Stories Mean Business - Nick Warren
1,464 episodes - English - Latest episode: 2 months ago -One idea a day from a geek business builder.
After 1,000 episodes, the jury is in – this is the world's slackest podcast. 5-minutes a day on story, strategy or whatever's yanked my chain. No guests. No ads. No apologies.
This is me thinking out loud, putting things together, going down dead ends and making mistakes.
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www.StoriesMeanBusiness.com/podcast
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Episodes
896: This Podcast Stinks
February 24, 2022 05:00 - 3 minutes - 2.78 MBIn 2015, Johan Berger wrote a piece in the New York Times about phrases that were more likely to last and spread through time. What do these have in common? She held the idea in the palm of her hand. The belief was strongly held. Sorry, I'm in the dark here. His words rang true. They worked in perfect harmony. The party ended on a sour note. He stayed to the bitter end. Has it suddenly dawned on you what's happening here? Episode home: https://StoriesMeanBusiness.com/podcast/896:...
895: Getting Personal
February 23, 2022 05:00 - 3 minutes - 3.57 MBA client of mine has been advised to share more personal content online, but that's an issue because so much personal content seems fake or shallow. How do we do this right? Episode home: https://StoriesMeanBusiness.com/podcast/895:-Getting-Personal
893: A Pure Storytelling Moment
February 21, 2022 05:00 - 4 minutes - 4.25 MBSometime in my childhood, I watched a movie that burned a particular image into my brain. The image is this – an old man taking out a gun and shooting his elderly wife in the head. It was a pure storytelling moment, because it required my young brain to put myself into the old man's head, fast forward into his future, and understand why he killed his wife. Episode home: https://StoriesMeanBusiness.com/podcast/893:-A-Pure-Storytelling-Moment
892: Sprint 8 is Audio Ad Design
February 20, 2022 05:00 - 5 minutes - 4.85 MBHaving finally put my Relationship Build Series live (Sprint 7), this week I'll be creating the link between the podcast and the website. Episode home: https://StoriesMeanBusiness.com/podcast/892:-Sprint-8-is-Audio-Ad-Design
891: A Bit Blowy
February 19, 2022 05:00 - 3 minutes - 3.52 MBIt's about 2.30pm on a Friday afternoon as I record this, and I'm done. Looking back at the calendar, it's been over a month since I last had a complete day off ... and the last three weeks in particular have been really really busy. I'm not complaining – I love my work – but occasionally you get a signal that it's time to rest. I've had that signal this afternoon, so I'm downing tools without guilt. Episode home: https://StoriesMeanBusiness.com/podcast/891:-A-Bit-Blowy
890: The Distinction
February 18, 2022 05:00 - 2 minutes - 2.35 MBSometime in around 2004, my eyes got opened. By then, I’d had my own business for almost 8 years … or at least, that’s what other people thought. In reality though, I owned a job, and the jobs of a couple of other people. It wasn’t what I think of as a business., because if I didn’t go to work at 7am each day, the business would fail. Not immediately, but soon. Then I read the Cashflow Quadrant by Robert Kiyosaki. His Rich Dad Poor Dad series has been criticised as bad advice wrapped in...
889: Shallow or Deep
February 17, 2022 05:00 - 2 minutes - 2.02 MBWhen Toy Story hit the UK in 1996, I went to see it with a bunch of friends from work. One of them was an animator. By the time we left the theatre, he was barely able to speak. In just 81 minutes, the skill he'd built his career around had been both validated and brutally challenged. The movie had shown him - and everyone else - just how far he had to go. I feel like that with when it comes to storytelling. Every time I have a handle on it, some new insight opens up dark continents of...
888: The Sharp End
February 16, 2022 05:00 - 5 minutes - 5.04 MBCustomer support isn't the bottom of the barrel it's the early warning system. Episode home: https://StoriesMeanBusiness.com/podcast/888:-The-Sharp-End
887: Love Matters
February 15, 2022 05:00 - 4 minutes - 4.23 MBA special thought recorded on Valentine's day. Episode home: https://StoriesMeanBusiness.com/podcast/886:-Love-Matters
886: Humanity Equals Inefficiency
February 14, 2022 05:00 - 4 minutes - 4.62 MBAnd that's a good thing!
