking time out of your busy day for this meeting? How can you best connect to the person you're talking with? How do you want to feel when it's over, and how do you want them to feel and act, too?

Keep in mind: this is VERY different from "what do I want to say." 

Follow that with: How do I want to be perceived? 

Think about it from the perspective of both you and your company. For a mission-driven venture fund, you might lean into your "why" and the impact you're creating. For a corporate partnership, you might emphasize operational efficiency and ROI.

This intention-setting work changes everything about how your story lands.

2. Focus on your audience. 

Once you've set your intention, get in your audience's head. What are their pain points? What keeps them up at night? How can you help?

Many founders think success means "getting my message out there." But that does absolutely nothing if there's no action taken. 

Success is defined by what your audience does with your message. Are you trying to get them to write a check? Refer you to someone? Just remember you exist? 

Your audience should be the number one focal point as you head into any opportunity.

Example questions to help you frame your founder story:

- If you're pitching an investor: "What made this problem impossible to ignore?"

- If you're recruiting a co-founder: "What's the moment you knew you had to bet everything on this?"

- If you're on a podcast building brand awareness: "What surprised you most about starting this company?"

Bonus: the more you focus on the audience, the less you're in your head about sounding perfect or polished. It's about how you are making them feel. If adrenaline kicks in, keep the focus on how you are helping. 

3. Stop memorizing. 

Do I want you to practice? Absolutely. I want you to have a few main focus areas to point to. But the moment you start to feel robotic, I want you to stop. 

Here's the trap most founders fall into: practicing their story until it's word-for-word memorized. 

When you memorize your story, you're focused on getting the words right instead of connecting with the person in front of you. The audience can feel it. They're listening to a performance, not a conversation.

Instead of memorizing your words, practice with your intention. Before you tell your story, take three seconds and ask yourself: "What do I want them to feel?" Let those feelings and overall concepts guide you, instead of scripted lines. 

The story might come out differently every time. It should. That's the point. 

Authenticity beats polish 100 times out of 100. A founder who stumbles slightly but speaks with genuine emotion will land their story 10x harder than someone with a perfectly rehearsed script.

Landing the plane

So, here's your homework: look at your calendar. Find your next external meeting. Set your intention for that meeting, focus on that audience, and how you want them to feel (and how you want to feel!) after it's done.

At Brighton Media, we work with leaders to help them maximize high-stakes opportunities while minimizing risk. We've trained thousands of spokespeople, meeting each one exactly where they are. 

If you're preparing for a pivotal moment, a Series A pitch, major keynote, or media opportunity, book a consultation. And if you tried any of the tips here and they made a difference for you, let me know on LinkedIn. 

Written By Katie Suiters, Lead Trainer and Strategist, Brighton Media