Do It For The Story: Why Your Story Matters More Than Your Title

<html lang="" dir="ltr" xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"><head> <meta charset="utf-8"> <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1, user-scalable=yes"> <meta name="format-detection" content="telephone=no, date=no, address=no, email=no, url=no"> <meta name="x-apple-disable-message-reformatting">   <style type="text/css"> /* Outlines the grids, remove when sending */ /*table td { border: 1px solid cyan; }*/ /* RESET STYLES */ html, body { margin: 0 !important; padding: 0 !important; width: 100% !important; height: 100% !important; } body { -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -moz-osx-font-smoothing: grayscale; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility;} .document { margin: 0 !important; padding: 0 !important; width: 100% !important; } img { border: 0; outline: none; text-decoration: none; -ms-interpolation-mode: bicubic; } table { border-collapse: collapse; } table, td { mso-table-lspace: 0pt; mso-table-rspace: 0pt; } body, table, td, a { -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; } h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, p { margin:0; word-break: break-word;} /* iOS BLUE LINKS */ a[x-apple-data-detectors] { color: inherit !important; text-decoration: none !important; font-size: inherit !important; font-family: inherit !important; font-weight: inherit !important; line-height: inherit !important; } /* ANDROID CENTER FIX */ div[style*="margin: 16px 0;"] { margin: 0 !important; } /* MEDIA QUERIES */ @media all and (max-width:639px){ .wrapper{ width:100%!important; } .container{ width:100%!important; min-width:100%!important; padding: 0 !important; } .row{padding-left: 20px!important; padding-right: 20px!important;} .col-mobile {width: 20px!important;} .table-between-col-mobile {width:100%!important;} .col{display: block!important; width: 100%!important;} .col-feature{display: block!important; width: 100%!important;} .mobile-center{text-align: center!important; float: none!important;} .mobile-mx-auto {margin: 0 auto!important; float: none!important;} .mobile-left{text-align: center!important; float: left!important;} .mobile-hide{display: none!important;} .img{ width:100% !important; height:auto !important; } table.three-columns-layout tr td.col[width="160"] img{ width:100% !important; max-width:100% !important; height:auto !important; } .ml-btn { width: 100% !important; max-width: 100%!important;} .ml-btn-container { width: 100% !important; max-width: 100%!important;} *[class="mobileOff"] { width: 0px !important; display: none !important; } *[class*="mobileOn"] { display: block !important; max-height:none !important; } .mlContentTable{ width: 100%!important; min-width: 10%!important; margin: 0!important; float: none!important; } .mlContentButton a { display: block!important; width: auto!important; } .mlContentOuter { padding-bottom: 0px!important; padding-left: 15px!important; padding-right: 15px!important; padding-top: 0px!important; } .mlContentSurvey { float: none!important; margin-bottom: 10px!important; width:100%!important; } .multiple-choice-item-table { width: 100% !important; min-width: 10% !important; float: none !important; } .ml-default, .ml-card, .ml-fullwidth { width: 100%; min-width: 100%; } } @media screen and (max-width: 600px) { .col-feature { margin-bottom: 30px; } } /* Carousel style */ @media screen and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 0) { .webkit { display: block !important; } } @media screen and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 0) { .non-webkit { display: none !important; } } @media screen and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 0) { /* TARGET OUTLOOK.COM */ [class="x_non-webkit"] { display: block !important; } } @media screen and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 0) { [class="x_webkit"] { display: none !important; } } </style> <style type="text/css">@import url("https://assets.mlcdn.com/fonts-v2.css?version=1773066");</style> <style type="text/css"> @media (max-width: 640px) { .ml-4 .ml-btn-wrapper { text-align: left; } } </style><style type="text/css"> @media (max-width: 640px) { .ml-6 .ml-btn-wrapper { text-align: left; } } </style><style type="text/css"> @media screen { body { font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; } } </style><meta name="robots" content="noindex, nofollow"> <title>Do It For The Story: Why Your Story Matters More Than Your Title</title> <meta name="image" content="https://storage.mlcdn.com/account_image/2172142/vb0Cteh5w7Ai2z2kxrzyuitIVKeO2nB59Jn95s1s.png" property="og:image"></head> <body style="margin: 0 !important; padding: 0 !important; background-color:#F4F7FA;"> <div class="document" role="article" aria-roledescription="email" aria-label="" lang="" dir="ltr" style="background-color:#F4F7FA; line-height: 100%; font-size:medium; font-size:max(16px, 1rem);">  <table width="100%" align="center" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"> <tbody><tr> <td class="" background="" bgcolor="#F4F7FA" align="center" valign="top" style="padding: 0 8px;"> <table class="container" align="center" width="640" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" style="max-width: 640px; margin-bottom: 0;"> <tbody><tr> <td align="center"> <table align="center" width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0"> <tbody><tr> <td colspan="2" height="20" style="line-height: 20px"></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="font-family: 'Inter', sans-serif; font-size:0px;color:#F4F7FA;line-height:0px;max-height:0px;max-width:0px;opacity:0;overflow:hidden;mso-hide:all;"> <div style="display:none;font-size:0px;color:#F4F7FA;line-height:0px;max-height:0px;max-width:0px;opacity:0;overflow:hidden;mso-hide:all;">  Content that builds real connection. </div> </td> <td align="right" style="font-family: 'Inter', sans-serif; color: #111111; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"> <a style="color: #111111; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: underline;" href="" data-link-id="181720783014332117" data-link-type="webview">View in browser</a>  </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" height="20" style="line-height: 20px;"></td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <table width="640" class="wrapper" align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style=" max-width: 640px; border:1px solid #EAECED; border-radius:8px; border-collapse: separate!important; overflow: hidden; "> <tbody><tr> <td