Katie Flamman: 00:00:00 Hello, and welcome to this special festive episode of Storytelling for Business, the podcast that helps you build better customer relationships by telling stories your clients want to hear. I'm Katie Flamman. I'm a voiceover artist specialising in corporate storytelling. I help people like you share your brand story and business developments so your marketing messages sound as good as they look.

I've worked with household names like Sainsbury's and Deloitte. And luxury brands like Cartier and Cunard. But back to storytelling, why is it such a buzzword? What does it mean? What does it do? How can it create leads for businesses and build client relationships that last? We got some excellent answers to those questions in Season 1 of this podcast.

If you haven't listened yet, pop it on your list for that bit between Christmas and New Year. It'll go very well with cheese. I know I'm biassed, but I loved making Season 1. I chatted about storytelling for business with an awesome range of guests. Some were creatives, and some were normal business owners.

No offence, creatives, you know what I mean. Anyway, great news, Season 2 will be launching in February 2024, and it's crammed full of the good stuff. I'll tell you a bit more about it later. But it is weeks away, and because you're so lovely, I wanted to give you a little something to tide you over. It is nearly Christmas.

So, here we go. When I say the words Christmas and small business owner, what springs to mind? Hmm? Well, I've given this quite a lot of thought, and it's, of course, the Victorian money lending misery guts, Ebeneezer Scrooge.

Scrooge: 00:01:44 Bah! Humbug!

Katie Flamman: 00:01:46 Yeah, that's the one. The star turn of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. And Scrooge is the perfect case study for this festive episode of our podcast.

Yes, I do know the book was written 180 years ago, but I promise you're going to discover that old Ebenezer is a business storytelling inspiration for the 21st century. By the end of this podcast, you'll have a notebook full of ideas for business stories you can tell to engage your audience, delight your clients, and lasso leads.

I promise.

Scrooge: Bah! Humbug!

Katie Flamman: 00:02:19Stop it, Scrooge. In a Christmas carol. Scrooge runs Scrooge and Marley. It's a small to medium sized enterprise, like 99 percent of UK businesses today, by the way. The firm lends money, bit like a mortgage provider. Scrooge is the surviving partner after the death of the other director, Jacob Marley, and they have one employee, Bob Cratchit.

Even if you haven't read the book, I'm sure you've seen Muppet Christmas Carol, but here's a quick extract to remind you what we're dealing with, with help from a few of my voiceover friends.

Scrooge's Niece: 00:02:52 A merry Christmas, Uncle. God save you.

Narrator: 00:02:55 Cried a cheerful voice. Dickens says that's the voice of Scrooge's nephew, but in the interests of promoting female performers, in our version, the voice is that of Scrooge's niece, who came upon him so quickly that this was the first intimation Scrooge had of her approach.

Scrooge: 00:03:13 Bah!

Narrator: 00:03:14 Said Scrooge.

Scrooge: 00:03:15 Humbug.

Scrooge's Niece: 00:03:16 Christmas a Humbug, Uncle,

Narrator: 00:03:18 said Scrooge's niece.

Scrooge's Niece: 00:03:20 You don't mean that,

Scrooge: 00:03:21 I'm sure. I do,

Narrator:00:03:23 said Scrooge.

Scrooge: 00:03:24 Out upon Merry Christmas. What's Christmas time to you but a time for paying bills without money? A time for finding yourself a year older and not an hour richer? A time for balancing your books and having every item in them through a round dozen of months presented dead against you?

If I had my will, every idiot who goes about with Merry Christmas on his lips should be boiled with his own pudding and buried with a stake of holly through his heart. He should.

Scrooge's Niece:00:03:55 Oh, Uncle,

Narrator: 00:03:56 pleaded the niece,

Scrooge's Niece: 00:03:57 I've always thought of Christmas time, when it has come around, as a good time. A kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time.The only time I know of in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut up hearts freely and to think of people below them as if they were really fellow travellers to the grave and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. And therefore, Uncle, though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that it has done me good, and will do me good.