885: Sprint 7 is Emails
February 13, 2022 05:00 - 3 minutes - 3.5 MBThis is the sprint I've been scared of since I started. Episode home: https://StoriesMeanBusiness.com/podcast/885:-Sprint-7-is-Emails
884: Ordinary Magic
February 12, 2022 05:00 - 2 minutes - 2.49 MBThis is what happens when you run out of time. Episode home: https://StoriesMeanBusiness.com/podcast/884:-Ordinary-Magic
883: Indistractable Part 3
February 11, 2022 05:00 - 9 minutes - 8.49 MBWrapping up this short series, we focus on what Nir Eyal learned about his Internal Triggers of distraction, and how to address them. Episode home: https://StoriesMeanBusiness.com/podcast/883:-Indistractable-Part-3
882: Indistractable Part 2
February 10, 2022 05:00 - 5 minutes - 5.49 MBToday – inspired by Indistractable by Nir Eyal – we're talking about the four psychological factors that promote distraction: Boredom Negativity Bias Rumination Hedonic Adaptation As Eyal says in the book, each of these is rooted in our evolutionary biology, and present for good reason. Tomorrow, we'll talk about the tools and techniques that Eyal developed to become indistractable. Episode home: https://StoriesMeanBusiness.com/podcast/882:-Indistractable-Part-2
881: Indistractable Part 1
February 09, 2022 05:00 - 6 minutes - 5.65 MBWe tend to blame technology for all of life's distractions, but as Nir Eyal lays out in his bestselling book – there's more to distraction than that. Episode home: https://StoriesMeanBusiness.com/podcast/881:-Indistractable-Part-1
880: Conversation Beats Connection
February 08, 2022 05:00 - 2 minutes - 2.48 MBIf this resonates for you, reach out to a 'connection', and ask if they fancy a 15-minute chat over a cup of coffee and Zoom. Conversation beats connection.
879: Sprint 6 Audience and Offer
February 07, 2022 05:00 - 2 minutes - 2.49 MBThis week, I'm orientating myself and focusing on my audience and what they want. Episode home: https://StoriesMeanBusiness.com/podcast/879:-Sprint-6-Audience-and-Offer
878: The MacGuyver Secret
February 06, 2022 17:00 - 6 minutes - 5.92 MBCreated by Lee Zlotoff, The MacGuyer Secret is a really interesting take on the usual recipe for creativity. That recipe, of course, is research, rest ... boom. I read the book on the train last week ... here's what I think. Episode home: https://StoriesMeanBusiness.com/podcast/878:-The-MacGuyver-Secret
877: Reading Wrong On Purpose
February 05, 2022 05:00 - 6 minutes - 5.68 MBWhy would it make sense to start a book in the middle or at the end? Here's why. Episode home: https://StoriesMeanBusiness.com/podcast/877:-Reading-Wrong-On-Purpose
876: The Book On the Train
February 04, 2022 05:00 - 4 minutes - 4.15 MBI'm off to London again today, and I'm taking a book with me to consume on the train. This is how I'll do it. Episode home: https://StoriesMeanBusiness.com/podcast/876:-The-Book-On-the-Train
875: Being Yourself
February 03, 2022 05:00 - 4 minutes - 4.3 MBYesterday, my son had a crucial audition. He's a grown, driven, talented man now, so I didn't say much ... but here's what I did say. Episode home: https://StoriesMeanBusiness.com/podcast/875:-Being-Yourself
874: Meritocracy
February 02, 2022 05:00 - 5 minutes - 5.54 MBNapoleon landed in France in 1793, four years after the French Revolution had started. He was a penniless artillery lieutenant. Six years later he ruled France. Sometimes its easy to forget that we live in a meritocracy – however flawed – and that the responsibility to move up is ours to take or squander. Episode home: https://StoriesMeanBusiness.com/podcast/874:-Meritocracy
873: An Ounce Of Prevention
February 01, 2022 05:00 - 7 minutes - 6.94 MBIn 1982, Argentina invaded the Falklands Islands. The invasion was partly triggered by the UK's decision to recall a Royal Navy Ice Patrol Vessel, HMS Endurance, and save $2.5 million. The Argentine generals saw this as evidence that the UK was pulling back from it's commitments, and took their chance. That decision to save $2.5 million eventually cost the UK around $7 billion. It's rarely to see the consequences of upstream decisions so starkly drawn, but we are all living the consequenc...
872: This Might Not Work
January 31, 2022 05:00 - 5 minutes - 5.38 MBIn his brilliant book, Ignore Everybody and 39 Other Keys to Creativity, Hugh MacLeod has this to say. Nobody Cares. Do it for yourself. Episode home: https://StoriesMeanBusiness.com/podcast/872:-This-Might-Not-Work
871: Sprint 5 - Book Selling
January 30, 2022 05:00 - 2 minutes - 2.77 MBYesterday's podcast, and the associated page delivered on Sprint 4, but Sprint 5 will be a little different. Episode home: https://StoriesMeanBusiness.com/podcast/871:-Sprint-5-Book-Selling
870: The Memory Palace
January 29, 2022 05:00 - 11 minutes - 10.6 MBI want to share something with you that's really helped me. It's been the engine behind the podcast. And it's a little weird. This episodes illustrates a completely different kind of story that means business ... the daft and dreamlike world of the memory palace. If you are the kind of person who's looking to really understand and integrate the world, this is for you. Every memory champion in the world uses some variation of these basic ideas. Take a peek inside my memory palace. Episod...
