What Parts of an Entrepreneur’s Story Resonate Most with Customers?

The biggest piece of our story that resonates is that we've been through often exactly what our clients have been through. We often share that we will probably describe problems and use wording that they would use because we've done this exact stuff in their shoes before. Across myself and my co-founders, each of us have served on committees and boards for the exact organisations that we call clients now. That lived experience is undeniable. Faces change and knowing nods and smiles ensue with elevated trust and respect granted.

Thanks to Sandy Lokas, Wave!

2. I've sat on the other side

The fact that I've sat on the other side of the desk. Before starting Switchboard Finance I spent six years as a BDM at two of Australia's biggest SME lenders. I've seen thousands of applications get declined for reasons the borrower never understood. When a tradie calls me and says ‘the bank just said no and didn't explain why,' I can usually tell them exactly what triggered the decline within five minutes. That resonates because most brokers sell products. I explain what went wrong and fix the file before we even talk about lenders.

Thanks to Nick Lim, Switchboard Finance!

3. Created from real family life

The part of my brand story that resonates most with customers is the very real, very relatable image of me driving home from soccer or footy training with six teenage boys in the car and all the windows completely down. Between the B.O., the overpowering fumes of aerosol sprays and the general chaos of sweaty teenage boys after sport, it became a moment every parent instantly recognised and laughed about because they had lived it too. This brand wasn’t created in a boardroom or from a trend report. It was created from real family life.

Thanks to Jackie Baron, Neon Goat!

4. Starting small and growing

The part of my story that connects most with customers is that I didn’t start Hendrix Pet Co to build a big business, I just wanted to earn my own money after helping walk dogs and learning that work should have a reward. People like seeing a young person learning responsibility and trying something new. When customers meet me or hear how the business started, they feel part of the journey and want to support it. I think people connect with the idea that anyone can start small and grow something of their own.

Thanks to Hendrix DeMarchi, Hendrix Pet Co!

5. Rebuilding confidence from within

Thanks to Fiona Spence, Fiona Spence Coaching!

6. Keeping recovery simple

What seems to resonate most with people is that Primal didn’t come from a marketing plan or a trend, it came from being frustrated with how overcomplicated recovery spaces had become. Most of our members aren’t elite athletes. They’re just people trying to feel better, recover properly, and keep up with life without burning out. What they connect with is that we kept it simple: good tools, no fluff, no constant upselling, and a space that actually feels like it’s built for them. You don’t need to be told how to “do wellness” here. You just get what you need and get on with your day.

Thanks to Mick Owar, Primal Recovery!

7. Human, honest and persistent

The part of my story that seems to resonate most with customers is probably that I didn’t come from some polished Silicon Valley background or inherited network. I grew up in West London as the son of Indian immigrants, worked a ridiculous number of jobs in my twenties, and at one point was living on housing benefit while trying to figure life out. Customers seem to connect with the fact that my company was built from obsessive experimentation, cold outreach, failures and stubbornness. People also relate when I talk openly about losing money, making bad hires or having periods where I genuinely doubted myself.

Thanks to Deepak Shukla, Pearl Lemon!

8. The chaos that follows death

When I talk about what drove me to build Adios, what stops people in their tracks isn't the idea of death – it's the chaos that follows it. The accounts nobody can access. The subscriptions still charging months later. The hours spent on hold with banks and telcos, telling yet another faceless stranger that someone you love is dead, trying to prove that someone you love is gone. Every person who has lost someone recognises that story immediately, because almost everyone has lived it. The administrative burden of death is real, grinding, and completely avoidable.

Thanks to Nook O'Dea, Adios!

9. Rebuilding health and identity

The part of my story that resonates most is probably the one I was most reluctant to share. In 2016, I lost my first husband, Brian, to suicide. I was also navigating a body that was turning against me and a string of complex autoimmune diagnoses. I wasn't just a health coach who had read the textbooks. I was someone who had to completely rebuild her health, her identity and her life from the ground up. What my clients connect with isn't the credentials, it's the fact that I've been in the wreckage. I know what it feels like to be exhausted, broken and still expected to show up.

Thanks to Loz Antonenko, Loz Life!

10. Understanding burnout firsthand

I think the part of my story that resonates most with customers is that I genuinely understand how they feel because I’ve been there myself. I organise yoga and wellness retreats for people who are stressed, burnt out, overwhelmed, or struggling to prioritise themselves, and that comes from my own experience with burnout, stress, and insomnia. I learned the hard way that mental health really is your true wealth. I’m very open about my past struggles and how wellness practices helped me rebuild balance in my life, and I think guests connect with that honesty and authenticity.

