It seems every religion has its creation myth. So, perhaps it’s no surprise that every successful brand has a creation story. The lightbulb, the struggle, the rejection.

Here’s one. You may know some variant of it already.

Three college friends went to a music festival to see whether people would like their freshly-made smoothies. Next to their stand they placed two bins, marked ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ – with the message: Should we give up our day jobs to make smoothies?

At the end of the day the ‘Yes’ bin was overflowing.

And Innocent smoothies was born.

Now, maybe you’re thinking: That’s all very well for Innocent – but I don’t have a story like that.

But let me tell you a different story. Or a story, differently.

It goes something like this. A McKinsey man, an ad agency Account Director, and a Bain management consultant, each a Cambridge graduate, decided to start a business.

And, Innocent smoothies was born.

So, it’s the same story. Or a story about the same brand’s origins. There are undoubtedly many more.

To me, the second telling seems a touch less romantic and motivational. Unless, of course, you are a huge fan of global management consultancies and ad agencies. Of course you are, who could blame you?

As a legendary Irish comedian used to say, ‘It’s the way you tell ’em.’

But it’s more than just the telling

Here’s what’s really going on in those two versions of the Innocent story.

The first version – the bins, the festival, the leap of faith – does something very specific. It tells you what the brand stands for. It says: we listen to real people, we back ourselves, and we started with nothing but a good product and a simple question. It positions Innocent as democratic, bold, and human.

The second version – the Cambridge graduates, the management consultancies – tells you what the founders came from. Which is fine as biography, but it doesn’t build a brand. It doesn’t give you a reason to care.

The difference isn’t about which version is true. Both are.

The difference is about which version is useful – which one connects to the brand’s purpose and resonates with the audience.

That’s not spin. It’s strategy.

You already have a creation story. You just might be telling the wrong one.

Most businesses I work with don’t think they have a compelling origin story. They think creation stories are for Silicon Valley startups or consumer brands with photogenic founders.

But every business has a moment – or a series of moments – that explains why it exists and what it believes. The problem is that most people default to the chronological version: when it was founded, who started it, what they did before. The CV version. And like most CVs, it’s factually accurate and emotionally inert.

Your creation story isn’t a timeline. It’s an answer to a question: why should anyone care that you exist?

Airbnb could tell you that three Rhode Island School of Design graduates built a technology platform for short-term property rental. Instead, they tell you about the time two broke flatmates couldn’t pay their rent, so they put an air mattress on their floor and offered strangers a place to sleep during a sold-out conference.

One version describes a business. The other describes a belief – that belonging matters more than luxury, and that connection between strangers is possible.

Nike could tell you about a Stanford MBA who set up as a distributor for Japanese running shoes. Instead, Shoe Dog, Phil Knight’s memoir opens with the daily grind of a guy who loved running and believed he could make life better for other runners – and nearly went bankrupt several times trying.

One version is a business plan. The other is a mission.

How to find your real creation story

When I work with clients on this, I’m listening for something very specific. Not the chronology – anyone can tell me that. I’m listening for the why underneath the what. The conviction that started the business. The frustration that sparked it. The gap someone saw that nobody else could see.

Here are the questions I tend to ask.

What problem were you actually trying to solve? Not the market opportunity. The human frustration. The thing that made someone say ‘there must be a better way.’

What did you give up or risk to do this? Every good creation story has an element of sacrifice or bet. The Innocent founders literally asked the public whether they should quit their jobs. That vulnerability is what makes the story land.

What do your best customers say about why they chose you? Often a rich seam. Your customers have already written your creation story – in the language they use to describe what you do for them. How they describe you is frequently closer to your real positioning than how you describe yourself.

What would be lost if your business didn’t exist? This gets to purpose. If the answer is ‘people would just use a competitor,’ your creation story needs more work. If the answer is specific and emotional – a gap that would genuinely go unfilled – you’re getting closer.

When did it first feel real? There’s usually a moment – a first customer, a piece of feedback, a near-disaster that confirmed you were on to something. That moment is often the dramatic heart of your creation story.

The creation story is a strategic tool, not a nice-to-have

A well-told creation story does three things that matter commercially.

First, it establishes why you’re different without you having to say ‘we’re different.’ The story does the positioning work for you. When Innocent tells the festival story, they don’t need to say ‘we’re not like  corporate food brands’. The story tells it.

Second, it gives your people a shared narrative. Culture is built on stories, not strategy documents. When everyone in your business knows the origin story – the real one, the one that captures what you believe – they have a reference point for decisions, behaviours, and how they describe the company to others.

Third, it creates emotional resonance with prospects. People don’t buy what you do. They buy why you do it – and who you are. A creation story, well told, is a fast track to trust.

The version of your story that connects

So here’s the question. Not, do you have a creation story? – you do, whether you know it or not.

The question is: are you telling the version that connects what your brand stands for and why your audience should care?

Or are you still telling the Cambridge graduates version?

If you’re not sure which version of your story you’re telling – or if the right story hasn’t been found yet – let’s talk.

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