align="center">  <table class="ml-default" width="100%" bgcolor="" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody><tr> <td style=""> <table class="ml-default-border" width="100%" align="center" bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style=" ; "> <tbody><tr> <td class="ml-default-border" background="" style="background-size: cover; background-position: center center;" valign="top" align="center"> <table class="container ml-4" width="640" align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="color: #515856; width: 640px; min-width: 640px; margin-bottom: 0;"> <tbody><tr> <td> <table class="container" width="640" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody><tr> <td class="" align="center" style="padding: 0 0" colspan="3"> <img src="https://storage.mlcdn.com/account_image/2172142/vb0Cteh5w7Ai2z2kxrzyuitIVKeO2nB59Jn95s1s.png" loading="lazy" border="0" alt="" class="img" width="640" style="display: block;"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="col-mobile" width="50" height="0" style="line-height: 0;"></td> <td> <table class="table-between-col-mobile" width="540" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody><tr> <td height="30" style="line-height:30px;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;">Edition #001   |   March 2026<br></p> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;"><br></p> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;">Hi <span class="redactor-component" data-redactor-type="variable-ml"></span></p> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;"><br></p> <h1 style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #000000; font-size: 36px; line-height: 125%; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; ;margin-bottom: 10px;">Why Your Story Matters More Than Your Title</h1> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0;">Your brand story, expressed through consistent, thoughtful content, has become one of the most powerful signals of credibility today. It moves people from awareness to trust and allows them to experience what you do, why you do it, and how you think.</p> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> <td class="col-mobile" width="50" height="0" style="line-height: 0;"></td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> <tr> <td height="40" style="line-height: 40px;"></td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> </tbody></table>   <table class="ml-default" width="100%" bgcolor="" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody><tr> <td style=""> <table class="ml-default-border" width="100%" align="center" bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style=" ; "> <tbody><tr> <td class="ml-default-border" background="" style="background-size: cover; background-position: center center;" valign="top" align="center"> <table class="container ml-6" width="640" align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="color: #515856; width: 640px; min-width: 640px; margin-bottom: 0;"> <tbody><tr> <td class="container" height="20" style="line-height: 20px; min-width: 640px;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td> <table class="container" width="640" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody><tr> <td class="row" align="center" style="padding: 0 50px" colspan="3"> <img src="https://storage.mlcdn.com/account_image/2172142/UvtadFfSEvoiIa2ImSmkJwK0ieoRIb9mhMyLik6u.png" loading="lazy" border="0" alt="" class="img" width="540" style="display: block;"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="col-mobile" width="50" height="0" style="line-height: 0;"></td> <td> <table class="table-between-col-mobile" width="540" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody><tr> <td height="30" style="line-height:30px;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;"><br></p> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;"><strong>To be a successful entrepreneur, business owner, or founder there are some essentials you need:</strong><br></p> <ul style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;"><li>a brand DNA guideline</li><li>a visual brand guideline</li><li>a clear purpose and a strong positioning statement, </li><li>and something that surprises many people - seven hours of consumable content.</li></ul> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;">When I met one-on-one with the eight participants before my Ten & Co Brand DNA workshop, I explained that they would need to create all of the above. They were enthusiastic about the first three points but the energy changed when I mentioned seven hours of consumable content. The general response was: </p> <h2 style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #8da9c1; font-size: 24px; line-height: 125%; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; ;margin-bottom: 10px;">"We are too scared to put ourselves out there.We don’t want professional photos taken. Isn’t that a bit pretentious?"</h2> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;">My answer was simple - I don’t care and no, it isn’t. The world of business has changed.</p> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;">In the 1990s and early 2000s, status signals mattered more than they do today. A high rise office building, an efficient personal assistant, a corner office, a prestigious title on a business card, a reserved parking spot, a polished mahogany boardroom table… all projected credibility, but those signals do not impress people in the same way anymore. </p> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;"><strong>Today, before someone buys from you, consults with you, or collaborates with you, they want to: </strong></p> <ul style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;"><li>understand how you think, </li><li>hear your perspective more than once,</li><li>see your values and personality, </li><li>notice consistency over time.</li></ul> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;">In short, they want to know your story.</p> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;">People usually need several hours of exposure to someone’s ideas and voice before they feel a real sense of connection and trust. Seven hours is not a strict rule, but it is a useful benchmark. It represents enough time for someone to move from simple awareness to a feeling of familiarity.