I tend to have very vivid dreams, and when I wake up they’re still with me. But have you ever had a dream and tried to explain it to someone else? It’s difficult to do, because dreams rarely have a clear beginning, middle, or end, and the storylines tend to be chaotic. No matter how much vivid detail you recall from your dreams, it is extremely difficult to explain them in waking life.

I have noticed that many small business owners have more of a dream for their business than a story.

That dream may be something that is clear in their own minds, but it’s very difficult to convey to anyone else. Even if you are a solopreneur, your business vision needs to be more story and less dream. Why? Because business strategy depends on a clear business vision, and you cannot create a vision without a well articulated brand story.

For 2016, resolve to figure out your business story. Unlike a dream, a story always has a destination – an end result that is clear to you (the storyteller) from the beginning. Every step of your story is a building block leading to that conclusion. Your story should include interesting, unique elements that draw in the listener and make them want to know what happens next. Perhaps most important of all, your story should be so exciting and motivating to you, that during those times when the action in your story feels like it’s lagging, you can step back and remember where you’re going with it and remain enthusiastic and committed.

If you know your story, you have a vision. If you have a vision, you can create a strategy. Resolve to wrap your mind around your story now, so you can spend the rest of the year telling it.