Katie Flamman: 00:04:28 Thanks to my voiceover colleagues for helping out there. Ruth Urquhart was the narrator, Bhav Palmer was the niece, and Philip Banks was Mr Scrooge. Some of them will be back later.

The story of A Christmas Carol is about transformation. Scrooge is visited by the ghosts of Christmas past, Christmas present, and Christmas yet to come.

The visions he sees help him to transform from a mean, materialistic, profit obsessed employer who bullies his staff and cares very little for his customers, to a generous philanthropist who embraces corporate social responsibility and is a lot more cheerful.

I've come up with five lessons that today's business owners can learn from A Christmas Carol. Along the way, I'll be giving you ideas for how you can use them as inspiration in your business storytelling.

Lesson number one. Goodwill. At the start of the story, Mr. Scrooge doesn't know the meaning of the word. It's Christmas Eve, and two charity workers call into his office. They're collecting pledges from local businesses to help poor members of the community with basics like food and heating.

It's bitterly cold, but Scrooge refuses to donate anything. He says those in need should be in the workhouse or prison. And if they'd rather die than go there, then they should just get on and do it. Tim Odofin is the charity worker here, and Philip Banks is back as Scrooge.

Scrooge: 00:05:49 I can't afford to make idle people merry. I help to support the establishments I have mentioned. They cost enough, and those who are badly off must go there.

Charity Gentleman: 00:05:58 Many can't go there, and many would rather die.

Scrooge: 00:06:02 If they would rather die, they had better do it and decrease the surplus population. It's not my business. It's enough for a man to understand his own business and not interfere with other people's. Mine occupies me constantly. Good afternoon, gentlemen.

Katie Flamman: 00:06:19 Do you get involved with your local community or wider business community? If you run a small company, it's massively time consuming, and I do to some extent sympathise with Scrooge when he says how busy he is. My business occupies me constantly, he says.

But that means he won't even stop to think about other people literally on his doorstep who might need his help. But the ghost of his former partner, Jacob Marley, makes him see things differently. Marley, played here by Drew Campbell, is tormented with regret.

Scrooge: 00:06:49 But you were always a good man of business, Jacob.

Narrator: 00:06:52 Faltered Scrooge.

Jacob Marley's Ghost: 00:06:53 Business?

Narrator: 00:06:54 Cried the ghost, wringing its hands again.

Jacob Marley's Ghost: 00:06:57 Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business. Charity, mercy, forbearance and benevolence are all my business.

Narrator: 00:07:09 It held up its chain at arm's length, as if that were the cause of all its unappealing grief, and flung it heavily upon the ground again.

Katie Flamman: 00:07:17 By the end of the story, Scrooge has come round to the idea that Marley's ghost was right. He begins to notice and appreciate his community, and also to give something back, which of course results in a positive outcome for him personally, for his business, and for the people around him. Is community engagement one of your business values?

Philanthropy is a very grand word, but it just means supporting local causes. And even though it takes time, it's massively rewarding.

If your business already does this, share stories about it. If you're running a socially responsible business, I think your clients will want to hear about it. By showing goodwill to your community and talking about it, your business will be remembered and will receive goodwill back.

Lesson number two. Investing in your staff. Anyone in HR will tell you that business owners and entrepreneurs need to put the welfare of their workforce front and centre, providing fair wages, good working conditions, and opportunities for growth and development. And if you're a one person business, investing in employee well being means making sure you look after yourself.

Ebenezer Scrooge is an employer who's famous for doing absolutely none of those things. He has one member of staff, his long suffering clerk, Bob Cratchit. Bob is very poor, with a big family, who are all doing everything they can to make ends meet. He also has a disabled son, Tiny Tim. At the start of the story, Scrooge is the boss from hell.

