Learn how to convey your business and branding better

1. 5 STEPS TO TELLING
A BETTER BUSINESS
STORY
STARTUPS: ARE YOU LOSING YOUR
CLIENTS BECAUSE OF YOUR POOR
COMMUNICATION?
EMPOWER. INSPIRE. CELEBRATE.
GROW YOUR BUSINESS THROUGH MEANINGFUL
MARKETING.

2. BUSINESS EMPOWERED
Creating the right brand story and personality is
important to your startup to build trust and connect
with your target audience.
Your business becomes more memorable and people
could visualize the transformation by the value you
create and convey.
By being clear about your brand, you get people
talking about your startup.

3. THE STORY OF AN ASPIRING BUSINESS OWNER
The “perfect”
idea
Execution of
business
Hustle and
everyone will
buy into the idea
Get your first
million!
Is this always true?
POINTS TO PONDER ON:
• Are you doing the right things that could move your business forward?
• Are you selling what people really need?
• Or are you selling what you think people need?
• Do consumers understand your business?
• Does your business invoke emotions?

4. • To startup a business, you need to have at least one of the following: network, skills and money
• You and your business partners need to have the ability to sell, execute and strategise
DID YOU GO THROUGH THESE STAGES OF ANALYSIS?
RISK
EVALUATION
CASH FLOW/
BUSINESS
EVALUATION
BUSINESS
PLANNING
THE REALITY OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP
REVENUE
MODEL
VALUE
CREATION
CONSUMER
INSIGHTS
BRANDING
SALES &
MARKETING
AVENUE
BUSINESS EMPOWERED

5. BUILDING A BUSINESS ONLINE
… POSSIBLE?
“I believe Singapore’s strength lies in
our interconnected ecosystem, and
the ability to come together to create
innovative and useful solutions for
the future. There are many
disadvantages to being small, but
being able to bring the ecosystem into
one big tent is our strength and
advantage. There is no other nation in
the world better placed than
Singapore to unify the policy,
technology and industry towards
being a smart nation.”
-- Ms Yong Ying-I, Permanent Secretary,
National Research and Development and Public
Service Division, and former Chairman of the
IDA Board
PROS CONS
Lower barriers to entry: Ease of
starting up
Crowded marketplace: Hard to
stand out
Flexible timing Consumer has shorter attention
span
Worldwide outreach Consumer are more market savvy
Ability to test market Credibility issue
Use of social media marketing cost
significantly lower than traditional
medium
With the increase in amount of
information, consumers are
increasingly selective
HOW DO WE CONVINCE CONSUMERS THEN?
BUSINESS EMPOWERED

6. ARE YOU GIVING WHAT YOUR CONSUMERS REALLY WANT TO BUY?
Emotion Belonging Significance Connection Growth
Contribution
to others
ARE YOU ADEQUATELY CONVEYING THE VALUE
OF YOUR BUSINESS TO YOUR CONSUMERS?
BUSINESS EMPOWERED

7. After crossing southern Florida - where it left some
100,000 homes without power - it strengthened
further before veering inland towards Louisiana,
eventually making landfall at Grand Isle, approximately
90km south of New Orleans, at 10am local time on 29
August.
At this point, Katrina's sustained wind speed was
approximately 200 km/h. The storm passed directly
through New Orleans, destroying many lighter
buildings and causing extensive damage to others.
Hurricane force winds were recorded along a 200km
stretch of coastline, with scenes of similar destruction
and flooding in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.
-- BBC
I've lived on the Mississippi coast for 30 years. I've
been through four or five hurricanes and countless
tropical storms. Before Katrina came through, I
thought, "If my house gets washed away, I'll just
stay at my mother's house or my brother's house"
– never thinking all our homes would be
destroyed. But they were, so everyone in my
family is now a refugee.
On Friday night, some of us boarded up our
houses. Others in town were saying that they
didn't want to "overreact" to the hurricane
forecasts. But I was running around like crazy,
yelling, "This is a (category) four!"
-- PEOPLE
ENTER THE ERA OF BUSINESS STORY TELLING
BOTH ARE ON HURRICANE KATRINA.
WHICH ONE DO YOU CONNECT BETTER TO?
BUSINESS EMPOWERED

8. THE STORYLINE OF A BUSINESS
Hero
Who is involve? Are there
any other characters
involve? Give a framework
Mission
What motivates the hero?
Create suspense
Challenges
What are the obstacles
along the way? Build
contrast and drama.
Victory
Any notable achievements
to increase credibility?
The journey
continues
In line with the story, what
is your business doing right
now? Benefits to consumer
BUSINESS EMPOWERED

9. THE STORYLINE OF A BUSINESS
In her early twenties, she undergoes a struggle of never ending questions and dilemma. She finds
herself a misfit and she couldn’t even bear to think about her future.
Hero
She questions herself a lot. What is the purpose of life? What can life offer her? Is there a correct way
to live? What is happiness? After living like this for 2 years, it finally occurs to her that she has to
start looking for her answers.
Mission
So she starts looking for her answers. Her journey brings her to New Zealand, Thailand, Taiwan,
Japan and some other countries. Her relatives think that she is wasting her life and making silly
choices. There are even moments when she has to face living with only few hundred dollars a
month. But she knows this is the battle she has to face.
Challenges
A few years of searching, she has found her answers through looking at things in a new perspective.
The questions to life is not “what can life offer to her?” but “what is the world asking of her?”
Victory
It took her years to discover that. But youth is short lived and those are years that she couldn’t get
back. So she starts thinking, if she could condense these years of experience for others, they will be
able to experience the transformation earlier and quicker. Just like growing a plant, with the right
environment and guidance, anybody could ignite their lives and inspire others.
Hence, Hashtag empowers is born.
The journey
continues
BUSINESS EMPOWERED

10. CREATE THE “HERO” IN YOUR BUSINESS WITH HASHTAG
EMOTION BELONGING SIGNIFICANCE CONNECTION GROWTH CONTRIBUTION
TO OTHERS
Surprise parties Interest group
events
Showcase and
performance
Networking
session
Workshops and
classes
Fundraising
events
• Empower yourself to empower your consumers
• Boost credibility to your online business by getting inexpensive offline presence
• Improve offline business through our online marketing
• Create instant meaning to your brand by becoming associated with thematic events/ festive events
• Receive matched vendors for your collaboration/event/project
• Test your products feasibility before bulk purchase
BUSINESS EMPOWERED

11. READY FOR MORE? POWER UP YOUR “HERO” WITH OUR BONUSES
Complimentary
3 hours
enlightened
business vision
workshop x1
10 hours
business story
video
production
Complimentary
collateral
design for your
event x1
Domain
registration +
Web hosting +
1 home page &
4 pages web
design
10% subsidised
rate for event
management
Prices vary
BUSINESS EMPOWERED

12. Thank you for your time
We wish you all the best in
creating your business
story and success
Hashtag Enterprise
Empower. Inspire. Celebrate.
www.hashtag.com.sg