Revamping Your Business Bio: Balancing Information and Intrigue

If you’re a designer, entrepreneur, or creative, you probably haven’t been asked for your résumé in a long time. Instead, people Google you and assess your talents based on your website, portfolio, and social media profiles. Do they resonate with what you’re sharing? Do they identify with your story? Are you even giving them a story to wrap their heads around?

Gone are the days of “Just the facts, ma’am.” Instead, we’re all trying to suss each other out in the relationship economy. Do I share something in common with you? How do we relate to each other? Are you relevant to my work?

That’s why the résumé is on the out, and the bio is on the rise. People work with people they can relate to and identify with. Trust comes from personal disclosure–and that kind of sharing is hard to convey in a résumé. Your bio needs to tell the bigger story, especially when you’re in business for yourself, or in the business of relationships. It’s your bio that’s read first.

To help you with this, your bio should address the following five questions:

1. Who am I?
2. How can I help you?
3. How did I get here (i.e. know what I know)?
4. Why can you trust me?
5. What do we share in common?

Your bio is the linchpin for expanding your thought leadership and recognition, especially online. It frames the conversation and sets the tone. It’s your job to reveal a bit about yourself and how you see the world. Do this well, and people will eagerly want to engage with you further.

Read more at www.businesscollective.com…

Michael Margolis is CEO of Get Storied, a narrative strategist to Google, NASA, and innovators who want to get their story straight.

BusinessCollective, launched in partnership with Citi, is a virtual mentorship program powered by North America’s most ambitious young thought leaders, entrepreneurs, executives and small business owners.