SUMMARY:
Welcome back to the Startup Junkies podcast!
Caleb Talley and Davis McEntire were joined by Donna Griffit, a professional storyteller and pitch strategist with a special place in her heart for startups. Donna has had to adapt and adjust many times in her career, whether it was shifting jobs or recessions and pandemics, and she’s picked up immeasurable wisdom for entrepreneurs along the way. Let’s learn about it all!
Thanks for tuning in!
SHOW NOTES:
(1:11) Introducing Donna Griffit
(7:19) Comparing Startup to Corporate
(11:45) The Story-Building Process
(14:26) The Secret Weapon
(15:46) 3 Trends to Look for with Venture Capitalism
(17:46) Common Pitch Deck Mistakes
(21:20) Differences in Venture Capitalism after Covid
(24:46) How Can Startup Scenes in the Heartland Get Investment Dollars off the Sidelines?
(29:46) Advice to Younger Self and Closing Thoughts
LINKS:
Donna’s Secrets from the Boardroom Articles 1 & 2
QUOTES:
“The beauty of storytelling is that it’s super universal. I mean, this is human condition, not like, a cultural thing. Human beings thrive on stories. We’ve been telling stories for tens of thousands of years now; it’s our survival. Cave paintings came to be around the same time we got the last hardware upgrade to our brain—the prefrontal cortex, which enabled us to be able to express ourselves visually. So even before language, we were telling these stories.” (6:32) – Donna Griffit
“You might not all come from a developer background, or from a cannabis background, or from a medical device background, but by telling that initial story, everybody can say ‘ooh I got it, that reminds me of…’ and that’s what stories can do. They connect.” (11:28) – Donna Griffit
“Covid has opened the borders, and Silicon Valley is not just a geography, it’s a mindset. And it’s that super, kind of concentration of talent and drive.” (23:00) – Donna Griffit
“[I would tell myself], you were absolutely right to not listen to the external voices and listen to the internal voices, and the sooner you get clear on that and the sooner you realize that what makes you different is what makes you unique and is going to give you your edge, you will be a much happier person.” (29:56) – Donna Griffit
The Secret Weapon to Pitching
Caleb Talley and Davis McEntire were joined by Donna Griffit, a professional storyteller and pitch strategist with a special place in her heart for startups. Donna has had to adapt and adjust many times in her career, whether it was shifting jobs or recessions and pandemics, and she’s picked up immeasurable wisdom for entrepreneurs along the way.
Find Your Niche and Fight for Them
“You might not all come from a developer background, or from a cannabis background, or from a medical device background, but by telling that initial story, everybody can say ‘ooh I got it, that reminds me of…’ and that’s what stories can do. They connect.” (11:28) – Donna Griffit
Donna graduated with a degree in Drama Therapy, which she quickly realized would not be a big money-maker for her. She looked for opportunities to use her degree in something profitable and turned to corporate training around the globe.
When the Great Recession hit in 2008, workshops were being canceled, and she knew she had to make another shift. Donna realized that she had been a storytelling guru for the corporate world while startups struggled to find their voice to venture capitalists. They knew their product, but they didn’t know how to sell it to the investors.
Enter Donna. She had a new opportunity to help a whole new market understand how important storytelling is when showing our skillset to the world.
Stories Are the Key
“The beauty of storytelling is that it’s super universal. I mean, this is human condition, not like, a cultural thing. Human beings thrive on stories. We’ve been telling stories for tens of thousands of years now; it’s our survival. Cave paintings came to be around the same time we got the last hardware upgrade to our brain—the prefrontal cortex, which enabled us to be able to express ourselves visually. So even before language, we were telling these stories.” (6:32) – Donna Griffit
Using stories, we can find common ground in the spaces between sharing founder stories, customer experiences, product development, and more. Donna builds her stories using the same formula, but by the end of her process, each story is unique, captivating, and world-changing on its own.
From ancient times to modern, from corporate to startup, and from one side of the world to the other, storytelling consistently maintains similar rhythms and approaches, showing that we are more alike than we tend to think. Donna loves using these similarities to strengthen connections and build relationships.
What’s Changing in the VC World?
Covid has made a lot of shifts in the business world, but some things remain the same. Innovators have world-changing products and ideas, and investors want to jump in and help fund them. Paying attention to trends and utilizing urgency in your pitch will take your craft to the next level.
“Covid has opened the borders, and Silicon Valley is not just a geography, it’s a mindset. And it’s that super, kind of concentration of talent and drive.” (23:00) – Donna Griffit
WANT TO LEARN MORE?
Learning from this incredible storytelling expert was terrific. You will want to check out her free resources and mention the show to get a killer discount on her pitch-building prowess!
Connect with Us!
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