The Business of Story

What The Business of Story does

The Business of Story is a Phoenix, Arizona-based private business storytelling training and consulting firm founded by Park Howell in 2016, evolving from his prior advertising agency Park&Co (1995–2016). The company helps organizations craft brand stories through its proprietary Story Cycle System™ — a 10-step narrative methodology grounded in Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey, Hollywood storytelling, and behavioral psychology — and the ABT (And, But, Therefore) three-word narrative framework. Core products and services include the AI-powered StoryCycle Genie™ SaaS platform (launched 2025) for self-serve brand story generation, immersive in-person/virtual workshops and a four-week virtual mastery course, keynote speaking engagements, brand strategy consulting engagements (flat-fee, 60–90 day scope), a 64-page DIY workbook ($79), the ABTs of Storytelling online course, and the Brand Bewitchery book. Supporting assets include a top-10%-globally-ranked podcast, 5,000+ subscriber newsletter, and trademarked methodology IP (Story Cycle System™, ABTs of Storytelling™, StoryCycle Genie™, StoryOps™).

The company's revenue model spans multiple streams: professional services (keynotes, workshops, brand strategy consulting at quote-based pricing), subscription/recurring revenue (StoryCycle Genie™ SaaS with monthly credits and a 20% lifetime discount), one-time digital product sales (workbook, online courses), podcast advertising (title sponsor $1,200/month, episode ads $250, guest appearances $300, guest blogs $150, link placements $75), and book royalties. GTM is hybrid — primarily sales-led via direct engagement by Park Howell and partner Mark Smyth (HUSSOUL) with a complimentary 30-minute impact call, supplemented by PLG through StoryCycle Genie™, and event-driven demand from keynotes (Social Media Marketing World, TEDxGilbert) and podcast distribution. Customer segments include enterprises (Dell, Hilton, American Express, US Air Force, Banner Health, Cummins, Wynn Resorts), emerging growth-stage companies ($1M–$10M revenue), universities (Arizona State University, Emory, Stetson, Nova Southeastern, University of Dayton, University of Wisconsin, Washington State), and individual solopreneurs. No external funding has been disclosed; the company appears entirely founder-owned and bootstrapped.

Name

The Business of Story

Legal name

The Business of Story

Website

https://businessofstory.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Business of Story is a Phoenix-based private firm that helps enterprises, growth-stage companies, and individuals craft brand stories through its proprietary Story Cycle System™ methodology, ABT framework, and the AI-powered StoryCycle Genie™ platform, delivered via workshops, consulting, keynotes, and digital products.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Brand Storytelling Consulting & Training

NAICS

Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131), Software Publishers (5132)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Content & Messaging Strategy (Positioning, Narrative) (MPAAAFAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Project, Program & Product Management (EDAGANAE)

Keywords

• Business storytelling training
• Brand strategy consulting
• Storytelling workshops
• Narrative framework methodology
• Brand storytelling keynotes

Headquarters

HQ city

Phoenix

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Keynote Speaking Engagements: Park Howell is booked as a keynote speaker for conferences and corporate events. Fees are negotiated per engagement based on audience size, event type, and budget. The contact form captures event date, location, audience description, and budget as part of the inquiry process.
2. Business Storytelling Workshops: Immersive in-person, virtual, or hybrid training programs delivered to corporate teams. Formats include half-day (4 hours), full-day (6-8 hours), multi-session virtual courses, and a flagship Four-Week Virtual Mastery Course with the 21-Day Story Quest. Consulting fee is a flat rate based on scope-of-work over 60-90 days.
3. Brand Strategy Consulting: Brand story assessment, planning, creation, and activation/communications planning engagements. Sold as bespoke consulting engagements with a flat fee based on predetermined scope-of-work. Primary target is emerging companies with revenues between $1M and $10M.
4. StoryCycle Genie™ SaaS Subscription: AI-powered platform with subscription plans offering monthly credit allocations. Users can purchase additional credits if they run out. A 20% lifetime discount and 100% money-back guarantee on the first month's subscription are offered for registered users.
5. DIY Brand Storytelling Workbook: A 64-page interactive do-it-yourself workbook with 10 explainer videos. Sold as a one-time digital download at $79.00 (reduced from $109.99 regular price).
6. Podcast Advertising: The Business of Story podcast generates revenue through advertising. Sponsorship tiers include: Title podcast sponsor at $1,200/month; podcast ad placement at $250; guest appearance at $300; guest blog contribution at $150; relevant link placement in an existing blog at $75.
7. Brand Bewitchery Book Royalties: Park Howell's book Brand Bewitchery (published June 1, 2020) generates revenue through book sales. It guides readers through the Story Cycle System™.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

The Business of Story helps organizations craft their brand story to drive results through business storytelling. The company delivers workshops, keynote speaking, and brand strategy consulting built on the proprietary Story Cycle System™ and ABT narrative frameworks, and operates the AI-powered StoryCycle Genie™ platform that analyzes brand materials and generates ready-to-use marketing and sales content. It sells supporting digital products including a workbook, online courses, and the Brand Bewitchery book.

