Your Origin Story is a no-frills, results-driven course for leaders, influencers and persuaders who are struggling to:

• Craft a unique brand story
• Stand out in a crowded world
• Position yourself for uncertain times
• Attract better clients
• Build your status and reputation
• Sell without manipulation (ugh)
• Create and scale your culture
• Capture attention, connection and trust

If that sounds like you, read on.

Together, we'll leverage the tools and techniques of storytelling to craft an origin story that perfectly positions you and your business ... even if you don't believe you have a story to tell.

Here's why that's such a VALUABLE ASSET...

Sun Tzu knew it 2,500 years ago. Stoic philosophers harnessed it in Ancient Greece and Rome. High-performing sales teams have proved it time and time again.

The Frame is the Game.

Now, science is catching up. Here's Professor Robert Cialdini, talking about master persuaders in his New York Times bestseller, Pre-Suasion:

"The highest achievers spent more time crafting what they did and said before making a request. They set about their mission as skilled gardeners who know that even the finest a seed will not take root in stony soil..."

In other words, master persuaders set the stage before they go to work.

And the best way to set the stage is to tell a better story...

Whether you are persuading, leading or building a brand – stories mean business.

We know this because evolution wired us for story.

Facts and figures leave us cold, but well-crafted stories have us leaning in and listening. We can't help it ... focusing on stories allows us to:

• Learn from conflict and danger without any real risk
• Understand our social world (and our status in it)
• Influence the story and perception of others

In fact, stories offered such an evolutionary advantage that evolution bedded them deeply into our brains. That's why psychologists call them 'privileged'  – our brains literally treat them differently.

We drop our shields, pay attention and lean in. A good story:

• causes actual chemical changes in our brain (oxytocin, dopamine, cortisol etc)
• transports us to another place
• puts us in the place of the characters
• is up to six times easier to remember than straight facts
  

In fact, neuroscience suggests that stories are how we fundamentally experience the world. Walter Fisher, an Emeritus Professor in Behavioural Science at SoCal described it thus:

“(We) experience and comprehend life as a series of ongoing narratives, as conflicts, characters, beginnings, middles and ends.”

In other words – story is literally the stuff of life. 

Little wonder then, that learning the tools and techniques of storytelling gives us a huge advantage in attracting and persuading others...

Let's talk about what you'll get out of completing this course: 

• 8 Step by Step lessons in the Art & Science of Storytelling
• The step-by-step process I use when I work with private clients.
• Your 250-350 word Origin Story
• A Story framework you can reuse over and over
• Tools and techniques you can use in ALL your business writing
• Lifetime access to ALL future versions of the course

If you buy courses but rarely finish them, this course isn't for you.

I don't care about the little jolt of dopamine you might get by buying this course, I care about the much larger and continuing hit of dopamine you'll get from finishing it AND deploying your story.

In sales calls, thought-leadership pieces, networking events and keynote speeches.

The simple skills you'll learn here will repay you 100 times over, but ONLY if you use them.

Above my desk hangs a quote from Stephen King's memoir, On Writing.

“Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.”

I've made this course a simple, step-by-step journey into your story ... but it still takes time. Usually around 5-6 hours.

I've kept this course lean to keep it low-cost, but it still costs money.

Time and money.

I don't want you wasting either.

This is a journey for driven, adventurous souls...

Still with me? 

Fantastic.

The course is built around 3 levers that revolutionised my life and business... Storytelling, Simplicity & Momentum.

No frills. No faff. There are no pretty pictures, easy-to-ignore videos, or happy-clappy communities to make us feel special – just a relentless focus on crafting a powerful asset. 

Here's how it works.

8 emails. 11,000 words. The exact framework I use with private clients.

When you enrol and confirm your subscription, you get an email.

That's Lesson 1. 

24 hours later you get Lesson 2. 

And so on for a week. 

Each email delivers insight, examples and tasks to complete. The content mixes storytelling with strategy, marketing, philosophy, copywriting and neuroscience ... all in the single-minded pursuit of progress.

