Join us for a discussion about listening to your customers and how it can help you uncover hidden opportunities. Tim Grahl is the CEO of Story Grid Publishing. One of my favorite parts of this interview is when Tim talks about how he interviewed over 500 customers to get to the heart of his business.

Storytelling framework for business

Tim explains his framework for crafting a resonant story – deeply understanding his target audience through hundreds of customer interviews to uncover their true motivations and pain points, then aligning the company’s messaging and offerings to directly address those needs.

Empowering employees with the company vision

Tim discusses how he sets a clear vision for the company and communicates it to his growing team. He emphasizes the importance of giving employees autonomy, making observations and asking questions rather than dictating, and ensuring they understand how their work connects to the overall mission. Tim also shares his approach to addressing problems as opportunities for improvement rather than crises.

Staying connected to customers as the business scales

As Storygrid has grown from 5 to 15 employees, Tim has maintained a regular cadence of customer calls and exit interviews to stay closely connected to his audience. He explains how this helps him anticipate issues, make data-driven improvements, and ensure the company’s offerings continue to meet customer needs even as the business scales.

Gratitude for a key business mentor

Tim expresses gratitude for his business coach, Michael Walsh of Walsh Business Growth, who has been instrumental in guiding Tim to build out systems and empower his team as the company has grown, rather than trying to do everything himself.

You can learn more about Tim Grahl over at Story Grid Publishing. You can also connect with him on LinkedIn.

As always, if you have any questions or want to submit a guest for the podcast that you think would be amazing, just reach out to me on the Systematic Leader website, and I’ll do my best to get them on. If you enjoy the interview, please take 30 seconds to rate the Systematic Leader podcast on your favorite platform. Thanks!

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Karl Staib Systematic Leader

Karl Staib founded the SOPguy Method and author of Bring Gratitude. He trains people to create processes that fit the employees’ and the company’s personality. He has been featured by Forbes, NPR and Zen Habits and has worked with great companies such as Philips Global, Southwest Research Institute and Pioneer Nation.

He has been helping clients develop SOPs since 2020, he would likely be utilizing his expertise in workplace happiness and productivity to design effective, efficient, and enjoyable procedures. SOPs are essential for businesses to ensure consistency and quality in their operations, and someone with Karl Staib’s background could bring a unique perspective to this task by focusing not only on the functionality of the procedures but also on how they impact employee satisfaction and morale.