CEO of iD Fresh Food, PC Musthafa has emerged as a force to reckon with. His humble beginning & passion for business, make his story an inspiring one. The best part, however, he narrates his story with the vigor it deserves. Here are a few storytelling Lessons from him.
The man who started off a company with his own investment of INR 50,000 and built a South Indian food enterprise that recorded a turnover of INR 411 Cores in 2022, meet PC Musthafa. He, who often speaks about his background as a coolie’s son was named the Tycoon Of Tomorrow in 2018 and went on to build a company worth over INR 2,000 Cr. His story and storytelling method – both, can help us learn a lot.
PC Musthafa has been an inspiration and a topic of discussion for several reasons over the years, but he has recently been garnering hefty engagement on LinkedIn for his #JugaadStories. Musthafa made a series of posts sharing anecdotes on the inception of innovative initiatives by the brand, whether it’s product packaging or problem-solving.
These anecdotes give a glimpse into the conceptualization, and execution of solutions for the brand and its consumers. The stories have been widely viewed, shared, and discussed.
As LinkedIn becomes an increasingly important part of a person’s story, we often look for ways to integrate storytelling with the platform. As Musthafa’s LinkedIn profile edges towards becoming a personal brand story case study, we take a look at five storytelling lessons from his LinkedIn profile.
A flexible approach to problem-solving that uses limited resources in an innovative way – JugaadOxford Dictionary
1. Conflict – The Hero Of Every Story
The story is not a hit without conflict and this is the most important lesson. Conflict not just makes the story interesting, but also adds an aspirational value of the protagonist overcoming a challenge.
Whether it’s dealing with an unsuitable environment for batter fermentation, conveyance issues, or product packaging – the conflict has always been the hero in PC Musthafa’s stories.
2. Journey > Destination
In this day and age, several brands focus on communicating how they use advanced technology, artificial intelligence, or machine learning tools in the development of the product. However, while the solution to the problem is highlighted, leaders often leave out the important details of the journey. How did you arrive at this solution? A memorable moment from the journey? Any failing that initially disheartened you and the team but later led you to a different and better solution?
PC Musthafa’s style of addressing a problem takes into account the problem-solving journey in all its glory. His source of inspiration for product innovation and the scenarios that led him to the Eureka moment, make the story humane and relatable.
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3. If You Want To Tell A Unique Story, Tell Your Own Story
The only way to tell unique stories is to tell your own stories. Musthafa has always stuck to his roots and shared indigenous instances, that revolve around his core and trace back to his hometown.
He doesn’t shy away from sharing details. In fact, he helps his readers and viewers paint a picture of his background and how it helped him get where he is today. “We barely earned ₹ 10 in daily wages. Eating three meals a day was a distant dream. I’d tell myself, ‘Right now, food is more important than education,” Musthafa once told Humans of Bombay.
Be it for building your personal brand or for connecting with your audience – your listeners, readers, or viewers are going to best connect with you if your story is authentic. If they can see you for who you are and what you stand for. Surprisingly, this stands true for brands as well.
4. Keep It Simple Silly
Simply put, keep the stories consumable for laymen. Fancy elements, complicated storylines, Christopher Nolan-kind timelines, and all of such elements should ideally be avoided while communicating to the masses. Jargons are also an absolute no-no.
Whether he is talking about complex business challenges or his own childhood, PC Musthafa uses language that is easy to understand and follow. One doesn’t need to go back to read the same sentence again or rewind his speech to make sense – simple language with a friendly tone does the trick.
5. Provide Value, Derive Value
Why do children’s books always have a moral of the story? Why is the first question after hearing a story mostly is – “What did you learn?”. Because stories need to have some kind of value attached, for them to be worthy of the consumers and when it comes to business storytelling, this distinction is all the more important.
People and even brands cannot derive value if they do not provide value. Musthafa has shared learning in each of his #JugaadStories, providing value to the readers that make it worth it. The motivation to find creative solutions to business problems is what keeps the readers coming back. This point is all the more important for anyone who is trying to create engagement on their LinkedIn profile. While posting any piece of content, always ask yourself – is this something that will help
people?
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Now that you have these storytelling tips at your fingertips, apply them to your communication – be it on social media platforms such as LinkedIn & Instagram or while talking directly to your audience.
If you liked this blog on business storytelling, check out our blog for more amazing content from the world of storytelling.
