He’s a legend.

I’m not.

He literally wrote the book on a specific writing discipline in 1979.

I was 2.

Nonetheless, it took all of two pages (and the top of Page 2 at that) for screenwriting legend Syd Field to make a point that I swear I have been making independently for years.

As he talks of his time teaching at Sherwood Oaks Experimental College, Field marvels at the popularity of his screenwriting course.

In “Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting,” he says seeing  hundreds line up for the class showed him that “everyone had a story to tell. They just didn’t know how to tell it.”

During my 11-year career as a journalist, I made a similar point.

I believe that everyone has an interesting personal story to tell. Many just don’t know what that story is.

When I walk down the street or through a mall or in the park, I see stories.

The man walking his dog? He got him in a divorce.

That family of five eating ice cream in the plaza on a random afternoon? That’s a rare trip because one of the parents just got a raise.

Yes, these examples are more along the lines of creative writing.

But let me use some from my career to illustrate what I’m trying to say to business owners.

When I watched a pitch competition, I wasn’t there to tell a story about the competition.

I was usually there to discover a story about whichever company won.

That is because invariably (and I can’t emphasize the fact enough that it never was untrue) the winners had a fascinating story about where they got their business idea or what personal circumstances led to its creation.

That’s where you need to be hyper-focused.

As I build a framework to base my writing and advice on, it’s absolutely essential that I have a base to grow from.

That base is this post.

You have to understand that your story is interesting but you likely don’t consider it so because, to you, it’s just been your life.

To you, the fact that you’ve ridden horses all of your life is nothing special.

I mean, most people in your circles probably ride horses so it’s no big deal.

But when you’re building a business – even if it’s not necessarily in the horse industry – your story is unique and that story is what you need to use to sell what you have.

Contact Marco Santana at marcosantana77@gmail.com if you want advice, free of charge.