The Yellow Bite
Posts
The bridge everyone forgets to build

The bridge everyone forgets to build

Your story is vivid, emotional, engaging... and totally useless.

Stephen Stanberry
January 15th, 2026

In partnership with

Hey friend,

"The reason I'm telling you this story is..."

Five words that separate entertaining stories from stories that drive business.

I heard this phrase in a storytelling masterclass two weeks ago, and I've been obsessed with it ever since.

But why am I telling you this?

Because we're entering the season of "2025 reflection" posts.

Vulnerable stories about struggles and wins.

And don't get me wrong—some are beautiful. Well-written. Great dialogue.

They make you feel something.

But then... nothing.

You finish reading, think "damn, good story," and keep scrolling.

No DMs. No clients. Just likes.

I learned this the hard way.

When I first started sharing stories about getting terminated, my failed ventures—people loved it.

Engagement exploded. "Thanks for being vulnerable." "This resonates."

But within three months, I realized something uncomfortable.

I had built my own content prison.

Bleeding my story all over LinkedIn, convinced that if I just kept being real, clients would come.

They didn't.

(Which kind of sucked lol)

I realized something that changed everything:

A story without a bridge is just entertainment.

Your job as a founder isn't just to "tell authentic stories."

Your job is to connect your story to THEIR problem so you can actually drive business results.

And for that, you need the bridge.

Here's the biggest storytelling lesson I learned that I want you to take into 2026:

Help us make better ads

Did you recently see an ad for beehiiv in a newsletter? We’re running a short brand lift survey to understand what’s actually breaking through (and what’s not).

It takes about 20 seconds, the questions are super easy, and your feedback directly helps us improve how we show up in the newsletters you read and love.

If you’ve got a few moments, we’d really appreciate your insight.

Take the survey.

The shift: From storyteller to story strategist

There's a core shift happening right now.

The days of simply "sharing your journey" are over.

To actually convert in 2026, you need to shift from storyteller to story strategist.

Most founders are stuck in one of the first two traps:

Trap 1: No Story - Tactics and tips. No personality. Gets ignored.

Trap 2: Story With No Bridge - Vulnerable stories. Good engagement. Zero clients.

The Winner: Story + Bridge - Stories that connect to their problem. Engagement + conversions.

Only the third one scales to actual business.

The 3-part bridge formula:

Every story needs three parts.

First: Name the parallel

"When you [X], you can't [Y]..."

Example: "When you're exhausted and running on fumes, you don't show up as the version of yourself that wins."

Second: Show the consequences

"This shows up as..."

Example: "You snap at clients who could've been partners. You miss opportunities because you're too drained to spot them."

Third: Offer the path forward

"That's why..."

Example: "Let me help you identify what's breaking before you throw a metaphorical flip-flop at a six-figure opportunity."

Either way...

The bridge fights against pure entertainment.

If you just "share stories" without connecting them, you scale engagement without revenue.

Before and After:

BEFORE (No Bridge):

"Last month, a founder spent 30 minutes explaining his vision on our call. Passionate guy. But when I asked who his customer was, he paused way too long. 'Well, anyone who needs this really.' Call ended. That was that."

So what?

AFTER (With Bridge):

"Last month, a founder spent 30 minutes explaining his vision. When I asked who his customer was, he paused. 'Well, anyone who needs this really.'

The reason I'm telling you this is...

When you try to sell to everyone, you sell to no one. Your messaging gets generic. Potential clients scroll past because nothing feels like it's for THEM.

That founder? Still no clients six months later.

That's why I help founders nail positioning first. Because if you're not clear on who you serve, nothing else matters."

See the difference?

Your turn:

Most founders think "good storytelling" means more vulnerability.

I believe it means connecting those moments to business outcomes.

The bridge creates cash.

If you've been doing the exercises all week, you have 75% of a complete story.

Now add the bridge:

"The reason I'm telling you this is..."