Dave Peterson caught LinkedIn's attention with the release of his newly launched venture, Lake Marie. His website captivates visitors from the start with three adorable pictures of his cat, Charlie Biscuits, flashing before their eyes. As you dive into Lake Marie's narrative, you discover a tale of how Dave's perspective on marketing, categories, and storytelling underwent a profound shift, challenging his longstanding beliefs. This pivotal moment propelled Dave out of retirement, where he had been pursuing a career as a professional pickleball player and traversing the country on his motorcycle.

The story showcased on Lake Marie's Kindle was so impactful that Dave emerged from retirement to share the art of storytelling with the world. Teaming up with the best in the business, Cole Schafer, renowned for his ability to craft Drop Dead Gorgeous Copy, Dave and Cole pose a thought-provoking question to audiences: Why is it effortless and enjoyable to discuss our kids, friends, and pets, yet so challenging for many of us to evoke that same spirit, joy, and excitement when describing our businesses?

Dave & Cole

Dave Peterson, co-author of the best-selling book "Play Bigger," former Celonis CMO, and was soon-to-be-professional pickleball player (apologies to Padel fans), helps companies shape and control their narratives through his advisory shop, Lake Marie. And yes, his cat, Charlie Biscuits, features prominently on his website.

Cole Schafer is a multi-hyphenate writer, poet, and wordsmith who publishes books, poetry, and assists companies through his agency, Honey Copy. And while he may not showcase a cat on his website, he does have an incredibly cool dog, June, that never leaves his side.

Dave and Cole enjoy working, dining, and imbibing together while assisting companies in crafting and controlling their stories and narratives.

Speak about your company with love and joy

Speak about your company with love and joy. It's perfectly fine to discuss your business with the same passion and enthusiasm you reserve for your friends, family and pets. That's what truly resonates. Revisit the story's roots, starting from the problem you aimed to solve, and you'll never go astray.
‍

There is always a story told

For every single business there are two universal truths. 

1. You are either in control of your narrative
2. Or, you are not in control of your narrative

"There is always a story told about a company. The question is: do you control it? Too often, changes in the narrative bleed through companies, confusing customers and employees with new sales presentations every week, fresh website copy every quarter, and a new brand strategy every year.

If you don’t know where to start, ask yourself three magic questions:

• What problem do you solve?
• What do customers say magically happens when you solve that problem?
• What are the ramifications if these problems are not solved?

Treat your story like your product or your people. A simple yes/no checklist is the most effective way to ensure your story will cut through:

• Is it boring?
• Is it different?
• Is it intuitive?
• Is it relevant?

But also, does it have continuity? Does it connect to your origin story?"

"Pose these questions with every piece of copy you publish, and your business story will be etched in memory."
‍

Narrative hooks are powerful:

Dave shared an example from the Celonis world tour to an audience of the top manufacturing companies in the Midwestern United States. A narrative hook about a common problem captured the audience's attention, creating a moment of connection and setting the stage for the technology talks throughout the day.

Dave shared an example from the Celonis world tour to an audience of the top manufacturing companies in the Midwestern United States. A narrative hook about a common problem captured the audience's attention, creating a moment of connection and setting the stage for the technology talks throughout the day.

They all pay invoices twice; And they all ship products they don’t invoice for.

Dave shared how Celonis worked with hundreds of manufacturing companies throughout Europe and Dach. He quipped the first thing they all had in common was that (not every time but sometimes) they would receive one invoice and pay twice, and the other thing they had in common is none of the companies knew they were doing it. Unaware of their mistake - He joked that solving this problem might make for the shortest meeting ever: 'Let’s stop paying our invoices twice.' Politely gesturing to the US audience, he implied that such a mistake couldn't possibly happen in the room. If anyone was concerned this problem might happen to them, they were encouraged to stick around for the rest of the day. Not a soul left.

Dave wrapped up enthusiastically, stating that there is absolutely no downside—zero—for talking about your business with the same love and joy as you do your family, friends, and pets.

So, what's the next step? Go jump into Lake Marie—the water is warm.