Quick note: early bird ends Monday night for Compound Conference 2027 — $6,500 instead of $7,500. Save your seat with code GIRDLEY.
I'm a San Antonio Spurs fan. Lived here most of my life.
If you’re not a basketball fan — they’re in the NBA finals series against the New York Knicks.
Wednesday night was game 3. And it was a weird game.
Normally, teams trade points back and forth pretty evenly. Not Wednesday.
The first two quarters, San Antonio dominated — they were up 29 points by halftime. Not a lead people recover from.
But in the second half, New York did recover for the biggest comeback in NBA playoff history. And San Antonio started missing shots they’ve been making all season.
So what actually changed?
The Spurs didn’t suddenly forget how to play basketball. It was the same guys on the court the whole time.
One of New York’s star players summed it up: “It’s a game of runs. They went on their run early, we knew we had a run to go on as well.”
Call it a run, call it momentum — the story is what changed.
That's how humans work. We don't process reality. We process story.
The same is true for sports, business, politics, whatever. It all lives inside a narrative whether you write one or not.
In fact, If you want to know why people love the NFL or the NBA– It's the stories that happen.
So here’s the key:
We are wired as humans to consume stories. They are how you truly reach people.
How to do that in your business, below.
OK, THIS PART IS A STRAIGHT-UP AD
Early bird for Compound Conference ends Monday at midnight. $6,500 instead of $7,500 — code GIRDLEY at checkout.
Three days at Sundance next February with 150 folks running real businesses. I walk away every year with two or three things that pay for the trip 10x over.
Grab your ticket here before the price goes up Monday night.
Put it into practice
Your business lives inside a narrative whether you wrote it or not. The businesses that win usually have four things going:
An identity (who you are)
A direction (where you're going)
Visible progress (the comeback is working)
An opponent (someone to beat)
Tell your story all the time. To your customers. To your team. To your leaders. To yourself. It’s a great way to stay focused on the stuff that matters.
Not sure where to start?
I used Donald Miller's StoryBrand concept at my businesses. It basically walks you through the Hero’s Journey for your company. It gives you marketing angles, team spirit, the works. You can buy the book for about $15 here.
Thanks for reading,
Michael
P.S. Tonight is game 5, here in San Antonio. Wish us luck.
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