How-To Write A Company History

Long ago (in a galaxy far, far away...), Bill Gates might have scoffed at the idea of writing a company history. (Well, he was a teenager when he started his first business, so there wasn't much to write.) But today, as he tops the list of the wealthiest people in America once again, his company history is a fascinating read. You may not be Gates-size yet, but you're working on it, and your company should present itself as such. Whether for your business plan or an employee handbook, the story of how you came to be gives investors and employees a more personal way to look at your company. Moreover, it's a great place to sell your company and show off your vision.

It doesn't have to be Ulysses (then nobody will read it). But here are a few guidelines to help make it worth reading:

Who Will Write It?

The head of a small business may not have the time to write a company history - or may just not want to. Consider hiring an outside professional, either a professional freelance writer or a marketing company that specializes in this type of work. If this is too expensive, ask an internal writer or other employee with solid writing chops. You could even ask a former employee who knows the company well, or a local college professor or graduate student looking for a side project.

If you bring someone in from the outside, they will have to check their facts, and your staff will need to make some concessions. If the writer interviews 10 employees, they may get 10 different answers. For instance - annual revenues and employee counts always seem to have a few different versions. In this case, you may have to allow the writer to view records of company transactions, and if you are comfortable with it, let the writer use them. Also, if one employee tells a particular story about the company, the writer should be able to confirm it with another employee. Odds are, it will save that writer a lot of misery in rewriting.

Writing A Company History: Style, Tone & Message

The following are some tips on the style of your company history, and some rules to follow.

Tell The Truth... When telling a company history, nothing can be worse than lying about your past. This is the type of matter that could ruin your credibility if you are caught in a lie. Some people may take one lie and assume that you lie regarding other things. This is not a reputation that you can afford to have when starting a small business. In short, unless it's the absolute truth, don't say it in your company history.

...But Not the Whole Thing. You don't have to tell everything about your company in your company history. It's ok to omit certain things. If you want to talk about why your previous business interests failed, that's your choice, but don't say that your previous business interests were all successes if they weren't. The company history is not a confession, it's a story. Just make sure the parts you choose are based on real life.

Use Your Voice. "Finding your voice" is a popular phrase thrown around in creative writing courses everywhere. And it still applies here. You could just tell it like it is: "We started out with $10,000. We took a $50,000 loan, at an interest rate of 7.9%. We then found a building, and decided to move into it. Then we found shelves…" But that's about as exciting as reading a bar code. Show the same passion in writing your history as you did starting the company. Make the employees and investors feel it, and they'll likely be as excited about your business as you are.

Keep It Short. You know when you're on a roll and you just can't stop? Try not to do that here. Generally, length doesn't stand up well on paper in business. Make your history a light read, fewer than 10 pages, if possible. One page is the ideal. Save the larger version for when the company becomes a big success and you're penning your autobiography.

Sell Yourself. In the end, you want your company history to be a success story. You've gotten this far, and here's why. It's just like in the movies where the hero gets the girl at the end. At the end of your company history you want to be the hero who has become the largest manufacturer of widgets on the west coast. You want the reader to say, "I want to be a part of this company." Remember that while writing it.

Editing

Make sure that a person that you trust edits the history, not just for grammatical and typographical mistakes, but for tone as well. Have a person who does not have a direct connection to the company read it, as if they were a potential investor to the company. Would this history get them interested?

Printing

Quality is important for anything that represents your company. Be willing to spend a few bucks on the end result. The good thing about printing is that the more that you print, the cheaper it gets. While the first copy may cost a high price, the rest will just be duplicates, and will cost less.

See the following:

Business Plan