There are moments we strive for in life, in our careers, and in our businesses. That moment of clarity when everything one has learnt and worked for begins to come together.

I had that moment of clarity sitting in a tiny tin boat in the middle of a swamp in New Orleans. Surrounded by alligators who’d have me for lunch, and if there is anything left over, for dinner, I made the hardest decision of my life: to start a business.

The beginning

But I realized that was just the beginning. From the process of deciding what to do, to getting things done, changing my mind ever so often, trying to find a mentor, reading [and wasting time] other people’s success stories, questioning my self-worth, to launching something worthwhile.

When I looked at all the things that I did – multiple aspects of magazine publishing [when the World Wide Web was still a spider’s domain], marketing, communications, advertising, business systems analysis, designing, developing, and more – I found that at the core of it all there is one aspect that I have never touched. Giving a voice to myself and my thoughts.

As a backroom boy all my life, talking in front of more than three people made me break into a sweat. Building your business demands that you have your voice. A strong and engaging voice.

So I joined Toastmasters and at least two storytelling clubs. I pushed myself to tell at least one story a week for the last two months.

What’s in a name?

My first story was about my name; how people called me names after they butchered it, giving my name enough variations for me to have developed split personalities. One of my previous employers even anglicized it to ‘Martin’.

Sitting in that swamp, staring down the throat of an alligator, I realized that I have let others mould me. Not anymore. When I dug deep enough, I found the core of what I intend to base my future on – storytelling.

We have all been storytellers. We evolved as storytellers from the time our ancestors hunted. They would sit around the fire and tell stories of how they hunted a wild boar or some fierce animal. When they did not return, it was the opportunity for the wild boar to tell its side of the story.

On July 16, 2025, I launched ‘Storytelling in Business’. The first session was a surprise. The stories I listened to were a heady cocktail of emotions coming straight from the heart.