Recently I wrote a blog post about the importance of having an unforgettable origin story.

Just like superheroes, businesses need to have a kick-ass story that captures people’s attention and inspires them to cheer for your success.

Here are 3 great examples of progressive startups that are doing a great job of telling their stories in unforgettable and incredibly effective ways…

Kitestring

Stephen Foyer’s girlfriend lived in a dangerous neighbourhood in San Francisco. He wanted to give her a way to feel safer when going out at night. That’s how he came up with the idea for his new web-based service, Kitestring.

kitestring.jpg.

Setting aside the horrific and rage-inducing reality that too many women still feel afraid to walk alone in their own neighbourhoods – and with good reason – you’ve got to love a 23-year-old tech geek who creates an app to keep his girlfriend safe when she walks home from work at night and then makes it available to everyone for free.

(I don’t know if this is a purely non-profit venture on his part or something he hopes will generate money eventually – but either way, huge props to Stephen. I bet this will have a huge positive impact on his career or business.)

You can learn more about Stephen in this Elle article.

Nettle’s Tale Swimwear

Nettle's Tale Swimwear

Image from: nettlestale.com

“Honest swimwear for real Canadian women,” states the Indiegogo campaign for this Vancouver start-up company.

Watch the video of founder Julia Church explaining the reason she started her company and tell me you don’t want to run out and buy one of her bathing suits right freaking now – and then go out for coffee or drinks with her because you KNOW she would be the most fun ever.

Oh, and you’ll notice that Julia’s Indiegogo campaign managed to raise $70,000+ dollars – more than 7 times what she asked for. THAT’S how compelling people found her story. I’m excited to see how her company develops.

Solar Roadways

File this one under “game-changing paradigm shift.” This company’s mission is no less than to save the environment and end our reliance on fossil fuels completely—while updating the nation’s infrastructure, creating 1,000s of jobs, and making our roadways safer.

I KNOW, RIGHT???

If this company’s claims are true, this technology could conceivably end many of the world’s environmental and energy problems. Of course, it might turn out that this ends up as a “too good to be true” story (some naysayers think the technology is prohibitively expensive) but come on, aren’t you rooting for this company to be successful?

And the fact that the company founders have known each other since they were small children and have been developing their idea for decades makes their story even more appealing.

What do these companies have in common?

All three of them are actively trying to improve people’s lives and make the world a better place.

  • Kitestring is trying to make the world safer for women.
  • Nettle’s Tale is trying to help women of all shapes and sizes feel more confident and comfortable in their own bodies.
  • Solar Roadways is trying to solve the world’s biggest energy and environmental problems.

When you see the potential benefits of their products, of course you want them to succeed. They’re awesome!

How are YOU awesome?

What are you doing to improve people’s lives and make the world a better place? What positive lasting impact do you hope to have? What is your driving purpose—and how does this tie into your own personal story?

Answering these questions is not only key to creating an unforgettable origin story – it should be the fundamental message you want to communicate in all your marketing efforts. People want to support companies that are doing amazing things. It makes us feel better about how we spend our money.

So if you aren’t doing amazing things – or if you’ve never really sat down to articulate exactly what those amazing things are – now is a great time to get started. Give people a GREAT reason to support your business and they will. It’s really that simple.