He makes Bob work in a freezing office, pays him the bare minimum, and begrudges him statutory time off and holiday pay. He's horrible! But the ghost of Christmas past takes Scrooge back and reminds him about a lovely old boss he used to have, Mr. Fezziwig. Scrooge had loved working for Mr. Fezziwig, not because Mr. F spent a lot of money on his junior staff, but just because he was nice to them. It was a happy place to work. After seeing the vision of his younger self at work, Scrooge remembers how much he appreciated his old boss for treating the staff with respect and kindness.

Scrooge: 00:09:18He has the power to render us happy or unhappy, to make our service light or burdensome, pleasure or a toil. The happiness he gives is quite as great as if it cost a fortune.

Narrator: 00:09:30 He felt the spirit's glance and stopped.

Ghost Of Christmas Past: 00:09:34 What is the matter?

Narrator: 00:09:35 Asked the ghost.

Scrooge: 00:09:37 Nothing particular.

Narrator: 00:09:39 Said Scrooge.

Ghost Of Christmas Past: 00:09:40 Something, I think.

Narrator: 00:09:42 The ghost insisted.

Scrooge: 00:09:44 No.

Narrator: 00:09:44 Said Scrooge.

Scrooge: 00:09:46 No, I should like to be able to say a word or two to my clerk just now. That's all.

Katie Flamman: 00:09:54 By the end of the book, Scrooge is a changed man. He does speak to Bob Cratchit and promises to raise his salary and to help his struggling family. So what storytelling inspiration can we take from this? Well, perhaps you could share a story about a great boss or member of staff. Give them a shout out.

Or maybe you want to talk about the time you had the boss from hell. How did you deal with that? Does your business culture let your staff feel valued? Allow them to share ideas and contribute to the growth of the company? If it does, tell stories about it, or even better, encourage your staff to give their point of view in their own words.

The people are the most important part of every organization, so why not champion them in your business storytelling?

Okay, on to lesson number three, future planning. Wouldn't it be great to have a crystal ball for your business? To be able to see into the future and see the effects of decisions you're making now?

Ebenezer Scrooge gets that chance. The ghost of Christmas yet to come shows him the future, or at least a glimpse of how things will go if he doesn't change his ways. He's really shaken up, especially by the fact that Tiny Tim doesn't survive because of the Cratchit family's poverty. Early in the story, the ghost of his old business partner, Jacob Marley, shakes his chains at Scrooge.

Jacob Marley's Ghost: 00:11:10 I wear the chain I forged in life. I made it link by link and yard by yard. I girded it on of my own free will, and of my own free will I forged it.

Katie Flamman: 00:11:25 When he was alive, Marley believed in short term, profit driven thinking. And look where that got him. The story's telling us that as business owners, and as human beings, we have a choice in how we behave, and how we react to things.

It's our greatest freedom and rather than focusing on the short term, it's much healthier to have a long term perspective. If we want to ensure the future is bright for our businesses and our kids, we need to put sustainability high up on our agendas. I don't think it's too big a leap to say that one of the lessons in A Christmas Carol is that we have a responsibility to grow our businesses sustainably and to consider the broader impact of our decisions, not only on our business, but also on society and the planet.

So, here are some business storytelling ideas. What would a crystal ball do for your business? Can you predict trends in your industry? Can you see where things are going? How are you planning for the future? Do you have a sustainability plan? What about looking back? Share a story about how you used to do things.

Do you have a message for your younger self? Or, as we're thinking about the future, what's your message to future you?

Lesson number four ties in with this. It's around the theme of transformation. A Christmas carol shows us it's never too late to change, say sorry, make amends and do better. When Scrooge sees the future he's setting up for himself, he's horrified and asks the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come for reassurance that it's not too late to change things.

Scrooge: 00:12:59 Spirit!

Narrator: 00:13:00 He cried, tightly clutching its robe.

Scrooge: 00:13:03 Hear me, I am not the man I was. Why show me this? If I am past all hope, assure me that I yet may change these shadows you have shown me by an altered life.

Katie Flamman: 00:13:17 As entrepreneurs and business owners, we have the power to change. The end of the year is a good time to look back and reflect on what went well this year and what didn't.