250-350 words, that's all we need for a flexible, effective Origin Story.

As Don Draper says in Mad Men, "Make it simple, but significant."

He's giving a drinks order, but simple and significant works here too. 

And we get there together in 8 steps. Here's the treasure map...

1. Welcome and Foundation – 20 minutes

2. Strategy – 25 minutes 

3. Story Structure – 30 minutes 

4. Resonance – 45 minutes 

5. Your First Draft – 60 minutes 

6. Earthworks – 60 minutes 

7. Polish – 60 minutes

8. The Treasure –  No homework

My goal in this course is to MASSIVELY over-deliver.

Next question, who am I to teach you this?

I'm Nick Warren, founder of StoriesMeanBusiness.com. I consult with and write things for smart, successful people.

Before that, I founded, grew and sold a digital agency with clients around the world. The problem was, I hated selling.

Between 1997 and 2018, we never placed an ad, made a cold call or used a sales team. We mostly just told stories. Our clients told stories, and the business scaled organically... for 21 years!

Better Stories = Better Business.

In 2018, I sold the company to focus on Stories Mean Business. 

Here I am (on the right) joking with marketing legend, Seth Godin - my podcast guest. To date, I've released over 1,100 episodes on story, strategy and branding.

Here's some other stuff about me:

• In 1992, I crossed the Atlantic in a 10m yacht (6 weeks, 3,000 miles). 
• In 1993, I was shipwrecked in the Caribbean (which was a whole thing). 
  
• My first speechwriting gig was for the Head of IBM PC company (EMEA). 
  
• I’ve written three 5-STAR thrillers on Amazon (2016-present). 
  
• I’m a member of Mensa – which often feels like a mistake.
• I live and work in the UK, in a renovated cottage from the 1600s.
• In 2020, I played and WON my first-ever game of Fortnight, then retired immediately. I may be the only player in the world with a 100% record.

(Take a moment to think about what's happening here. As you read these points, your story about me changes. Little by little, I'm building personality and credibility. See how that works.) 

Here are the 3 top reasons your brain will give you for doing nothing ... and why you shouldn't listen...

1) I don't have a story

This is never true. You're human. You've seen success and suffered failure, loss and triumph. In emails 2, 3 and 4 we find the golden thread that connects your past to the business or personal brand you are building. Trust me. It's always, always there. 

2) I'm no writer

Great. This isn't writing. It's storytelling. Sure, you'll have to type, but it's 250-350 conversational words. Plus, I have a lesson to help you level up your writing with 6 easy techniques. (See email 7, The Polish.)

3) I can't find the time right now (maybe next week)

I don't know what to tell you. High achievers never find the time either. They make the time. 

If this just seems like a clever play on words to you, I'm not sure you're right for the course. Don't buy it.

For the rest of us, it's time to choose a path...

There's a moment in every good story you've ever seen, where the hero makes a choice. Young or old, male or female, they have to choose whether or not to cross over into the magical world. 

For you, this is that moment... the fork in the road...

Down one path lies more of the same. Down the other lies the unknown, the work and (yes) the treasure. 

It's time to choose ...

For those that want personal help, I offer two Zoom bundles. Most people don't need these. The Course is the same at all levels.

GOLD: $750 + Tax

The Email Course plus 90-minutes one-on-one time with Nick.

SILVER: $400 + Tax 

The Email Course plus 45-minutes one-on-one time with Nick.

STEEL: $150 + Tax (Most Popular)

The Email Course (which is ALL that most people need).

If you need a 100% done for you Origin Story, the cost is $2,250 + Tax, or $4,250 within 3 days. Email nick@storiesmeanbusiness.com.

I've been using the same simple guarantee since 1997. If you aren't happy, I'll give you your money back.

You want progress. I want happy customers. That's the deal. If you have any other questions, email nick@storiesmeanbusiness.com. 

Otherwise, welcome. Our journey starts here...