Once you get past the bylaws, plan documents, and governance structures, storytelling is the engine that powers employee ownership. Business owners, looking at their succession options, hear the stories of happy founders who chose employee ownership. Job applicants hear the stories of how employee-owned businesses are often better employers. And you and your colleagues share stories that demonstrate everyday the power of employee ownership and how employee-owners can build an ownership culture to develop a life changing stake in the outcome.
But storytelling isn't always something that comes naturally. Even though it's one of humanity's oldest practices, it requires practice, techniques require refinement. How can you make sure that the stories you tell are the stories you want heard? How can you make sure that your stories have the biggest possible impact with each of your audiences? And how can you tell your stories in a variety of ways, making sure they continue to stay fresh?
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Learning Objectives:
1. Examine the types of stories that EO companies tell to each other, their employees, their customers, and more
2. Learn techniques to make those stories resonate with your audience
3. Explore different formats and how to leverage each one for your EO storytelling needs.
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Executive Director - Alabama Center for Employee Ownership
Rachel Merfalen is the Executive Director of the Tennessee Center for Employee Ownership and founder of Good Future, a storytelling studio advancing employee ownership and good jobs through the power of film. A 2025–26 Aspen Institute Job Quality Fellow and former Director of Business Workforce Programs, Rachel works at the intersection of culture, strategy, and systems change, helping organizations design better jobs that lead to stronger companies, healthier communities, and more resilient economies. She believes that good job design is one of the most powerful and overlooked levers for building competitive, resilient, employee-owned companies.
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