78. 90% of His Business Comes from Storytelling (Ciaran O’Donnell)

In this episode of the Ideas on Stage Podcast, we share a conversation with Ciaran O’Donnell – originally recorded as part of the Ideas on Stage Academy. We decided to repurpose it as a podcast episode so more people can learn from his inspiring communication journey and practical insights.Ciaran is a Virtual Finance Director. He launched Virtual FD in 2010 to help growing businesses access Finance Director–level advice before they’re ready for a full-time hire. A qualified accountant since 1998, he spent 12 years at Hutchison Whampoa, Three, and Carphone Warehouse – all with entrepreneurial beginnings. Since then, he has advised more than 100 startups and fast-growth companies, helping them grow, prepare to sell and stay on track. Ciaran was named CFO of the Year at the British Accountancy Awards 2019 and is a Finance Director of the Year finalist in the Accounting Excellence Awards 2023 and 2024.In this episode, we talked about how Ciaran became a better communicatorWhat You'll Learn:- Why improving your communication can transform your career- How to rehearse and internalise your message to sound natural- How to use stories that make people care - How pauses, breathing and feedback strengthen your delivery- How better communication can attract clients and grow your businessIn This Episode:00:00 - Introduction04:15 - Why a CFO Decided to Speak Better07:57 - How One Imperfect Video Sparked Growth10:00 - How to Know You’re Improving as a Speaker17:22 - How Internalising Transforms Your Delivery21:25 - The “So What” Framework 38:50 - The Birthday Speech He’ll Never Forget43:58 - How a Slow Breath Changes Everything47:55 - The Three Levels of Useful Feedback52:12 - A Masterclass in Sharing Your Origin Story55:07 - How Storytelling Drove 90% of His RevenueWe hope you enjoy it! ———————Ciaran O’Donnell:- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ciaranodonnell/ - Website: https://virtualfd.co/- Ciaran’s first video: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6648942434724179968/ - A story about “It’s all about trust”: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ciaranodonnell_itsallabouttrust-storybridges-ownyournumbers-activity-7344251933672566787-KeWd Mentions: - Bernadette Jiwa - Jimmy Cannon - The Moth Recommended books: - Story Driven by Bernadette Jiwa ———————IDEAS ON STAGE RESOURCES - Books: ‘Confident Presenter’ (https://www.ideasonstage.com/resources/confident-presenter-book/) and ‘Business Presentation Revolution’ (https://www.ideasonstage.com/business-presentation-revolution/book/)- The Confident Presenter Scorecard: https://ideasonstage.com/score  - Free Web Class: https://www.ideasonstage.com/uk/events/   - Free Mini-Course: https://bit.ly/confident-presenter-mini-course