Welcome to Issue 31 of A Good Reputation, a newsletter about how to use storytelling to grow your brand. (Did someone send you? Subscribe here.)

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Hello Reader,

As the resident writer in my family, I knew I’d be the one tasked with writing my grandmother’s obituary.

What I didn’t anticipate was how hard it would be to do it.

How does one fit over 100 years of an extraordinary life into a 500-word limit on a newspaper page?

Juhnam, as we called her, passed the way most of us would want to go. She died peacefully in her bed on August 12, 2020, in her hometown of Auburn, Alabama, at the ripe age of 100 ½. (Because before five and after 95, those half years count.)

Not only did she live through the Great Depression, WWII, the civil rights movement, the rise of disco, the invention of the internet, and the devolution of America into a reality TV show. She also left her small town to raise five children in Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. And she outlived two husbands, two sons-in-law, a sister, and three grandchildren.

Despite all the change and heartache, she’d still tell you in the most charming Southern accent, “What a wonderful life I’ve lived.”

When I sat down to write about her, I didn’t start with a perfect summary. I just… started.

I wrote down the highlights, folded in the lows, and looked for the threads that tied them together.

And what emerged was this: she lived by a clear set of values, an unshakable sense of purpose, and an endless curiosity about the world.

Once I started writing, the words just flowed.

A Good Lesson

I was thinking about my grandmother today and that particular assignment because I’ve been examining something else that’s notoriously difficult to distill: positioning.

Why is positioning so damn hard?

Like writing an obituary, positioning forces you to take everything you’ve done, all the impact you’ve had, and all that you offer—and turn it into one, clearly articulated, differentiated sentence. Or, unlike an obituary, maybe two.

Suddenly, a 500-word limit sounds generous.

Like most entrepreneurs, I’ve struggled with my positioning. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what makes my offer or approach different, the transformation obvious, and the target audience clear.

I’ve stalled on starting until I had it all figured out. I’ve written and rewritten and still wondered… is it obvious? Is it clear? What even is “it”?

Only recently have I let myself off the hook and come to the conclusion that positioning isn’t static—it evolves.

More than that, it takes exploration, iteration, and active creation to find clarity.

But if there’s one thing that makes positioning easier, it’s this:

A clear premise.

Your premise is your distinct point of view—shaped by experience, guided by values, and propelled by curiosity.

If positioning is how you describe your place in the market, your premise is the foundation that makes that positioning compelling. It’s the throughline that ties everything together.

And like life itself, it isn’t fixed—it expands, evolves, and takes shape as you go.

A Good Example

Whenever I wrestle with a question that doesn’t have an obvious answer, I look for examples of people who seem to have it figured out.

That’s how I found Vince Pierre.

Like most of his thousands of followers, I came across Vince on LinkedIn through a viral post that was so immediately useful, I saved it right away. Intrigued, I checked out his profile and was struck by how buttoned up his positioning was:

In a 1:1 or group setting, Vince will teach you how to nail the content of your next speech.

And to be clear (which he is), Vince isn’t teaching people how to get speaking gigs—he’s helping experts who are already getting opportunities craft content that makes them unforgettable on stage.

What makes his positioning so clear? A sharp premise.

Few people know this, but Vince is a pastor by day, which means he delivers a new talk every single week. He doesn’t have time to agonize over what to say—he has to be sharp, clear, and engaging every time.

Through that experience, he noticed something:

Most first-time speakers think their biggest fear is being nervous or not charismatic enough. But what they’re actually worried about is not having a good grasp on their content.

That insight is his premise. And that premise led to his positioning.

A Good Takeaway

Vince arrived at his positioning using a formula from his brother, Anthony Perrier, a positioning expert:

For Vince, the dominant belief in public speaking is: Confidence and charisma make a great speaker.

His opposing point of view? No, it’s not confidence. It’s content.

That premise gives his business focus. It gives his content direction. It makes his positioning unmistakable.

If you’re struggling with developing this premise to guide your positioning, you can do the same:

1. Identify the dominant belief in your space.
2. Find the white space. (What’s missing? What’s overlooked?)
3. State your counterpoint. (What’s your take that challenges the status quo?)

But, just like positioning, most of us don't arrive at our premises as neatly as he did.

For most of us, the process looks more like what Jay Acunzo calls creating for clarity.

Jay suggests you start by exploring a question. Then another. Then another.

You follow the breadcrumbs. You put ideas out into the world and see what resonates. And slowly, you shape a premise that feels uniquely yours.

If you already have a clear point of view? Own it.

Double down. Make it unmistakable in your content. Use it as the throughline in everything you share.

If you don’t? Start creating.

The idea is to follow your curiosity. Share thoughts before they feel fully formed. Then, pay attention to what sticks, as well as what you keep coming back to.

You don’t have to have it all figured out. Most of us don't. But the more you create, the clearer it gets.

When I tell personal stories, I’m not just sharing something I find interesting—I’m exploring a deeper question about human connection. And that’s how I develop my ideas in public.

Because just like writing my grandmother’s obituary, positioning isn’t about capturing everything you’ve ever done.

It’s about distilling what matters most.

And sometimes, the only way to find that throughline is to start exploring.

A Few Good Resources

1. It's official: I'm kicking off the beta round of my first storytelling cohort next month. There are 15 spots and 4 are claimed. Let me know if you want one.
2. Writing is like pointing at things.
3. We are in the anti-social century. This, for me, makes connecting over stories more critical than ever.

Hope you have a good one,
Renee