The Columbus Chamber and CD102.5 have partnered to bring the first business-themed podcast to Columbus. During cbuzz, host and local comedian Dan Swartwout will speak with local business owners and entrepreneurs and allow them to tell their story and highlight their organization, while further inspiring the entrepreneurial spirit that is buzzing in the city.
Barry Chandler has literally crossed oceans to help businesses in Columbus find their purpose.
A native of Ireland, Chandler co-founded Storyforge with Haley Boehning two years ago.
“Storytelling is this amazing thing that connects us all together,” Chandler says. “We help companies discover and articulate their singular purpose, their North Star, so that they can grow their business, achieve their goals faster. They can tell better stories about who they are internally and extremely.”
Chandler had to first find his path to arrive at Storyforge. He started his first enterprise in Ireland in 2003, using what he knew and building a business based on his skills in the hospitality industry. A relationship brought him to Columbus eight years ago, and while it eventually ended, he found a new love – the city.
“I’d never felt more at home than when I’d been in Columbus,” Chandler says.
And it was that feeling that brought him back in 2014 from a two-year stint in California when he sold another of his business ventures. As he was trying to decide what was next, he reflected on what work he really enjoyed in the past and what companies he liked to work with.
“They always seemed to be able to attract the right customers, the right employees,” Chandler says. “It was always a great working relationship with them and I wanted to know more about those types of businesses. What made them successful?”
Their common trait would become the core of Storyforge.
“What I discovered was they all had this one thing in common,” Chandler says. “They all believed in something bigger than just the product or service that they were selling.”
During the Podcast, Chandler discusses what it means for a business to have purpose.
“When you have a clear purpose, a clear why, it creates a filter for thinking,” Chandler says.
Using this filter sometimes means big changes for an organization, but it’s working with that purpose that not only means good things for a business, but also its employees.
“When we do work or any activity that has greater meaning than ourselves or than the intrinsic reward, we feel better, we’re more motivated, we’re inspired, we’re healthier,” Chandler says.
Listen to the full podcast below and find out what’s next for Storyforge and why Columbus is proving to be a great place to make it happen.
Never miss a cbuzz podcast! Visit the Columbus Chamber website for more great stories and advice from local business owners.
In the latest, Elizabeth Blount McCormick of Uniglobe Travel Designers shares her story.
To subscribe to cbuzz on iTunes, click here.
To subscribe to cbuzz on Sound Cloud, click here.