You might want to share this in your storytelling. It's difficult, but being vulnerable, honest and open is a surefire way of building a rapport with clients. They'll respect you for it. Do you have regrets? Are you making changes? What are you going to do differently? Do you have plans to rectify past mistakes?

How is your business evolving to meet the changing needs of your customers?

And our last lesson is about embracing the spirit of Christmas. There's a lot of talk about Christmas spirit at this time of year, obviously, but... What does it actually mean? Well, I think Christmas spirit is about compassion, empathy, giving and forgiving, togetherness, thinking about others, being selfless and taking stock of what's important.

It's maybe about renewal too, becoming better versions of ourselves.

At the end of the story, Scrooge promises to live by this spirit of Christmas all year round.

Scrooge: 00:14:23 I will honour Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year.

Katie Flamman: 00:14:29 And here's what happens.

Narrator: 00:14:31 Scrooge was better than his word. He did it all and infinitely more. And to Tiny Tim, who did not die, he was a second father. He became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man as the good old city knew. And it was always said of him that he knew how to keep Christmas well.

Katie Flamman: 00:14:52 The spirit of Christmas might not be important or appropriate for you or your business, but maybe some of its elements are?

Are compassion and empathy important to you? What about forgiveness, togetherness and renewal? Are they part of your business values? Think of a time when you showed you really care about your staff or your community, or did something amazing and unexpected for a customer. You can list your business values, but it's much more powerful to tell a story about how you embody them.

So, those are my five big lessons from the book. And I've given you lots of storytelling content ideas for your business marketing, inspired by Ebeneezer's experiences, told you! But if you're anything like me, it'll only take a couple of liqueur chocolates for you to forget the lot. And we can't have that. So, here's that little something I promised at the beginning.

Gifts. yep, G I F T S. Gifts is a handy way to remember today's Christmas Carol takeaways. G is for Goodwill. Tell people how you engage with and serve your community.

I is for investing in your staff. Give your team a voice. Share how the people in your organisation shape your business.

F is for future planning. Go public with your sustainability goals and long term thinking.

T is for transformation. Open up about how your business is developing, changing, and how you've learnt from your mistakes.

And S. is the spirit of Christmas. What are your business values? Share a story that shows them in action.

I think that if entrepreneurs and business owners take on board these storytelling ideas from A Christmas Carol, they could make you more successful.

They might help your business to be more socially responsible and sustainable and that will benefit you and the community you serve. Gifts for everyone.

There you have it. You'll never look at Muppet A Christmas Carol in the same way again. A massive thanks to my brilliant voiceover colleagues who featured in this episode. You'll find all their contact details in the show notes. Do reach out to them for all your voiceover and voice acting needs.

Ruth Urquhart was the narrator.

Scrooge's niece was Bav Palmer. Marley's ghost was Drew Campbell. The Charity Gentleman and Ghost of Christmas Past was Tim Odofin. And Mr. Scrooge Bah! Humbug. Was the fabulous Philip Banks.

Nearly time to go. But Storytelling for Business Season 2 will be back in just a few weeks time. We'll be tackling origin stories, brand stories, the stories hidden in your data, story pitches, and the three most important stories your business can tell.

Plus, regular business owners share their stories too. For example, how to do a caesarean on a tortoise.

Jenny Christopherson: 00:17:59 You would have to literally take a saw to the bottom of the tortoise, cut a sunroof, except it's on the bottom, uh, out and then remove the eggs. there. And then yes, the only way to repair the shell and actually quite a lot of shell repairs done with what at the time was super glue, we probably now use surgical glue, um, but back in the day, yep a bit of Araldite did the job quite nicely.

Katie Flamman: 00:18:21 That's vet Jenny Christopherson. What a woman. I cannot wait to share her interview. You don't want to miss season two, so make sure you subscribe. And if you liked this episode and season one, please leave a review and tell all your I'm Katie Flamman and this Is storytelling for business until next time.

Goodbye.