When writing your company history, it’s understandable to want to tell the world your company is the best at what you do.
That’s a good thing if you’re creating a marketing piece. But not so much if it’s your history.
In this post, we’ll examine how to write an honest company history book that’s compelling to read, and things to avoid so it doesn’t become one big self-congratulatory ad for your business.
First Things First: Be Transparent
“In times of adversity and change, we really discover who we are and what we’re made of.”
— Howard Shultz, Former CEO of Starbucks
Effective company history writing starts with pulling back the curtain and being as open about your scars as your successes.
Ebbs and flows are a given for any business. More importantly, much of your audience likely knows about them to some degree, and that alone makes transparency a priority.
“Just as a good novel has a compelling character arc, a company’s story can depict its evolution through adversity,” writes Caroline Banton in her TWFH blog titled 8 Common Mistakes People Make When Writing a Company History Book.
What adversities did you face? How did you overcome them? And, in doing so, how did that materially shape your journey?
Being transparent about your challenges makes the victories more meaningful and believable, which goes a long way towards earning reader trust.
Resist the Urge to Brag
“We confide in our strength without boasting of it; we respect that of others without fear.”
— Thomas Jefferson
You’re proud of your company’s accomplishments. So, the urge to boast and brag a little is ever present.
But when it comes to writing your history book, bloated claims can compromise authenticity, which is everything to nonfiction storytelling.
Greatness is found in why and how your company accomplished something, not just that it happened. It’s about what truthfully led to that achievement, and preserving the voices of employees as they remember it.
The point is to simply be aware of how your words might be interpreted, and use the facts as your guide.
As the old saying goes, if it sounds too good to be true it probably is.
There’s Plenty of Drama in the Details
Our society clamors for behind-the-scenes stories, as evidenced by the sheer number of documentaries and reality TV we see today.
Think of your business history book as a documentary with the same fundamentals. It’s based on confirmed events, firsthand accounts, interviews, verifiable evidence, and how those pieces of the story connect.
That’s what makes your company history compelling and credible to those who helped build your business, as well as key stakeholders.
They’re not expecting a fluff piece, they’re looking to connect with your company in one way or another based on your shared and honest truths.
Honest vs Self-Congratulatory Examples
Now that we’ve covered some of the dos, don’ts, and considerations in company history writing, let’s apply these to a fictitious company to show what Honest and Self-Congratulatory passages might look like:
Honest Example: In 1999, Harry Miller developed a pepper sauce recipe he believed could find a niche in the very crowded, competitive pepper sauce category. After multiple recipe tweaks, start-and-stop equipment issues, and a mind-numbing (and mouth-numbing) series of taste tests, the pepper sauce you know as HarryHot was born, gaining popularity far faster than Harry could have ever imagined.
Self-Congratulatory Example: In 1999, through an uncompromising dedication to excellence, Harry Miller developed the revolutionary pepper sauce you know as HarryHot. Harry’s recipe changed the pepper sauce world practically overnight, one bottle of HarryHot at a time.
The difference between these two passages is obvious.
Honest Example: A heartfelt, realistic description that builds appreciation for what it took to get the product to market. It speaks to the founder’s challenges with humility, making any mention of success more believable.
Self-Congratulatory Example: A cliché-driven boilerplate that glosses over the expected bumps. It comes off as bloated promotion, making the story dubious at best.
Which one would you choose?
This is Your Company’s Legacy, So Make it Count
A business history book is your company’s legacy made tangible for its most valued relationships.
That’s why authenticity is so critical. Authentic stories timelessly endure. They etch powerful memories in our minds because they’re real, relatable, and remind us that truth is often more interesting than fiction.
How do you want your company to be remembered?