Product overview

The Business of Story is a storytelling strategy and training company offering a portfolio of products and services centered on the Story Cycle System™ methodology. Core offerings include the AI-powered StoryCycle Genie™ platform (for automated brand story creation), in-person/virtual workshops and mastery programs, keynote speaking, and consulting services. Supporting products include a DIY Brand Storytelling Workbook, The ABT's of Storytelling online course, The Narrative Gym book, and the Brand Bewitchery book. The company also produces the Business of Story Podcast and is developing StoryOps™ for brand narrative governance. The methodology is built on primal storytelling frameworks (ABT, Hero's Journey, Story Cycle System) combined with AI technology.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• StoryCycle Genie™: AI-powered brand storytelling platform that helps users craft brand stories in minutes using the Story Cycle System
• The ABTs of Storytelling Online Course
• Interactive DIY Business Storytelling Workbook
• Brand Bewitchery
• Business of Story Podcast

Products and services

• StoryCycle Genie™ AI-powered brand storytelling platform that enables users to craft brand stories in minutes by analyzing existing brand materials, revealing gaps and missed opportunities, generating narrative frameworks (ABT statements, value propositions), and producing ready-to-use sales and marketing content across channels. Marketed to save 90% of typical brand development time.
• Business Storytelling Workshops & Mastery Program Immersive training programs teaching the ABT (And, But, Therefore) narrative structure and the 10-step Story Cycle System. Delivered in flexible formats: in-person half-day (4 hours) and full-day (6-8 hours) workshops, virtual sessions, hybrid formats, and a flagship Four-Week Virtual Mastery Course with the 21-Day Story Quest habit-building exercises.
• Storytelling Keynote Speaking Inspirational business storytelling keynotes delivered by Park Howell at conferences, corporate events, and workshops globally, teaching the Story Cycle System™ and providing actionable storytelling tools for audience members.
• Brand Story Strategy & Consulting Bespoke consulting engagements for brand story assessment, planning, creation, and story activation/communications planning, plus storytelling training for leaders and sales teams. Uses the 10-step Story Cycle System to help companies clarify their brand story. Engagements are typically 60-90 days at flat fees.
• DIY Brand Storytelling Workbook 64-page interactive digital workbook with 10 explainer videos guiding users through the Story Cycle system to craft compelling brand stories. Includes in-line forms, examples, and step-by-step video tutorials. Priced at $79.00 (reduced from $109.99 regular price).
• The ABTs of Storytelling Online Course Online course teaching the And, But, Therefore (ABT) narrative framework for business communication. Three 20-minute modules covering the primal three-act structure, setup/problem/solution identification, and immediate application techniques for emails, presentations, and conversations.
• The Narrative Gym for Business 75-page guide co-authored by Randy Olson and Park Howell teaching the ABT (And, But, Therefore) framework to strengthen business communication skills.
• Brand Bewitchery (Book) Book published June 1, 2020, by Park Howell, guiding readers through the Story Cycle System to craft spellbinding brand stories. Covers three primal narrative frameworks with real-world anecdotes and includes a comprehensive story launch plan.
• StoryOps™ Narrative-native platform for brand story governance that aligns brand story through every department, across every function, through every channel for coherent, consistent, and compelling communications internally and externally. Designed to stop brand narrative entropy.

Quantifiable outcome

• Adelante Healthcare grew by 600% after implementing the Story Cycle System — from 65 to 500+ employees, 14,000 to 75,000 patients, and revenue from $13M to $41M.
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers24 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Mark Smyth (HUSSOUL)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Mark Smyth, founder of HUSSOUL ('how you sell with soul'), partnered with Park Howell of The Business of Story in 2022 to collaborate on storytelling engagements for ambitious brands. Mark brings 22+ years of sales leadership experience and a pragmatic approach to complementing Park's narrative methodology. Together they help revenue-focused companies break through boring and achieve transformational growth through the power of story.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Content Marketing Institute: Long-running content marketing education and conference organization serving B2B marketers. Adjacent competitor for marketing-team storytelling/content training engagements, with broader content-marketing scope.
• Interbrand: Global brand strategy consulting firm of much larger scale. Competes for multi-year enterprise brand-strategy RFPs where The Business of Story positions into corporate storytelling engagements.
• HubSpot Academy: HubSpot's free marketing and sales education platform. Provides a scaled, free alternative for the storytelling/marketing-training content that The Business of Story sells through paid workshops and courses.
• Prophet: Global brand and customer-experience strategy consultancy. Competes for the same enterprise brand-narrative transformation mandates at materially higher price points and geographic coverage.
• MarketingProfs: Established B2B marketing training, certification, and content organization. Competes for enterprise training budgets and marketing-team education spend that The Business of Story also targets through its workshop programs.

Direct peers

• Heroic Public Speaking: Michael Port's training platform for business professionals focused on presenting, storytelling, and personal brand. Closely parallels Park Howell's keynote/workshop offering with the same founder-led, methodology-driven business model.
• StoryBrand (Donald Miller): Donald Miller's business storytelling framework (Building a StoryBrand) is the most direct competitor. It offers workshops, books, AI tools (StoryBrand.ai), and a certified-guide network serving the same SMB and mid-market customer base seeking narrative clarity for marketing and sales.
• Marketing Made Simple (Donald Miller): Tightly coupled with StoryBrand, this is Donald Miller's coaching and training platform providing ongoing marketing and storytelling programs. It overlaps directly with The Business of Story's workshops and mastery-course revenue streams for the same audience.

Emerging players

• Brand Builders Group: Personal-branding and message-development methodology targeting founders and experts. Competes for the same solopreneur and SMB audience seeking to systematize their brand narrative and content marketing.
• Magnetic Marketing (Allan Dib / Magnetic Founders): Methodology-based small-business marketing training and consulting (The 1-Page Marketing Plan). Targets the same $1M-$10M revenue emerging-company segment the Business of Story focuses on for brand-story consulting engagements.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/businessofstory
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC0ssjBuBiQjG9PHRgq4Fu6A
• Facebookfacebook.com/businessofstory
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/business-of-story
• Instagraminstagram.com/businessofstory

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Business of Story