The Power of Likability: How Authenticity and Storytelling Drive Business Success
Likability is a powerful but underrated business asset. Brands like Canva, Gymshark, Bumble, and Starling Bank have built trust and loyalty through authenticity, strong missions, and community engagement. By focusing on meaning, innovation, and accessibility, businesses can stand out, create lasting connections, and stay resilient through challenges.
“Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go.”
Likability in business and work is a criminally underrated quality.
In today’s turbo-charged social media-world environment where outrage and anger seem to be the fuel for gaining followers mere ‘likability’, just seems well, a bit weak.
But as leaders of fast-growing businesses likability is an essential ingredient - to build trust with customers, to get your team to give you the benefit of the doubt and stick with you when things (as they always do) get a bit tough.
Kantar, a consumer market research firm, has made a science out of measuring likability with its annual brand valuation index, as well as trying to link brand likability and economic value.
By measuring brands against three core values - whether they are meaningful (create a connection with their customers), are different (they lead in their category or product) and are salient (make it easy for customers to choose them) the index is a useful barometer of why, and how, some firms fail while others fly.
And the role of customer brand affinity in the outcome.
The firm’s 2024 report on the world’s 100 most valuable brands is revealing - not only is it harder than ever to stay on top (code for: there’s never been a bigger opportunity for challenger firms to compete with global leaders) but the difference between brands that are ‘meaningfully different’ were nearly a fifth more valuable than their competitors in the regions or industries they came from.
As scaling company leaders of course we don’t have the luxury or leisure time ;) for brand consultancy.
But breaking down your business’ “reason for being” down into 3 core areas - why you exist, how innovative you are and how easy it is for customers to pick you - we think is a great place to start to build the authenticity and personality you need to drive the traction that will maintain your likability factor through good times. And bad.
Here are a few examples of firms that have crafted meaning and difference with direct personal engagement from the founder and their own story to build ‘likability’ and get the business off the ground:
ָSaaS: Canva (Australia)
Founded: 2012
Mission: Make design accessible.
Founder: Melanie Perkins
Revenue: $2bn (2023)
Key storytelling components: Female founders’ story, Freemium pricing.
Quote: “I had to be relentless. I knew the idea was strong, but it was about getting the right people to believe in it too.”
Retail and e-commerce: Gymshark (UK)
Founded: 2012
Mission: High quality sportswear and a supportive community that inspires everyone to meet their fitness goals.
Founder: Ben Francis
Revenue: $600mn (2023)
Key storytelling components: Engaged community, 120+ influencers on social media.
Quote: We’re community focussed and do several events a year dedicated to getting people together who are into fitness and conditioning. I would be at every single event – I’d stand for 10 hours a day and just talk to everyone I could. I’m genuinely interested and fascinated by talking to people – and I learned more from the people at those events – the community, the customer – than anyone in business.
Digital apps: Bumble (USA)
Founded: 2014
Mission: Create a world where all relationships are healthy and equitable, through kind connections.
Founder: Whitney Wolfe Herd
Revenue: $1bn (2024)
Key storytelling components: Female founders’ story, Brand ambassadors in US college campuses.
Quote: “We will always put our values before our bottom line.”
Banking: Starling Bank (UK)
Founded: 2014
Mission: Fairer, smarter, more human banking,
Founder: Anne Boden
Revenue: $855mn (2023)
Key storytelling components: Female founder’s story, influencers on social media.
Quote: “You [have to] build that resilience, and not just if you're a woman, but if you don't look and sound like the people on the other side of the table, it is going to be tough. That's why you have to get really practised and be really confident.”
Simon Hardie is an author and founder of findexable - the digital analytics and insight platform. He co-hosts the Born to Disrupt podcast with Mingzulu and Disrupts
