D.C. entrepreneurs Lauryn Sargent and Scott Thompson have launched
Origin Stories, a free weekly online publication dedicated to the histories of "the superheroes of business." The digital one-sheeters are a natural outgrowth of Sargent and Thompson's two sister companies, which create personal and corporate histories for clients nationwide. Each issue of Origin Stories is delivered via email and is designed to give entrepreneurs a mental boost when they need it most.
"It says, 'Here's the struggle, and here's the payout or the success,'" Sargent explains. In a nod to the comic book theme, publications are numbered. The most recent--#8—looks at the origin of Domino's Pizza and combines pithy text blocks with bold colors and iconic images. "[The stories are] reminders that it's tough now, but there is a payoff to what you're doing."
Sargent credits her company's summer intern for Origin Stories' memorable design. "They are visually attractive and they promote our brand. And," she explains, referencing the motivational aspect of the product, "we wanted to give something back to the startup community."
Sargent's flagship products are personal and corporate histories captured in professional paper and e-book formats. On the personal side,
Stories Inherited interviews, researches and works to capture a personal legacy. Sargent and Thompson and a team of historians weave narratives around photos, film footage and oral histories, often taking advantage of the multimedia format of e-books to allow a subject's voice to be passed on to future generations.
"We offer a spectrum of products," Sargent explains. A full-service product includes historian-conducted interviews. "If you do the interviews yourself—we'll give you a framework—we can help with editing and printing."
Stories Incorporated evolved from Stories Inherited. "It's corporate storytelling," she says. "We interview between 10 and 30 past and current employees and the founders to tell [a company's] story and show progression." In addition to being a terrific artifact, the result can be used as a marketing tool for prospective employees or an onboarding tool for new hires. "We interviewed 30 employees at New Light Technologies in D.C.," Sargent says, "and created 20 videos about the industry, the evolution of the company, and so on."
Origin Stories is accepting "founder superhero"
submissions for consideration.