ECHO Storytelling Agency

08/11/2025

In the family wealth space, we are increasingly talking about the importance of telling the family story and passing the history down to future generations.

How do we equip the Rising Generation with the tools to glean wisdom from their elders and prepare for the road ahead? And where does story fit in the big picture?

This summer, Sam was invited to unpack the neuroscience behind sharing authentic stories – both stories of success and of adversity – on the FOXcast CEO Series by the Family Office Exchange.

Head to our bio to listen to the podcast. 🔗

08/01/2025

July was packed with big events, connections, birthdays, and steady work, with room for the small summer comforts that add spark to our storytelling work:

✨Sam & John were invited to attend the 2025 FOX Family Office & Wealth Advisor Forum in Chicago. Amazing energy, conversations, and views!

✨We packaged up a couple of our favourite books for some big publisher awards next year 🤞

✨Our friends dropping off ice cream — a sweet tradition we’ve all been appreciating. Thank you Lindsay!

✨Successfully sending off a new legacy project to print, just in time for talks with a promising new memoir client

✨Quarterly goal-setting

✨Getting very stuck on this jigsaw of Banff for months, defeating it, then lamenting this one missing piece

✨Celebrating FOUR birthdays this month: Matt, Hélène, John and Shah.

✨Sam casually running into one of our former clients, Danielle Saputo, at the PPI’s 13th Annual Rendezvous, learning about her work as a Family Advisor, and her amazing new book, “I am enough”

On to August ☀️

07/30/2025

While in Colorado this week, Sam bumped into our former ECHO client, Danielle Saputo, at the Purposeful Planning Institute's 13th Annual Rendezvous. It was such a joy to chat with her.

Be sure to check out Danielle's wonderful book: "I Am Enough."

As a Family Advisor, her story is filled with lessons that speak to the next generation, and how they can find their own road to success. It resonates so deeply with what we do here at Echo, working closely with families and businesses to capture and celebrate their legacies.

daniellesaputo.com

07/30/2025

Bayshore Hotel, BC ferries, McDonald’s … René Fluri has had a hand at feeding nearly everyone in Canada.

In 2015, we began documenting his inspiring life story, from his humble beginnings in Switzerland being raised by a family of business-savvy bakers, to the successful bread-making enterprise he built in BC.
echostories.com/work/rene-fluri/

07/25/2025

“If history were taught in the form of stories,” runs a line from Rudyard Kipling, “it would never be forgotten.”

The onboarding of new hires shouldn’t begin in a boardroom with an HR PowerPoint. Actually, no relationship should begin in a boardroom with any kind of PowerPoint.

So to keep new hires engaged, we need to incorporate more storytelling into the onboarding process.

Learn how: echostories.com/how-storytelling-can-make-new-hires-happy/

07/25/2025

If history were taught in the form of stories,” runs a line from Rudyard Kipling, “it would never be forgotten.”

The onboarding of new hires shouldn’t begin in a boardroom with an HR PowerPoint. Actually, NO relationship should begin in a boardroom with any kind of PowerPoint.

So to keep new hires engaged, we need to incorporate more storytelling into the process:

Relationships, be they collegial or romantic, start with courtship. When onboarding new hires, that’s where the values conversations should begin as well.

07/23/2025

For your online foot traffic, a timeline can be an excellent, quick-to-deliver tactic to virtually showcase your company history.

Since we’ve been around for 25+ years, we made sure to craft one ourselves. We’ve had many highs and also some lows, and it’s important to share all of them with the people who work with us. Check it out at: echostories.com/about/our-history/

As Richard Branson said, “a setback is never a bad experience, just a learning curve.”

07/21/2025

Wendy McDonald’s life wasn’t typical. Neither was her book.

Industrial bearings during the 1950s was a man’s world. Yet, in spite of the pushback (and while raising 10 children), she succeeded in growing a single machine shop into a profitable family business. We told the story of how she did it:

echostories.com/work/bc-bearing/

Fun fact: this was one of our earliest "corporate" books, and a great example of a personal and business story that beautifully meet in the middle.

07/16/2025

For 200 years, USP has been the global pioneer in building standards and partnerships that serve one mission: to create a world where everyone can be confident of quality in medicine, health, and healthcare.

We bring you their groundbreaking bicentennial story in the making (and our oldest company story to date).

Head to our bio to learn more 🔗

07/16/2025

For 200 years, USP has been the global pioneer in building standards and partnerships that serve one mission: to create a world where everyone can be confident of quality in medicine, health, and healthcare.

We bring you their groundbreaking bicentennial story in the making (and our oldest company story to date): echostories.com/work/usp/

07/14/2025

Our children’s instincts are often to rebel against our guidance. But they are physiologically, psychologically, and emotionally wired to learn from us.

What if we share our advice in the form of stories?

Fewer than 30 percent of family businesses survive into the second generation. For all the other business founders, those who will not be able to pass their company on to their children, the question of how best to transition their wealth in the near future looms large.

07/04/2025

A few highlights + in-between moments from June 📚

✨ Our new coffee table book for the Vancouver Canadians had a moment on the 1130 NewsRadio Bookshelf by CityNews! Head to our bio for the full episode.

✨We welcomed our new studio manager, Hélène, with our beloved sticky note tradition (featuring the Reynolds Wrap).

✨Our production coordinator completed his first rotation at Echo, sending off a whopping 8 books to print since he came on board. Go Mike!

✨Our founder was interviewed for an exciting podcast in the works, geared towards family offices.

✨We took a quiet day for Juneteeth to reflect on history.

✨We began bookmarking our favourite spreads and features from our newest books for some fresh photography (coming soon!)

✨We witnessed one of the most Vancouver-y summer solstices. Thankfully the sun showed its face soon after.

✨Reconnected with past clients for new and exciting stories.