Interview with professional storyteller Beatrice Kabutakapua
Beatrice Kabutakapua is a professional storyteller. After working as a journalist and documentary maker for a decade, Beatrice now supports international organisations as a business storytelling coach.
While storytelling in business is oftentimes used to communicate with external audiences, Beatrice applies storytelling to engage, retain and develop internal audiences so that employees can advance in their careers, be more productive and lead with clarity of communication.
What’s your career background?
My background is in media. I started my career in PR, and music journalism and after studying at Cardiff University, I worked for a decade as a freelance foreign correspondent from London, covering human rights, international development and African issues. It’s amazing how many of those experiences I bring with me even today as I work as a business storytelling coach.
When did you get the idea for The Business Storytelling Centre?
I remember the exact day and place when I decided I had to work exclusively for myself. I was leaving an interview where the director of the company had made some sexist comments. While pregnant with my second child, waiting for my ride back home, I decided I was going all into supporting people who have been historically silenced so that they were able to share their stories in a way that worked for them.
Of course, that was the last straw but it was a much more organic reflection – something I had been planning and planting for a while.
How did you move from idea to business?
Action. The one thing I do and continue to do very well is taking action. I tested, spread the word, got it wrong and took action again. In between, I have invested time and money in educating myself in all things business-related. At this point, I had already worked independently for a while and had had my own social enterprise. However, I had never properly educated myself on the business principles you need. Action and education have been my allies.
What’s your USP?
Our work at The Business Storytelling Centre is about coaching and training both corporate leaders and entrepreneurs so that they can leverage their lived experience to be more visible, confident and effective as leaders.
Most organisations focusing on similar topics use external frameworks and ask people to fit in them. At The Business Storytelling Centre, we don’t lock people in boxes, we guide them to find their containers, shapes and voices by helping them to reflect on their lived experience. We have the opposite approach: from the inside to the outside. Our practice is based on extensive research, is focused on human connections and aimed to bring tangible ROI.
Who’s your target audience?
We have two types of audiences: women of colour entrepreneurs between the ages of 30 and 45 who have been running their businesses for some years but never really used their voices to do that and now feel like they need more of themselves. The other audience we serve is corporate leaders who have been historically underestimated and want to find a way that works for them to be more visible and advance in their careers.
How do you spread the word about what you do?
Our lead generation activities are different for different audiences but the two main channels are: word of mouth and speaking engagements.
What’s been the biggest obstacle you’ve had to overcome?
Business education is often about one solution that should work for everyone, which is never really the case. So the biggest challenge has been understanding what works for me, and for my team and how to pick and choose the best practice. And then, of course, there is the constant reminder of balancing work and personal life.
And your proudest moment so far?
There are so many proud moments in my work but one that never gets old happens every time a client has a eureka moment because something clicked and they start becoming amazing storytellers. This fills my cup immensely.
Why is work so important to you?
For me, work is not just about work. It’s about legacy and the dent I want to make in the world. I realised some time ago that I have a gift, the possibility of helping leaders and entrepreneurs. Not doing that would be selfish. But business is also about freedom and the legacy of behaviours and finance I will leave to my children.
Who inspires you?
So many people are for me an inspiration. I can think about entrepreneurs and leaders like Rachel Rodgers, Danielle Leslie, and Shonda Rhymes. But I’m also always inspired by my future self and all the steps she took, all the challenges, the resilience and the results she gets.
What are your three top pieces of advice for someone wanting to do something similar?
For people who want to work in similar spaces, I would recommend three things:
- Find your story: identify why you want to do what you want to do, and where it comes from your lived experience. That will be your motivation and USP.
- Connect to me and ask me a few questions, I’m always hanging out on LinkedIn
- Fall in love with your ideal client: what you do, is for them. So, have conversations with them, ask them, and repeat their words.
Find out more about Beatrice Kabutakapua.
