To the Core

In 4 weeks time online
with your core story

🇳🇱 Nederlandse versie

‘To the Core’ is a fast, structured, ‘no-nonsense’ rapid prototyping trajectory to give ‘people on a mission’ like you a powerful start in their communication, within one month.

As entrepreneurial people, we often quickly think of marketing, sales and advertising, while not always considering if a strong ‘core story’ is in place, which inspires everything you communicate. Your core story is about the motivations, values, uniqueness, meaning and unique feeling your business exudes, which are the key attractors for new and returning customers.

If you know what you aim to achieve, then you probably already have most of the elements for your core story ready. In that case, your core story just needs to be unveiled, unravelled and sharpened so it's understandable, credible and visible to the outside world.

Finding your story is exactly what we can do together. And alongside your story, you also get your new website.

The benefits, at a glance.

Currently, you can expect the following from the programme:

  • Your core story will be sharply, compactly and professionally crafted in one month time and immediately applied to your new website, your first newsletter, your first 3 to 5 social media posts and your new business card.

  • You will see your new website emerge shortly after the first session and continue to develop until it is ready to launch four weeks later.

  • The programme currently costs €3.750, making it affordable for what you get and with no financial surprises afterwards.

  • After the programme, you can easily continue on your own and you won't be dependent on anyone to update or expand your website.

  • As someone who is quite critical of AI, I can promise you that your story will be 100% human-written and your website 100% human-designed. AI like ChatGPT can sometimes assist us by testing or brainstorming certain thoughts, but as humans we will remain fully in the lead and, if all goes well, that will be felt in the end result.

About me

As a writer, designer, director and producer, I have been researching and developing core stories for all kinds of organisations, from the Dutch Research Council to the Rainforest Alliance and from the Harvard Kennedy School of Governance to the United Nations and many others, for more than 20 years.

Having worked for a long time in the Netherland and abroad, in English and Dutch, with a wide variety of experts, boards and communication managers on the stories that were really important to them, I have a lot to offer in terms of story development, artistry, technique and process.

I’m looking forward to putting my knowledge to work on your story!

Who's the programme for?

‘To the Core’ is for people on a mission, who could use support in developing their story so others can easily understand and connect to it.

  • You have a collection of valuable ideas, that you want to bring together into a whole, yet you might be unsure of the right direction, shape, approach, tone-of-voice or something else regarding your core narrative.

  • To make best use of the process, it's ok if you haven't got ‘the core’ of your story yet, but it is important that you already know where you are headed and what you aim to achieve.

  • All kinds of entrepreneurial initiators are welcome in the programme, as long as you offer something of value, and do not engage in harmful business, such as tobacco, gambling, weapons, fast fashion, fossil fuels and more.

What do I ask of you?

  • You are available on four consecutive weeks on the same day and time for 1,5 to 2 hour story sprints, either online or face-to-face near Amsterdam Zuid.

  • You have around 4 hours in total available on weekdays for creative assignments you do by yourself or with others.

  • You are willing to approach 2 - 3 people you don't yet know personally but find interesting as your personal ‘brain trust’, to give feedback and guidance on your story in progress.

  • You are willing to use Squarespace*. It is a system that is easy for anyone to use and doesn’t burden you with headaches in terms of coding.

  • You pay the full €3,750 ex. VAT before the start of the programme.

*We can also apply Squarespace as a rapid prototyping tool of a site being built in another system or as a rough proposal to update or redo an existing site. The process will be exactly the same.

What does the process look like?

  • Based on a short questionnaire, we see if the programme is for you and if so, we schedule a half-hour video call.

    If we feel a mutual click, we will conclude an agreement and officially get started!

  • When we start working together, you fill in a more extensive questionnaire so that I am well informed about where you currently stand in your thinking and which parts of your story need the most attention.

    You'll also send me anything you think could go on your website as content, such as photos, your CV and descriptions of assignments you've done.

  • We start with an interview in which, in response to the completed questionnaire, I ask all sorts of questions about your mission, your ambitions, your intended target groups, your overview of services and/or products: anything that helps me to properly understand your company and your offering.

    Shortly after the interview, you will receive the first ‘text only’ version of your website with an initial overview of the elements of your story and a number of questions and assignments.

  • This week, we will identify and deepen the core elements of your story at the meaning level through a number of different exercises.

    Shortly afterwards, you will receive an update on your story and website and we will start thinking about what we would like your website design to convey.

  • In this week, we sharpen your story further and start working on the ‘look and feel’ of your business by thinking about what colours, fonts, images are befitting of your core story. We work on designing every page of your site in a clear, logical and appealing way, all focused on the ‘call-to-action’ to your visitors.

    During this week, we ask your 'brain trust' for a reaction to the story. What works well? What raises questions? What is unclear and what is still missing?

  • This week is all about finalising the first complete version of your story and website, including your first newsletter, social media posts and business card.

  • As soon as you are ready, let all your friends, peers, network know that your new website is online and ask people to share it with others.

Interested?

Share your details below and
I’ll get in touch with you soon.

Questions? Feel free to contact me.