869: Testing Fallout
January 28, 2022 05:00 - 3 minutes - 2.84 MBWhen we try new stuff, we make mistakes. I've been doing that over the past 2-3 episodes and you guys have been the unlucky recipients of gaps, pauses and edits. Such is the price of progress, whatever business we are into. Episode home: https://StoriesMeanBusiness.com/podcast/869:-Testing-Fallout
868: Afterlife - Season 3
January 27, 2022 05:00 - 5 minutes - 5.03 MBAs with most of Ricky Gervais' work, Afterlife season 3 is a schizophrenic mix of beautifully observed humanity ... and toilet humour. I loved it and hated it in equal measure. There there are whole scenes (and characters) I'd happily never hear from again, but the point is this... When you are as good at the fundamentals as Ricky Gervais, you open up some serious options to try things out. In this case, I think that large parts of Afterlife are just a massive fucking joke played on Netfli...
867: Relentless Bloody Progress
January 26, 2022 05:00 - 5 minutes - 5.18 MBYesterday, I got the chance to meet and talk to three extraordinary people. Andy McMenemy ran 66 marathons in 66 days. Anne Daniels has led expeditions to the North and South poles. Chris Cook is a double Olympian and Commonwealth Record holder in Breaststroke. And here's the thing ... each of them became extraordinary by focusing on doing the fundamentals REALLY REALLY WELL. Episode home: https://StoriesMeanBusiness.com/podcast/867:-Relentless-Bloody-Progress
866: Under The Influence
January 25, 2022 05:00 - 4 minutes - 3.84 MBToday, we're circling back to Robert Cialdini's classic work, Influence - and adding the NEW 7th principle from his 2021 new edition. #Reciprocation, #Commitment & #Consistency, #Social Proof, #Liking, #Authority, #Scarcity and #Unity. Episode home: https://StoriesMeanBusiness.com/podcast/866:-Under-The-Influence
865: I Know You're Upset
January 24, 2022 05:00 - 6 minutes - 6.19 MBIn The Last Of Us, Part 2, there's a beautiful example of world-building and storytelling ... sketched into a few short lines. ------ I know you're upset... What if we talked like this for a bit? Would that help? I didn't mean to grab you like that. I hope I didn't hurt you. Even mommies are scared sometimes. I'm OK. I'm really scared too. I get how angry you are. I miss him too... but you can't scream like that. I just want... I need... I know. I love you very much. I won't let anyth...
864: Sprint 4: The Framework
January 23, 2022 05:00 - 3 minutes - 2.78 MBSprint 3 is complete, with the addition of a Speaking page to my website (https://www.storiesmeanbusiness.com/speaking). Sprint 4 will be something very different, the creation of a Memory Palace style story around a key business framework. Episode home: https://StoriesMeanBusiness.com/podcast/864:-Sprint-4:-The-Framework
863: The Other Thing About Location
January 22, 2022 05:00 - 7 minutes - 6.78 MBAfter yesterday's musing on location and creativity, it's only right to loop back to memory. Episode home: https://StoriesMeanBusiness.com/podcast/863:-The-Other-Thing-About-Location
862: Campervans and Creativity
January 21, 2022 05:00 - 6 minutes - 5.73 MBYou can (and should) optimise your day-to-day environment for learning and creativity ... but there's something that you shouldn't ignore. The power of distraction and difference. Episode home: https://StoriesMeanBusiness.com/podcast/862:-Campervan-and-Creativity
861: This Slim Book
January 20, 2022 05:00 - 6 minutes - 5.83 MBIn 1513, Machiavelli presented his 'slim book' to Lorenzo De Medici (the Magnificent). Its lessons have survived the test of time for a reason. Episode home: https://StoriesMeanBusiness.com/podcast/861:-This-Slim-Book
860: Idea Sex Is Good
January 19, 2022 05:00 - 5 minutes - 4.64 MBHad a haircut yesterday, which means a visit to the idea sex shop. Episode home: https://StoriesMeanBusiness.com/podcast/860:-Idea-Sex-Is-Good
859: The Monster Has A Life
January 18, 2022 05:00 - 6 minutes - 6.05 MBIn the 1980s I played a lot of Dungeons & Dragons. It was pretty epic. What started as a little hobby became a huge part of my life ... every weekend spent on a quest ... or creating one for others. I spent huge amounts of time wrapped up in my imagination. And in empathy. At some point during that time, I read an article in White Dwarf magazine about creating realistic worlds. The monsters – it said – aren't just standing behind the door waiting for the adventurers to turn up. They hav...
