top of page
Illustration of Thelma Dhlovu, founder of Story Of Me, climbing steps that rise from an open book held in an outstretched hand

Identity Strategy Consultancy for Founders and Leadership Teams.

Most founders can explain their business. The hard question is whether that explanation does justice to what they've built, and whether it travels through the team, the marketing, and every conversation it needs to reach.​ Story Of Me helps leadership teams find that clarity, shape it into language and strategy they can use, and build from there.

TRUSTED BY

Collage of a founder with tangled thoughts being pulled straight by two hands, representing an organisation's story that needs attention

You already know something needs attention.

It usually shows up in the explanation. The one that runs a little longer than it should, covers more ground than necessary and still doesn't quite capture the whole business.

​

Then it starts appearing elsewhere. The team tells slightly different versions of the story. The marketing needs another round of revisions. A decision that seemed settled in one meeting has to be explained all over again in the next.

​

What began as a question of wording reaches into strategy. People are making choices from different understandings of the same organisation.

​

There's always something more pressing. A hire to make. A product to ship. A client to serve.

 

So it waits for a better time.

​

Story Of Me exists for exactly that moment. When later finally becomes now.

Illustration of Thelma Dhlovu and a client working on laptops, seated on two fists meeting in a fist bump, representing aligned partnership

When the clarity is there,
everything moves differently.

You begin to notice it in the conversations.

​

A leadership team can discuss priorities without having to reopen the thinking behind every decision. A brief gives people a direction to work from. An opportunity can be considered against what the organisation is trying to achieve.

 

There's a different kind of confidence when people understand the thinking behind the work, and can explain it, question it and act on it themselves.

 

That's where strategy becomes more than a document. It starts shaping what the organisation chooses, how it communicates and what it delivers.

 

Clarity begins with understanding. It earns its place through execution.

What this looks like in practice

Thelma Dhlovu facilitating a leadership workshop for The National Archives, presenting to seated participants
The National Archives logo, Story Of Me client

​

Helping people make the case for the value of their work

​

Commissioned to deliver a leadership workshop and co-facilitate a cross-career exchange, helping recordkeepers articulate their contribution and make clearer requests for support.​

​

5.1 → 8.4/10

​

Average self-rated confidence in explaining their value, among 13 participants who completed both check-ins.

James Heyworth-Taylor | Sector Training and Events Lead Government and Archives Leadership | The National Archives

"Thelma made an invaluable contribution to the Leadership for Recordkeepers Summit, bringing professionalism, creativity, and deep expertise to the development and delivery of the early-career workshop and cross-career exchange. Her engaging and supportive facilitation style resonated strongly with delegates, generating excellent feedback and helping participants leave the sessions feeling more confident.”

Clarity is where the work begins. Alignment is how it lasts.

Understanding what needs attention is the starting point. Then comes the work of deciding what to do, building a strategy around those choices and putting it into practice.

​

Some organisations need a focused engagement. Others need someone alongside them as they implement, adapt and grow.

​

Together, these form The Alignment Arc: four ways of working that reflect that journey, with the flexibility to begin where your organisation needs support.

01

Clarity Shot

3 weeks

A focused engagement to clarify where your organisation stands, what needs attention and what to prioritise.

​

Preparation, a leadership session and a written diagnostic give you a clear basis for the next steps.

02

Blueprint

3 months

A working strategy that turns your organisation's identity into clear priorities, positioning and direction.

​​​

We develop principles for communication and decisions that your leadership team can work from every day.

03

Fractional Execution

Typically 3 months

Practical strategic support to help your team put agreed priorities into action across the organisation.

​

We work alongside your team on decisions, communication and delivery, refining the approach as you go.

04

Ongoing Support
Ongoing

Continued strategic support to keep your organisation's identity and direction connected as it evolves.

​

Regular guidance and practical input help your team respond to change while staying aligned on priorities.

Built around one belief.

Every organisation gets described by someone who doesn't work there.

​

A homepage. A line in someone else's deck. Thirty seconds in a meeting you're not in.

​

Whatever people understand in those moments shapes the decisions that follow.

​

I know what it feels like to be seen as one part of a much fuller picture. It's one of the reasons I founded Story Of Me.

​

I work alongside founders and leadership teams to make their organisation's identity easier to understand, then carry that understanding into strategy, communication and the decisions they make.

​

The work needs to hold when I'm no longer in the room, and when the founder isn't either.

Thelma Dhlovu, founder of Story Of Me, seated in a pink suit in a warmly lit room

Ready when you are.

The founders and leaders who work with Story Of Me knew within the first conversation that this was the work they needed. Clarity Shot is where that conversation starts. Three weeks, one leadership session, and no obligation to go further. Just clarity on where things are and what would help most.

Thinking that's worth your time.

Occasional writing on identity, communication, and the decisions that shape how organisations are understood.

You're in. First issue coming your way soon.

Story Of Me is an identity strategy consultancy working with founders, CEOs and leadership teams.

 

We help organisations clarify what they stand for and bring that understanding into their positioning, communication and decisions.

© StoryOfMe Ltd. All rights reserved.

bottom of page