</p> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;">When I talk about consumable content, I am referring to thoughtful newsletters, in depth LinkedIn posts, recorded speaking engagements, podcast episodes, guest interviews, and YouTube videos. </p> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;">This kind of long form content gives people the opportunity to experience your tone, your thinking, and the way you handle complexity. It allows them to spend time with you digitally. If someone can spend a few hours engaging with your ideas, they often begin to feel as if they already know you. That sense of familiarity builds trust, and trust lowers the barrier to working together.</p> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;">Many of my clients tell me they struggle just to write a single LinkedIn post. My advice is always the same - just start. It does not need to be perfect, it just needs to be honest.</p> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;">Your content is not only marketing. It is relationship building. Long form content allows people to spend time with you, and time is one of the strongest drivers of trust.</p> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;">The more someone can engage with your ideas and perspective, the more comfortable they feel taking the next step. </p> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;">At the end of the day, people will not remember us for our earnings or assets. They will remember the stories. The risks we took, the lessons we learned, the failures that shaped us, and the moments worth celebrating along the journey.</p> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0;">So do it for the story – that is the only thing that lasts. </p> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> <td class="col-mobile" width="50" height="0" style="line-height: 0;"></td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> <tr> <td height="40" style="line-height: 40px;"></td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> </tbody></table>   <table class="ml-default" width="100%" bgcolor="" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody><tr> <td style=""> <table class="container ml-8 ml-default-border" width="640" bgcolor="#ffffff" align="center" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style=" width: 640px; min-width: 640px; margin-bottom: 0; ; "> <tbody><tr> <td class="ml-default-border container" height="10" style="line-height: 10px; min-width: 640px;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td class="row" style="padding: 0 50px; line-height: 1;" align="left"> <img src="https://storage.mlcdn.com/account_image/2172142/DWJ8j4YOqYLRoyPtlQ1Fad3lv7D5a3decr1VQyw2.png" loading="lazy" border="0" alt="" width="128.135593220339" class="" style="display: block;"> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> </tbody></table>   <table class="ml-default" width="100%" bgcolor="" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody><tr> <td style=""> <table class="container ml-10 ml-default-border" width="640" bgcolor="#ffffff" align="center" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style=" width: 640px; min-width: 640px; margin-bottom: 0; ; "> <tbody><tr> <td class="ml-default-border container" height="40" style="line-height: 40px; min-width: 640px;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="row" style="padding: 0 50px;"> <table align="center" width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0"> <tbody><tr> <td class="col" align="left" width="250" valign="top" style="text-align: left!important;"> <h5 style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #000000; font-size: 15px; line-height: 125%; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; margin-bottom: 6px;">Ten & Co.</h5> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 14px; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6px;">6A David Road, Gillitts<br>South Africa</p> <table width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0"> <tbody><tr> <td height="16" style="line-height: 16px;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td> <table class="**$class**" role="presentation" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0"> <tbody><tr> <td align="center" valign="middle" width="34" ng-show="slink.link != ''" style="padding: 0 5px 0 0;"> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tenandcompany" target="blank" builder-link-id="1" style="text-decoration: none;" data-link-id="181720783022720727"> <img src="https://assets.mlcdn.com/ml/images/icons/default/round/color/facebook.png" width="34" alt="facebook"> </a> </td><td align="center" valign="middle" width="34" ng-show="slink.link != ''" style="padding: 0 5px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ten_and_company" target="blank" builder-link-id="2" style="text-decoration: none;" data-link-id="181720783030060760"> <img src="https://assets.mlcdn.com/ml/images/icons/default/round/color/instagram.png" width="34" alt="instagram"> </a> </td><td align="center" valign="middle" width="34" ng-show="slink.link != ''" style="padding: 0 0 0 5px;"> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/tenleyvoogt/" target="blank" builder-link-id="3" style="text-decoration: none;" data-link-id="181720783036352217"> <img src="https://assets.mlcdn.com/ml/images/icons/default/round/color/linkedin.png" width="34" alt="linkedin"> </a> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> <td class="col" width="40" height="30" style="line-height: 30px;"></td> <td class="col" align="left" width="250" valign="top" style="text-align: left!important;"> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 14px; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6px;">You are receiving this email because you opted in on the website or in person.</p> <table width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0"> <tbody><tr> <td height="8" style="line-height: 8px;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left"> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 14px; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0;"> <a href="" style="color: #515856; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: underline;" data-link-id="181720783041595098" data-link-type="unsubscribe">Unsubscribe</a> </p> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> <tr> <td height="40" style="line-height: 40px;"></td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> </tbody></table>  </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" align="center" width="640" style="max-width: 640px; width: 100%;"> </table> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </div> </body></html>

Be Part of the Conversation