858: Learning Versus Growth
January 17, 2022 05:00 - 6 minutes - 5.89 MB30 years ago, this month, I learned the difference between learning and growth. Episode home: https://StoriesMeanBusiness.com/podcast/858:-Learning-Versus-Growth
857: Sprint 3 - The Media Page
January 16, 2022 05:00 - 4 minutes - 3.86 MBUpdate on last week's sprint, and my plan for Week 3. Episode home: https://StoriesMeanBusiness.com/podcast/857:-Sprint-3-The-Media-Page
856: Habits Piece By Piece
January 15, 2022 05:00 - 2 minutes - 2.52 MBIf you're good intententions have already started to wain, try this simple technique from James Clear's Atomic Habits. Episode home: https://StoriesMeanBusiness.com/podcast/856:-Habits-Piece-By-Piece
855: What Powers Your Story?
January 14, 2022 05:00 - 2 minutes - 2.76 MBEvery sale in your business happens for one reason ... it resolves a customer conflict. What's yours? Episode home: https://StoriesMeanBusiness.com/podcast/855:-What-Powers-Your-Story
854: Mickey Mouse and Colonoscopies
January 13, 2022 05:00 - 7 minutes - 6.7 MBI expect to become the premier search result for this search term in no time ... but that's not what I'm talking about today. Episode home: https://StoriesMeanBusiness.com/podcast/854:-Mickey-Mouse-and-Colonoscopies
853: Linking In Firestone
January 12, 2022 05:00 - 7 minutes - 7.1 MBYesterday, I quoted Harvey S. Firestone without really knowing who he was ... today the quote has way more resonance, because I've linked him in to things I already know. Episode home: https://StoriesMeanBusiness.com/podcast/853:-Linking-In-Firestone
852: Why We Wander
January 11, 2022 05:00 - 4 minutes - 4 MBBob Iger's Masterclass is excellent ... even if most of us aren't ever going to manage a multinational brand like Disney. (Iger was CEO from 2005 to 2020, reinvigorating Disney animation with the Pixar acquisition, then adding Marvel, Star Wars and 20th Century Fox. Not to mention quintipling the value of the company from around $50 billion to $250 billion.) But we can still learn from smart people, and one of the things I loved it that Iger put Curiosity top of the list of the traits he v...
851: Groundhog Day Meets Deathloop
January 10, 2022 05:00 - 5 minutes - 5.32 MBIn Groundhog Day (1993), Bill Murray plays a hapless weather man reliving the same day over and over again until he gets it right. In Deathloop (2021), Colt Vaugn is also reliving the same day ... until he can kill seven evil geniuses and 'break the loop'. (To clarify, this is a video game I'm playing.) In both cases, living the same 24 hours again and again gives the characters the chance to learn, improve and win. What seemed impossible eventually becomes routine. The best real world e...
850: Sprint 2 Begins
January 09, 2022 05:00 - 3 minutes - 3.06 MBThe Subscribe process from Sprint 1 is now on the website at www.storiesmeanbusiness.com. For Sprint 2 I will be breaking the landing page (www.storiesmeanbusiness.com/yourstory) up into three or four separate pages. This is the process of adding "good friction" which I talked about in Episode 594. Episode home: https://StoriesMeanBusiness.com/podcast/850:-Sprint-2
849: A Short Dip Into Economics
January 08, 2022 05:00 - 7 minutes - 7.25 MBAt the end of January, I'll be paying my taxes ... and it turns out to be more important than I thought. This podcast is inspired by a section of Thomas Piketty's magnum opus, Capital In The 21st Century. Episode home: https://StoriesMeanBusiness.com/podcast/848:-A-Short-Dip-Into-Economics
848: Stories from Sapiens
January 07, 2022 05:00 - 7 minutes - 6.73 MBI love Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari. It's the kind of book that makes us better humans, not to mention the ton of eye-opening insights. But most relevant to our work is Harari's views on storytelling. Let's get into it... Episode home: https://StoriesMeanBusiness.com/podcast/848:-Stories-from-Sapiens
847: Stake Your Claim
January 06, 2022 05:00 - 3 minutes - 3.6 MBIn his 33rd letter, Seneca exhorted his correspondent, Lucilius Junior, to stop relying on the wisdom of others and stake his own claim. The irony is thick in this episode. Episode home: https://StoriesMeanBusiness.com/podcast/847-Stake-Your-Claim
846: Kanban and Lean
January 05, 2022 05:00 - 13 minutes - 12.1 MBFinishing our 10,000 tour of Agile, Scrum, Kanban and Lean. Episode home: https://StoriesMeanBusiness.com/podcast/846-Kanban-and-Lean