In-Depth FAQs
What exactly do you do?
I’m Katrinna Chérie, a freelance business storyteller with a background in literary journalism.
My specialty is helping businesses, organizations, and solo entrepreneurs articulate their truth —
who they are,
what they stand for,
and how they operate —
in narrative stories that resonate and endure.
That might include a business origin story, a founder or owner’s story, a customer success story, or a newsletter series.
Why should I work with you?
Most freelance writers today come from advertising, marketing, or content production backgrounds. They excel at producing blog posts, landing pages, email campaigns, and social media content — often at a fast pace and in high volume.
My background is different.
My professional experience is in research, reporting, interviewing, and writing longform narrative nonfiction — work that requires depth, immersive research, careful listening, ethical accuracy, and editorial scrutiny.
I came of age professionally in an era when journalism meant sitting across from someone, listening carefully, and getting the story right. That discipline never left me.
Instead of writing blog posts, SEO articles, and web copy (with one exception: I do write narrative About pages/rewrites),
I offer a high-value, interview-driven business storytelling service built on journalistic reporting and longform craft.
Very few freelance writers can credibly claim:
• Over a decade of journalism experience from the golden era of alternative newsweeklies
• 11 national and over 20 state narrative nonfiction journalism awards
• An MFA in Creative Nonfiction
• A career rooted in narrative journalism rather than advertising
That background sets me apart.
My stories are:
• reported, not templated
• narrative, not promotional
• specific, not generic
• human, not corporate
• true, not exaggerated
The result is a values-driven business marketing story that reads like a feature article — something people trust, remember, and want to share.
Is this marketing? Is this journalism? Content marketing? PR? What exactly are you selling?
Business storytelling is a form of marketing. It helps a business explain what it does, why it exists, and why it matters — using the reporting standards and narrative techniques of journalism.
So yes, it’s marketing. But it’s not the sales-driven, urgency-based version many consumers have grown tired of. Nor is it high-volume content marketing designed primarily to capture attention and push conversions.
There are two very different ways to approach marketing.
The first relies on interruption and pressure. It treats people as targets. It shouts. It exaggerates. It pushes urgency. It tries to capture attention instead of earning it.
The second approach is often called permission marketing — a term popularized by renowned American author and marketer Seth Godin.
Instead of interrupting strangers, permission marketing earns attention over time. It speaks to people who have chosen to listen. It respects their intelligence. It informs rather than pressures.
Godin has been blunt about the difference:
“Manipulation is not marketing.”
“Spam is not marketing.”
And as he has written:
“If you need to trick people into buying what you sell, you don’t have a marketing problem. You have a product problem.”
Good marketing does not rely on tricks.
It communicates clearly.
It helps people understand what’s being offered.
It allows them to decide for themselves.
That philosophy is why I returned to marketing — this time as a journalist.
I wasn’t interested in selling harder. I was interested in communicating more honestly.
At Story & Co., journalistic tools — interviews, reporting, careful framing, narrative craft — are used to create values-driven marketing that is accurate, specific, and grounded in truth.
It isn’t advertising.
It isn’t PR spin.
And it isn’t fast-churn content.
It’s longform, story-driven marketing built on journalistic standards.
Journalism serves the public by informing it.
Business storytelling at Story & Co. serves the business by informing its audience clearly and honestly.
When done well, that clarity builds trust.
And trust, over time, builds loyalty —
which strengthens revenue and long-term profitability.
Do I need to be a “values-led” or purpose-driven business to work with Story & Co.?
Not at all.
Most businesses fall somewhere along a spectrum — aspirational, inconsistent, or simply unclear in how they express what they stand for.
Story & Co.’s role isn’t to certify values.
It’s to translate them into clear, credible language.
A business doesn’t need to be perfect.
It needs a story.
What services do you provide?
Specialties include:
• Business Origin Stories
• Business Profile Stories
• Founder’s/Owner’s Stories
• Customer Success Stories (Case Studies)
• Newsletter Series
• Editorial-style narrative articles
• Transparent sponsored articles
• About Pages (and rewrites)
What do these services have in common?
