
Do you know the story of 44 Communications? To celebrate National Storytelling Week (27 January to 04 February) Editors Hannah Montgomery and Bryan Jones tell a tall tale as old as, well, 44…
Once upon a time, in a land not too far away from here, lived a young man with big dreams and high ideals. He and his lovely wife had just welcomed their first child into the world, and the man – let’s call him Corin – was determined to spend more time with his beautiful new family.
Sadly, he had to work long, long hours for masters in a big city far, far from home. He promised his wife and child he’d do something about it. But how?
One night, Corin had a fabulous dream. In it, he’d set up his own business near his little cottage. His business wasn’t the biggest – that wasn’t the plan. But people loved his work and the services this unique little company provided.
They also loved that he had a sign outside that said: ‘This is what I’ll build my business on – Friendship, Awareness, Creativity, Excellence, and Teamwork’.
When he awoke the next day, Corin set to work following his dream and building his new business. He contacted friends and people he’d worked with before to see if they’d help him out.
“I’ll pay you,” he said. “Well, once people start paying me! And they will. You have to trust me.
“We’ll offer them uniquely-skilled teams tailored to meet their specific needs,” he told his friends. “We’ll give them work of the highest quality and the very best service, and we’ll do it with an ever-evolving band of brilliant workers.”
Corin was amazed at the number of friends who understood and embraced his vision. There were 44 of them. He didn’t even realise he knew that many people. All of them came with unique skills and talents – and they said to Corin he could contact them whenever he needed their help, and they’d do their best to accommodate him.
“We’ll call it 44 Communications – after all of my friends!” Corin told them all excitedly.
Corin and his friends delivered on their promise of providing value for money. They did it in the mystical world of ‘Internal Communications’. Only the chosen few knew what that really meant. The wise ones saw the huge benefits of ‘IC’, as it became known. The uninformed turned away – unable to see the magic Corin and his team were creating.
Small miracles were performed for a road builder named Tarmac and a large and important merchant trader called J Sainsbury. Soon the 44 name began to be heard far and wide, attracting attention from other revered business people, like talking-device seller Vodafone and horseless-carriage maker Volkswagen.
Corin and his friends were hailed ‘the best’ at a large ceremonial contest set up for everyone in the kingdom to take part in, and he was handed a trophy in celebration.
The story continues today, you’ll be happy to hear. Corin’s family is slightly larger, and he manages to see even more of them. His merry band of colleagues continues to thrive and flourish, and people still love the work and the service they provide – as well as the values they carry with them every day.
And the moral of our story? Which isn’t a fairytale at all, but absolutely true…
The moral is that you can achieve your dreams – through a strong vision, hard work, staying true to your values – and with a little help from your friends.
Leave A Comment