Example Reflection – Storytelling

Challenge    I am currently in the process of relaunching my entrepreneurial career having had some setbacks in  the past to put me off my game. I started a business with my cousin that sought to become the hub  for everything wedding related. We wanted to create a marketplace for intending couples and  wedding vendors. This was geared towards reducing the inherent stress, messiness and heartbreaks  that tends to happen when preparing for a massive occasion like a marriage ceremony. We are  fortunate to be in a country with a grand marriage culture and didn’t have any real competition  currently doing what we sought to do. We thought we had all the ingredients needed for a successful  launch and we were well on our way to creating a great business. We did all our research indicating  the need for the product, furthermore, we were confident we had the product in a great price point,  not too expensive to deter customers and not too cumbersome to make it difficult to use. Alas, we  were wrong. We struggled to make a meaningful product with the team assembled. We had many  delays and eventually frustrated the initial couples we signed up for the launch. All these contributed  to the failure of the product and had an impact on my self-esteem coming from disappointing a lot of  people who believed in me. Indeed, “the pursuit of innovation is inherently messy and inefficient.”    Selection    I signed up for this course because I have been trying to understand more about design thinking and  innovation. I wanted to understand what was missing and how having the right product with the right  market doesn’t necessarily translate to having the right product. I had a lightbulb moment in module 2  of the course as it opened my eyes to what I thought was fundamentally missing in my earlier attempt  at creating a wedding hub product; storytelling. I particularly liked Andre Martin’s description of  storytelling as an approach to design thinking where we try to form an emotional connection between  the product and the users and even people who make the product. The idea of making the product  into a cause by creating a larger purpose that people can get behind (0.09 – 0.57)    Application    We were already in the process of a gearing up for a relaunch having learnt from some of the  mistakes we made in the past. Getting to this part of the lecture gave me more weapons to my  armoury and expanded the possibilities in my mind and how this can help create a mission in the  company and give us a solid product at launch.   My co-founder and I called a meeting and I decided to share the story of how the product came  about. I painted the picture of a successful groom and bride who were in love and wanted to get  married. Unfortunately, the one thing they didn’t have is time. Between work, families and  themselves, it was getting harder to plan the wedding of their dreams. Yes, they could hire a wedding  planner, but they also wanted to be kept abreast of all the going-on in the preparation and needed a  tool that could allow them to do just that. This is where we come in, a tool that is useful for couples  who want a hands-on approach to their wedding and even to wedding planners. It takes away the  inefficiencies in the process and creates a seamless process for everybody. I do not need to leave  my office to hire a cake person. The story was to take their mind off becoming a wedding planning  company but becoming a company that sought to reduce inefficiency and waste in the process of  getting married. The focus on efficiency unlocked different creative ideas in the room and for the first  time, we got different departments responsible for the launch to talk about what were the major  problems they were facing. We are creating an emotional product and we needed a different energy

in the room. That did it for us and helped address some of the biggest issues. From this meeting, we  were also able to create our first marketing video that will go with the launch of the product.    Insight    This approach felt like a major part of the puzzle. We needed something to release the emotional and  creative energy of the team and this did it for us. We could sense a different sense of purpose and a  much tighter camaraderie in the room after this session. It felt like we had more done in that session  than we did before now at a go. It was also very insightful how theoretical ideas can become a  powerful tool in unlocking hidden gems of design and innovation. This was overall a most rewarding  enterprise for me.    Approach    Incorporating storytelling earlier as part of my strategy sessions will become a permanent fixture in  my entrepreneurial journey. Getting my team behind a product is a sure way of giving myself the  opportunity of making a product that my staff and customers can connect to. I can already tell that  the launch will be a success as we are integrating storytelling as part of our product launch.


Example Reflection – Storytelling Challenge I am currently in the process of relaunching my entrepreneurial career having had some setbacks in the past to put me off my game . I started a business with my cousin that sought to become the hub for everything wedding related . We wanted to create a marketplace for intending couples and wedding vendors . This was geared towards reducing the inherent stress , messiness and heartbreaks that tends to happen when preparing for a massive occasion like a marriage ceremony . We are fortunate to be in a country with a grand marriage culture and did n’t have any real competition currently doing what we sought to do . We thought we had all the ingredients needed for a successful launch and we were well on our way to creating a great business . We did all our research indicating the need for the product , furthermore , we were confident we had the product in a great price point , not too expensive to deter customers and not too cumbersome to make it difficult to use . Alas , we were wrong . We struggled to make a meaningful product with the team assembled . We had many delays and eventually frustrated the initial couples we signed up for the launch . All these contributed to the failure of the product and had an impact on my self - esteem coming from disappointing a lot of people who believed in me . Indeed , “ the pursuit of innovation is inherently messy and inefficient . ” Selection I signed up for this course because I have been trying to understand more about design thinking and innovation . I wanted to understand what was missing and how having the right product with the right market does n’t necessarily translate to having the right product . I had a lightbulb moment in module 2 of the course as it opened my eyes to what I thought was fundamentally missing in my earlier attempt at creating a wedding hub product ; storytelling . I particularly liked Andre Martin ’s description of storytelling as an approach to design thinking where we try to form an emotional connection between the product and the users and even people who make the product . The idea of making the product into a cause by creating a larger purpose that people can get behind ( 0.09 – 0.57 ) Application We were already in the process of a gearing up for a relaunch having learnt from some of the mistakes we made in the past . Getting to this part of the lecture gave me more weapons to my armoury and expanded the possibilities in my mind and how this can help create a mission in the company and give us a solid product at launch . My co - founder and I called a meeting and I decided to share the story of how the product came about . I painted the picture of a successful groom and bride who were in love and wanted to get married . Unfortunately , the one thing they did n’t have is time . Between work , families and themselves , it was getting harder to plan the wedding of their dreams . Yes , they could hire a wedding planner , but they also wanted to be kept abreast of all the going - on in the preparation and needed a tool that could allow them to do just that . This is where we come in , a tool that is useful for couples who want a hands - on approach to their wedding and even to wedding planners . It takes away the inefficiencies in the process and creates a seamless process for everybody . I do not need to leave my office to hire a cake person . The story was to take their mind off becoming a wedding planning company but becoming a company that sought to reduce inefficiency and waste in the process of getting married . The focus on efficiency unlocked different creative ideas in the room and for the first time , we got different departments responsible for the launch to talk about what were the major problems they were facing . We are creating an emotional product and we needed a different energy in the room . That did it for us and helped address some of the biggest issues . From this meeting , we were also able to create our first marketing video that will go with the launch of the product . Insight This approach felt like a major part of the puzzle . We needed something to release the emotional and creative energy of the team and this did it for us . We could sense a different sense of purpose and a much tighter camaraderie in the room after this session . It felt like we had more done in that session than we did before now at a go . It was also very insightful how theoretical ideas can become a powerful tool in unlocking hidden gems of design and innovation . This was overall a most rewarding enterprise for me . Approach Incorporating storytelling earlier as part of my strategy sessions will become a permanent fixture in my entrepreneurial journey . Getting my team behind a product is a sure way of giving myself the opportunity of making a product that my staff and customers can connect to . I can already tell that the launch will be a success as we are integrating storytelling as part of our product launch .