So you've started a business and now you're ready to stand out from the crowd, connect with the right customers and grow. How do you do that? Hint: you're holding all the answers.

Sandwiched between giant brands and cheap-as-chips imports, it's easy for a small-business owner to feel invisible. Storytelling For Small Businesses is a practical guide filled with step-by-step strategies and templates to harness the power of storytelling and capture people's attention. There's no need to be an award-winning writer, either - we'll help you to:

1. Understand why business stories are vital.
2. Craft a compelling story.
3. Tell your story as the founder.
4. Build a recognisable brand.
5. Market using stories.
6. Bring a team into your story.
7. Understand your financial story.
8. Use storytelling to operate efficiently.
9. Navigate change with stories.
10. Measure your success.

Heavy Chef sat down with some of South Africa's most successful entrepreneurs, marketers, brand specialists, copywriters, keynote speakers and culture consultants to understand how to use storytelling to take your business from zero to hero. We've distilled their wisdom into bite-sized lessons for you to digest at your own pace. Ready? Then turn to page one, and let's start writing your success story.