Creative writing for entrepreneurs | exercise 1 | from obvious to memorable

Welcome to the very first session of Creative Writing for Entrepreneurs!

This will be a creative writing workshop where the group itself will play an essential role in your growth!

I know you’re already buried under six thousand daily tasks, so I’d love for you to see writing as a playful break!

I don’t care if your grammar isn’t perfect, nor do I want you to force yourself to “find your voice.”

Anyone who writes daily—whether for passion or work—knows that your voice develops over time, as you sharpen your writing skills and start trusting the ideas that spring up in your mind!

HOW IT WORKS

• I’ll give you a small (easy!!!) writing exercise
• I’ll write a sample myself so you understand it better
• We’ll post our exercises in the comments
• Each person in the group gives honest feedback on the text!

Warning: “nice post” or “nice story” are a big NO-NO. Our comments can truly help someone adjust their writing, so be honest without being cruel! Lol!

EXERCISE #1

Transform an obvious concept into a TINY memorable story.

In business, there are plenty of obvious concepts we deal with every day.

One of these is: “the customer is at the center of our business and is always (?) right.”

• Write a short anecdote that captures this concept. Don’t describe it abstractly—tell a small episode where you actually experienced the customer being at the center.
• The anecdote can be written in first person, third person, about you, something you witnessed, or even a story you heard. Totally your choice of perspective!
• Try to add one very funny detail (I’m already embarrassed about mine, but I promise it’ll be funny! Lol!) Also, insert a physical object that makes the scene very visual.

Ready??? Set a timer for max 30 minutes, don’t overthink, just write whatever comes to mind! You can always edit and refine later!

Let’s see how ChatGPT would write this story…

A small bakery sat on a quiet street, struggling to attract customers. One day, the owner stopped focusing on selling bread and started asking visitors what they truly wanted. Some wished for gluten-free options, others asked for earlier opening hours. Within weeks, the bakery transformed—new recipes appeared, and the doors opened at dawn. Soon, the little shop was buzzing, not because the bread was perfect, but because the people inside felt heard. The secret was simple: the business grew the moment the customer became its heart.

Now, let’s see how I wrote it…

The customer is always right… but this was especially true the day the customer was ME!

I had decided to change my hair color, so off I went to the usual beauty shop. Now, everyone in the neighborhood knew the owner was grumpy and sharp-tongued, but perfumes, nail polishes, and beauty products were my guilty pleasure, so I bravely endured her attitude!

I walked in and asked her to recommend a nice shade of hair dye. She answered with her usual arrogance. With saint-like patience, I asked how to apply it, and she snapped back: “Spread it on, leave it for 20 minutes, and then wash your hair.”

“Wash my hair??” I replied, horrified, as if she had just told me “and then jump out the window!” I mean, sure, I knew you wash your hair after coloring, but her rudeness had me so annoyed that I wouldn’t have agreed with her even if she had claimed something as obvious as “Parmesan is better than Grana Padano.”

She shot back: “Oh, so you don’t wash your hair afterward? What, do you just leave the dye stuck to your hair?” “Of course!!!” I shouted, slamming the box of hair dye on the counter so hard that a pen went flying through the air and landed perfectly in the pocket of her lab coat. A flawless acrobatic move I could never replicate again in my life!

I still remember her bulging eyes, staring at me like I was a lunatic fresh from Mars who had never encountered the mysteries of human cosmetics.

But at that moment, I was the customer, and I fully claimed my right to be at the center of the scene—even if, afterwards, I quietly switched to a different beauty shop.

And yet… I still laugh when I think about that perfect flying-pen stunt!

FEW KEYS

• I told the story in the first person, about something that actually happened to me (unfortunately!! Lol!)
• I added a bit of dialogue to highlight the contrast between the hero (me—the customer) and the anti-hero (the grumpy shop owner)
• I included a funny little detail: the flying-pen stunt
• I expressed an obvious concept—“the customer is always right”—in a unique and personal way!
  Now it’s your turn!!! Nothing overcomplicated, just a small story! And remember: add the funny detail! :)))