Thanks to Florence Achery, Yoga Retreats and More!

11. Solving a common business problem

The part that lands most is that I left a career path that looked good on paper because I thought SME owners deserved better advice than they were getting. Most of my clients have been through an accountant who filed their returns and said nothing useful all year. That frustration is real and it is common. When I tell people that Creditte exists because compliance alone is not enough, they recognise it immediately. They have lived it. I am not selling a service. I am solving a problem I watched go unsolved for years.

Thanks to Morgan Wilson, Creditte!

12. Rebuilding after losing everything

The part of my story that resonates most with people is that I didn’t become who I am through a polished “success journey”. I became who I am through complete collapse and rebuilding. Years ago, I tore apart my family home to save my son from toxic black mould after following a deep intuitive knowing that something was wrong. We lost almost everything in the process. That experience cracked me open and forced me to trust myself in a way I never had before. I’m not teaching from theory, I’m teaching from lived experience, resilience, and rebuilding your life when everything falls apart.

Thanks to Janelle Bridge

13. Turning dyslexia into strength

I was told as a child that I would never be able to read or write like the other children because I had “wordblindness”. Little did I know that my dyslexia disability could become my greatest asset. Years later, I became a production manager in world-leading ad agencies and discovered the science of neurobranding. I went on to author nine best-selling books, and the story resonates with the business owners and entrepreneurs I work with because it helps them understand that they don't have to be perfect, and that sometimes what they struggle with becomes their best ability.

Thanks to Lauren Clemett, The Audacious Agency!

14. Built through real experience not hype

A lot of customers relate to the fact that my background was built through experience, not hype. I spent years working side by side with clients, learning marketing deeply, and understanding how businesses grow from the inside out. At the end of the day, I’m still very involved in the actual work, and clients feel that. From SEO to AI visibility to growth strategy, I care a lot more about execution and real outcomes than abstract ideas. Honesty is a big part of it too. I’m straightforward about what produces results and what requires patience.

Thanks to Ivan Vislavskiy, Comrade Digital Marketing Agency!

15. Clients knowing they can rely on me

What seems to connect most with customers is that I’ve never approached business as just transactions or numbers. A lot of my experience came from working directly with teams, leaders, and companies dealing with real operational and people challenges, so I understand the pressure that comes with trying to grow a business while keeping everything together behind the scenes. I think people appreciate honesty, consistency, and someone who stays involved even after the deal is done. Most of the long-term relationships I’ve built happened because clients knew they could rely on me, not just professionally, but as someone who genuinely wanted to help them succeed.

Thanks to Shannon Carver, Lean Leaders Plus!

16. Deep roots in the community

People connect with the fact that I never left. I grew up here in Lansing, raised my family here, and built my business here. When someone sits across from me, they know I actually care about this market because it's my market too. Selling over 1,200 homes in five years is a number that gets attention. What really lands with people is knowing those weren't just transactions. Twenty-seven years in real estate means I've seen the market crash, recover, and shift more than once. I've helped people buy and then later helped their kids buy.

Thanks to Jeff Burke, Jeff Burke & Associates!

17. Similar frustrations

When I was managing a health club chain, I became a top-performing manager converting 95% of sales leads. Because I routinely closed deals for my team and handed them the commissions, everything appeared to be thriving on the surface. However, when I took a two-week vacation, sales completely plummeted because my team had become entirely dependent on my personal presence. This exact frustration resonates deeply with service-based business owners today who find themselves trapped as the primary salesperson.

Thanks to Petar Lackovic, The Sales Institute!

18. The relief

What resonates most with our customers is the honest relief that they don’t have to spend a fortune on a brand-new pram just to give their child something safe, clean, and reliable. Buying a stroller is one of the most expensive and overwhelming parts of preparing for a baby, and when it breaks or gets dirty, parents often feel stuck. When families discover Buggy Clinic, our story of giving premium strollers a second life through expert repairs, hygienic valeting, and landfill-free recycling instantly connects with them. Sustainable parenting doesn't have to cost the earth.

Thanks to Hannah Selby, BuggyClinic!

19. The raw, backyard beginning

My early days in business were spent scaling a pizzeria company and competing in international ice sculpting, where I learned that success hides entirely in the tiny details. When the housing crisis hit, I built a single granny flat in my backyard just to offset my own mortgage. That raw, backyard beginning is exactly why everyday buyers trust me. They aren't dealing with an insulated corporate executive in a boardroom. I'm an unconventional entrepreneur who brings an honest, humble hustle to a broken sector. Customers back us because we publish every price online.

Thanks to David Antonacci, Teeny Tiny Homes!

