I used these slides to teach the writing of a business origin story. Business origin stories explain where you came from and why it's important. Follow the template in this deck to draft your own business origin story quickly.

1. As taught to Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs in April 2022
By Rhea Wessel

2. 2
Goal & Agenda

3. • A bit of theory on the origin story
• Writing
• Breakout after the writing – tell your origin story to your partner – record
it on your phone as you speak for transcription later
By the end of this mini-workshop: Capture a very rough
draft of your short-form business origin story

4. 4
What is
an origin story?

5.  Tells people how you got where you are now AND where you’re going
 It is mostly backward-looking but does open possibility for the future
 Imagine a networking event… Rhea’s answer to the question of what do you do: “I help subject-matter experts
articulate their best ideas and make their own work more accessible to a wider audience.”
 In an origin story, you answer these questions related to the above:
 1) How did you get into that?
 2) And what do you want to achieve?
5
An origin story…

6. 6
Example

7. Rhea’s possible origin story:
Subject-matter experts with solutions to problems in society and business are
not being heard because they present their knowledge as a set of facts and
not as a story with a fresh angle. Yet if they find the right story angle, they can
bring their ideas and the conversation forward to solve major problems in
business and society.
I have worked as a writer for many years for companies and I kept seeing the
same problem in texts from experts – they were stories with the wrong
angles. Then one day, I:
7

8.  Spoke to Sascha, a German engineer who had a solution for clean power that
I’d never heard of. I said, “Wow!”
 Similarly, I discovered a scientist at Max Planck Society had an amazing idea
for clean energy
 Then a doctor called me who wanted help with her stories. Huh a doctor?
 After that conversation, I realized I can help all subject matter experts
 So, I created my methodology
 And I built my business around that intellectual property
8

9. That’s how I started helping invisible experts become more visible.
The work I’m doing helps them grow their businesses, have a bigger impact and become a
better version of themselves.
It’s based on a belief that we already have all the solutions we need to this world’s biggest
problems. Many of them are just buried.
I want to help get these solutions out into the world and help these amazing people have
impact with their ideas.
9

10. How you will
write your
business origin story
Process
 15 min. of list-making and writing. (On
mute. Cameras on.)
 5 min. each of talking it out in breakout (10
min total). Record yourself!
 Back to the group for debrief

11. 11
15 min. writing session
Start with list-making
Minutes 1-3

12. 12
Minute 1-3 (of 15 minutes)
Make a list of turning point events that led you to do what you do today (e.g.
Rhea’s conversation with Sascha, the German engineer.)
Look for:
 Personal events/situations/conversations – not necessarily glory
moments
 Career events /situations/conversations – not necessarily glory
moments
 Observations of your subject matter

13. 13
15 min. writing session –
After list-making,
move to writing
Min. 3-15
Write following the template of Rhea’s story

14. 14
 This is the problem I’m addressing – Write 1 sentence like the below
Subject-matter experts with solutions to problems in society and business are not being heard because they present their knowledge as a set of facts and not as a
story with a fresh angle.
 This is how I’m solving the problem – Write 1 sentence like the below
Yet if they find the right story angle, they can bring their ideas and the conversation forward to solve major problems in business and society.
 This is how I discovered the problem – Write 1 sentence like the below
I have worked as a writer for many years for companies and I kept seeing the same problem in texts from experts – they were stories with the wrong angles. Then one
day, I met a German engineer named Sascha and was shocked to hear about his clean energy solution using river turbines that sounded so good but was hardly
known. I had a few other conversations like this and realized that smart people are sometimes too smart for their own good. I saw that smart people need help
framing their ideas.
 This is what I did to start my business – Write 1 sentence like the below
So I deconstructed my journalistic processes, came up with my intellectual property and started my business.
 This is how I’m getting there/ the benefits to my audience – Write 2 sentences like the below
That’s how I started helping invisible experts become more visible. The work I’m doing helps them grow their businesses, have a bigger impact and become a better
version of themselves.
 This is why it matters in the big scheme of things (and where I’m going with my solution)
My work is based on a belief that we already have all the solutions we need to this world’s biggest problems. Many of them are just buried. I want to help get these
solutions out into the world and help these amazing people have impact with their ideas.
Template based on Rhea’s story:

15. Guidelines for the writing session

16.  Just write. Try not to self-edit or criticize too much. This is about
generating your ideas and getting word volume. It doesn't
matter how unpolished your text is right now.
 Write in your own language (unless you know you want to use your
material in English).
 If you're writing on your computer, close all other apps.
 Silence your phones and have them ready to record your voice in
the breakout.
 While writing, mute your microphone but leave your camera on.
 Please avoid moving around during the writing session.
instituteforthoughtleadership.com

17. 17
Rhea Wessel
Author of Write Like a Thought Leader
+49 170 814 2488
+1 (917) 957 7475
rhea@instituteforthoughtleadership.com
instituteforthoughtleadership.com
Founder and Head
The Institute for Thought Leadership

18. Links
 LinkedIn post about this event for Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs
 Connect with Rhea on LinkedIn
 Buy Rhea’s book on your Amazon storefront
 Sign up for Rhea’s newsletter on writing in the thought-leadership style
 Join Freewriting Fridays via Eventbrite
instituteforthoughtleadership.com

19. Business Origin Story – Alternate Freewriting
Prompt
Write about the moment
you knew you just had to
pursue the business or
career you have today
instituteforthoughtleadership.com