Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Katy Ward. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Katy thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.

My dad told us that anything was possible for us, and we could create anything we felt called to. His motto was ‘necessity is the mother of invention,’ so he taught us to be resourceful as well. I think I learned from him that no barrier is a brick wall, and no knowledge gap should stop me either. He taught me how to learn quickly and think critically, to question the ‘conventional route’ or conventional way of thinking. Because of that curiosity and possibility mindset, I wouldn’t settle for anything less than the most lifestyle-friendly, enjoyable business doing something I was passionate about. It took a lot of experimenting to ultimately find my thing, but once I found it it was worth the uncertainty along the way.

My mom was very practical and grounded, and very empathetic. Where my dad’s head was in the clouds (and so was mine), my mom showed me that practical application and results are what really show your inner stuff. I definitely got my empathy for people from her, she is a nurse. Now, listening is a key part of my job and translating someone’s experience into words and branding.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’ve always been fascinated with communication and convinced that it is the key to build whatever you can imagine in life (and have an easy, connected time along the way). I grew up learning about the hero’s journey, and my family read fantasy books at the dinner table and were all classic fantasy junkies. I loved the way stories could inspire courage and adventure.

When I saw Don Miller speak at a conference, he talked about how to use the hero’s journey framework to create a clear brand message. At the end of the talk, he said he was certifying marketers to use the framework and make a business out of it.

In that moment, I was 100%, full-body certain that was my path. I went and got certified 4 months later and started my business almost immediately (with no pipeline!).

I got certified as a StoryBrand Guide in 2018 and have focused on impactful or transformational brands. That’s looked like a lot of holistic wellness, thought leaders, and sustainability.

When the founder and team are struggling to articulate what they do verbally and one their website, they need a clear brand message. Oftentimes a business will have dozens of different messages cobbled together across disjointed marketing collateral, or they will have one message but it is long, clunky, confusing, and only talks about the brand. Brands that gain a fanbase make their messaging all about their customer’s journey, and draw them in with just enough information for the customer to take the next step.

I help create that clear brand message and build the customer journey through all the touch points. I’m a copywriter, but there’s a lot of strategy, positioning, and creativity with my work. I’m basically like a brand therapist who helps turn a transaction into a relationship for each company I work with.

This looks like creating a Brand Message Guide in the form of a deck, then wireframing (writing and laying out) their website pages. I also do email, course launches, and overall strategy for the customer journey inside the brand. But we almost always start with the brand message and the website.

My favorite part of working directly with founders in the impact/wellness space is the moment they read the brand message and feel totally validated. There’s a moment when they realize they could transform people’s lives and enroll a whole team to be excited about it with them… that moment is priceless!

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

All of my success and growth comes back to relationships and communication. I tried building typical marketing funnels, but dropped it when I realized that my best pipeline builder is being an extrovert out in the world. I’m genuinely curious about people’s lives and passions, and I love talking business. I’ve spent years studying communication, through books and personal development courses and consistently solidifying the belief that I can talk to *anyone,* make them feel good, and have a genuine connection. I don’t feel intimidated by people, rather, each person is like a whole world of perspectives and stories and ideas. There’s always something to relate over.

It took a few years to build a ‘flywheel’ of referrals for my business, but after I’d worked with enough people I started to get enough referrals to totally sustain my business. I consistently got referrals because I’d provide an exceptional customer experience – lots of connection and empathy paired with clear structure and reliable follow-through. Half of a consulting/services business is the experience of working with the provider! I’m a good copywriter, but I’m great to work with… which has led to all the referrals I could need.

I truly believe that the secret to success is excellent listening and communication. That often requires some inner work to build a baseline of confidence out in the world, but once you have that and can bring any conversation to a place of connection and value, you can create *anything.*

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

I was a voracious reader when I started my business, here are some of the most impactful books I read:

– The Go Giver by Bob Burg. This provides a mindset for creating success by providing more value than you take, and it’s in a narrative format about an entrepreneur and his mentor. It’s a quick read, and it moves me every time!

– Mastery by Robert Greene. This book shows how the most famous masters of the modern era became masters. The jist is that each one followed their curiosity through multiple professions, successes, and failures, and then strung the disparate knowledge and skills together to create something new. The book helped me be patient with creating my ‘magnum opus’ – I think the business I have now is just the first of many endeavors, and I’ve had several others since I started it. If you want to contribute something great, learn about the great creators (before there was TikTok!)

– The Communications Courses by Landmark Worldwide: Some of you may laugh at this, if you know what Landmark is. If you do, you’ve probably met a fanatic who tried to enroll you in the Forum (the first course). Not many people know about their communication curriculum, but it probably increased my effectiveness and results in every area of life by about 50%. It’s like learning the keys to shape reality around you! And if you can critically think and set aside your resistance, it’s not a big deal to be around the rigorous environment.

– Building a Story Brand by Donal Miller: This book covers the framework I use, it’s like a workbook to build your brand story. It’s very easy to understand and implement!

– As far as mindset books, these were also important: Mindset by Carol Dweck, The Surrender Expiriment by Michael Singer, and Essentialism by Greg McKeown. I really enjoy Tim Urban’s essays on Wait But Why. I’ve read a lot more but those stand out!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.newstorymarketing.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/katy__ward
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katy–ward/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/hellokatyward
• Other: StoryBrand Directory site: https://marketingmadesimple.com/katyward

Image Credits
Jena Willard Photography, nunbelievablecookies.com