20. A shared struggle

The part of my story that resonates most with customers is that I started at 13 years old mowing lawns while allergic to grass, and never stopped finding a way to make something out of whatever I had in front of me. People connect with that because it is not a polished success story. Clients in financial services would tell me that what made them trust me was not my credentials, it was that I had actually lived the money struggles they were going through. I had made mistakes, rebuilt, and could tell them the truth because I had been there.

Thanks to Russell Moran, Russell Moran Enterprises!

21. The specificity

Seventeen years of staring at claims data means I saw the cash flow problem before most dentists even knew they had one. Patients leave the office, insurance drags its feet, and the practice just waits. That stuck with me. When I tell dental offices I built Woods because I watched their money sit stuck in a broken system, they get quiet. Because it's true and they've lived it. What really lands is the specificity. I spent nearly two decades inside the data that runs their world.

Thanks to Sam Rockwell, Woods!

22. Built on transparency and proof

The part of my business that resonates well with the public is fairly straightforward. I have built my business on documented proof and consistency rather than promises. While many in the industry use mystery and marketing, I have chosen to use transparency by documenting my predictions publicly before the events happen. I maintain a documented history of my predictions so people can confirm their accuracy. Most of my clients come to me with a sense of being overwhelmed or uncertain, but after our sessions, they typically say they felt listened to.

Thanks to Jesse Bravo, Medium Jesse Bravo!

23. Stability over perfection from day one

The part of my story that probably resonates most with others is choosing to create a practice based on stability and not perfection. Potential clients will rarely be interested in the idealistic beginnings or the polished image of the business. At Pacific Coast Therapy, we define safety, trust and emotional clarity as principles we are committed to and not just as marketing concepts. Clients connect with founders when they name the human problem that they have come to help manage and maintain consistency with their stated purpose.

Thanks to Kaila Hattis, Pacific Coast Therapy!

24. Growing one move at a time

Square Cow Movers began as a family trying to solve a problem we’d experienced firsthand. Back in 2008, we started with just two trucks, three family members, and a name people could actually remember. There was no shortcut. We grew one move at a time, one sofa at a time, one truck at a time. Customers connect with that because moving is personal. They want to know the people carrying their grandmother’s table or their kid’s crib understand what those things mean.

Thanks to Derek Mills, Square Cow Movers!

25. Solving a real customer problem

The booking process for food trucks is broken. That's the thing people immediately connect with. When I explain that there's no real system for finding and booking a food truck, people nod before I even finish the sentence. They've tried to do it. They know the pain. You're calling around, leaving voicemails, getting ghosted, and eventually giving up. That frustration is what I built Food Truck Club around. A real problem I kept watching people struggle with. When customers hear that origin, something clicks.

Thanks to Cody Lee, Food Truck Club!

26. The reason candles became so meaningful to me

The part of my story that resonates most with customers is the reason candles became so meaningful to me in the first place. When I was 15, I had open heart surgery, and during my recovery, scent and candlelight became a source of comfort, calm and ritual. Years later, I realised the thing that had brought me so much peace was also creating a problem: beautiful empty candle jars piling up. That personal experience became the foundation for Lunaire Lifestyle.

Thanks to Krish Waje, Lunaire!

27. Built through lived experience

I think the part of my story that resonates most with customers is that Tap 2.0 TENS came from lived experience. I’m an Occupational Therapist and a mother of three who has navigated pelvic pain for much of my life, so the products we create are deeply shaped by both clinical reasoning and the realities of trying to function while unwell. Many of our customers tell us they feel “seen” by the brand because we talk honestly about pain, participation, exhaustion and the emotional impact of navigating symptoms that are often minimised. I think people can feel when something has been built with genuine understanding rather than just commercial intent.

Thanks to Maxine Lindsay, Tap. Health!

28. User first, founder second

The part that lands hardest isn't the science. I made the first batches at home because nothing on the market did what I actually wanted. I'm a former data scientist, so I went through the published research properly before selling a single sachet. I assumed customers would care about the dose-response curves, but that isn't what resonates with most people. What they connect with is simpler: I was a user before I was a founder, and I built this to fill a real gap.

Thanks to Jarman Gosai, Gym Concoction!

29. Turning grief into healing purpose

My business was built on a promise I made to my husband 3 years prior to his sudden death. I realised I had something the world needed: hope and healing when least expected. Grief is a rather heavy topic. I made it my mission to bring more lightness into grief. People resonate with my business, as it's personal. I help people heal through my coaching background as well as my own lived experience; through the choices I have made, perspectives I help them shift, and simple tools.

Thanks to Marie Alessi

What part of your story resonates most with customers? Tell us in the comments below. Don’t forget to join our #IamCEOCommunity