Your Brand is Boring—Here’s How to Fix It

4 stories every founder and brand should be telling

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Yesterday, while I was running through a pitch deck for a hotel brand, I got a message from a founder who had recently hired a small agency to handle his brand’s marketing.

During our first initial discovery call, he shared that he was hesitant to talk about his “founding story” because it wasn’t exciting— his service wasn’t sexy, his story wasn’t special, and he ultimately wanted to focus on the service itself rather than the man behind it.

In other words, he was running a quantity game. Not a quality one. What was most important to him was getting the most eyeballs on his page.

While this strategy may work for some, I’d say it’s a pretty bad idea if your brand —or its founder— has nothing to say.

When I first started freelancing as a copywriter in 2019, the term “personal brand” was a buzzword that had people excited. We had influencers creating brands that were vastly outselling major corporations. (Rhode selling for $1 billion is a good example). Everyday founders were creating content to sell their product. They relied on relationships and connecting with their consumers.

And while the concept of a personal brand may have changed since 2019, it’s still the most important component to your brand messaging.

The mistake most people make is thinking that AI can replace the effort of writing good messaging. In reality, services like ChatGPT should make your life easier— it shouldn’t replace your personality. I’ve used AI to help me craft six-figure email campaigns, but I’d never hit send without finessing the prose or tweaking the narrative. That would be embarrassing. And people are catching on.

The beauty in AI is that it can drastically improve your concept, help with research, and deepen strategy insights. It shouldn’t be used as a one-trick pony.

The result is what I call the Great Flattening of Marketing. Soon every small-to mid-sized brand will sound the same. Costumers have already coined the term “ChatGPT brand.” Not only are they getting really tired of automated Chatbots, but they’re also getting tired of lazy marketing.

This presents an opportunity for you to get clear. Write sh*t that matters. Lean into your voice and your story. It’s what will make you stand out.

So whether you’re a solo operator, an agency, or the CEO of a $100M business, here are four types of stories you should be investing in that will build trust at scale, and help you stand out in the Great Flattening.

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Where you come from

Think of this like a logline for a film— what’s it about, and why?

No one bets against the hero’s journey. Your audience needs to know where you started and what problem you faced. Think about what pissed you off so much that you decided to do things your own way.

This may seem shallow or self-centered, but it’s not. You have to remember that nobody knows you. You might live in your head 24/7 and your ideas might be so familiar to you, but consumers don’t know that.

Your origin story is also positioning.

People follow those with a sense of mission. If you can’t explain where you came from—and why it matters—you don’t have a brand. You have to use your backstory to create connection.

What do you stand for?

Your values are your filters.

In a market full of noise, your beliefs tell people whether or not you’re for them. Most founders play it safe. They don’t want to offend. So they say nothing.

That’s weak.

Modern buyers—especially smart ones—want to know where you stand. They want alignment. They want clarity. They want to trust your instincts.

If you stand for nothing, you stand for no one.

Show them what you believe in. Show them what you reject. Make it easy for people to choose you.

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Who are you helping?

This one’s simple. Show proof.

Most businesses throw testimonials on their website like they’re checking a box. Nobody reads that.

Tell the full story. The client had a problem. They came to you. You solved it. Their life or business changed.

Spell it out. Show the before and the after. Make it real.

This isn’t just marketing—it’s authority.

Because when people see themselves in your client’s shoes, the sale is already halfway done.

Show me your failures

Your mistakes are leverage.

Everyone’s out here pretending they’ve never failed. That’s a rookie move.

Real players own their L’s. They share the hard stuff. They talk about what didn’t work—and what they learned from it.

That’s how you build respect.

No one trusts the guy who’s never had a rough month. If you’ve been through things and made it out better, that’s not weakness. That’s weight.

That’s what gives your brand gravity. And gravity is what makes people pay attention.

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Personal branding, big business

Do these stories work for big brands and corporations? You bet they do. The time of faceless big box stores is over. If you’re running a team, a platform, or a company, stop hiding behind stock content.

Put your founder in front. Put your CEO in the feed. Make your leadership visible. Because if you don’t, someone else will—and they’ll win the trust by default. It doesn’t matter if you’re a CEO raising capital or a solo founder starting a small-batch brand.

People want to know who is behind what they’re buying.

Look at Elon. Look at Gary Vee. Look at Daniel Ek at Spotify or Melanie Perkins at Canva. You know their names because their stories shape how you see the brand.

Personal branding is big business, no matter what you’re selling.