They are all real-life, values-driven business stories — not marketing speak — that clients and customers will want to read.
What is the difference between a Business Profile, a Founder’s/Owner’s Story, and a Business Origin Story?
Business Profile
A narrative portrait of the business today — what it does and how its values show up in practice.
Average length: 1,000–1,500 words.
Founder’s/Owner’s Story
A personal narrative about the person at the center of the business — the experiences and turning points that shaped their path.
Average length: 1,500–2,500 words.
Business Origin Story
Broader and more developed.
It begins at founding, follows key decisions and turning points, and arcs to how the business operates today.
Average length: 2,500–4,000 words.
In short:
Profile = What the business is now.
Founder’s/Owner’s Story = Who runs it, how they run it, and why.
Origin Story = The full arc of how the business came to be.
What’s the difference between brand storytelling and business storytelling?
Brand storytelling usually starts with a marketing strategy. A company decides how it wants to be positioned and who it wants to reach — then shapes a story to support that plan.
Business storytelling begins with interviews, reporting, and lived experience inside the business.
It:
• follows a journalistic method
• is reported, not invented
• is narrative nonfiction
• is grounded in reality
The contrast is simple:
Brand storytelling: marketing-first.
Business storytelling: journalism-first.
How is Story & Co. different from ad agencies, marketing firms, and other consultants?
Ad agencies & firms often sell pre-story services such as assessments, audits, positioning workshops, and discovery phases.
While those add-ons can sometimes be useful, they can also complicate the process. The result? Extended timelines and additional billable hours.
Another difference:
Many agencies begin by developing a creative concept or campaign idea designed to generate attention. Then a story is shaped to fit that concept.
At Story & Co., the process is more straightforward:
In the journalism tradition, interviews come first. Listening comes first. An ethically sound story angle is identified. Then a compelling narrative is written — one that reads like a feature article, not an advertisement.
Why a compelling narrative?
Because people forget facts.
They remember stories.
What if I’ve never done business storytelling before?
No problem at all. I suggest starting with a Business Origin Story or Profile Story. That creates a strong narrative foundation. From there, additional stories — an About page, a newsletter series, and more — can be added over time.
What if I don’t think my business has an interesting story?
Every business is a story. I believe that so strongly that it’s the guiding principle behind Story & Co.
The people, decisions, challenges, and turning points inside a business can make for compelling reading when carefully researched and written.
A local HVAC company, for example, may see itself as an ordinary nuts-and-bolts operation — necessary, but nothing special. Look deeper through interviews, however, and you’ll find compelling narrative, like the company’s expansion risks, or the that brutal summer when every AC unit in town seemed to fail at once, or moments of exceptional customer care — like the winter an elderly woman’s furnace broke during a 10-degree snowstorm and the business owner drove across town to repair it.
Whatever kind of business you run, there are stories worth telling.
Story & Co.’s role is to uncover them — then shape them into narratives that your business will be proud to share.
Do you write website copy, email campaigns, or social media content?
No.
Story & Co. creates story-driven, longform narrative marketing that’s grounded in journalism — not advertising or content production.
One exception: Story & Co. does offer story-driven About page writing or rewriting services.
Who benefits most from Story & Co.’s services?
• Businesses and organizations that care about what they stand for
• Purpose-driven or values-driven brands
• Small businesses and solo entrepreneurs
• Nonprofits
• Founder-led or owner-led companies
• Professional services firms
• Cultural institutions
• Universities and nonprofits
• Brands navigating transition
• Craft, community, or mission-centered businesses
• Anyone seeking substance over hype
What is Story & Co.’s purpose?
Story & Co. exists to practice values-driven marketing rooted in journalism that helps businesses and brands:
• Build trust
• Humanize the business
• Clarify what it stands for
• Create a lasting impression
• Inspire thoughtful action
• Strengthen loyalty