Visual Storytelling Institute

What Visual Storytelling Institute does

Visual Storytelling Institute (VSI) is a Miami-based, privately held LLC founded in 2016 by digital marketing veteran Shlomi Ron. The firm operates as a boutique advisory and training practice organized around three service pillars: (1) visual storytelling consulting for enterprise brands, (2) corporate workshops and one-on-one personal coaching, and (3) paid keynote speaking. Its underlying methodology is the proprietary Visual Storytelling Framework, complemented by the 'Total Acuity' methodology and a brand narrative development process that emphasizes mirroring the customer's inner narrative through emotionally staged visual media. The firm serves corporate leaders, marketing teams, and individual professionals across the Southeast United States with global reach via its website, with named clients including Microsoft, Estée Lauder, Cable & Wireless Communications, RTI International, and the Community Foundation of the Florida Keys.

The business is supplemented by a thought leadership and productized content portfolio: the 'Visual Storytelling Today' podcast (ranked top 10 globally among business storytelling podcasts), the book 'Total Acuity,' a weekly newsletter, a blog, e-guides sold via Gumroad (including 'The Landscape of AI Writing Tools'), and an NFT gallery. Revenue is generated entirely through professional services fees (consulting, workshops, coaching, speaking) and one-time digital product sales (book, e-guides); pricing is not publicly disclosed and engagements are scoped through a free initial conversation. The firm is bootstrapped with no external funding, operates with 1–10 employees, and uses standard SaaS tools (MailChimp, HubSpot, Calendly, Gumroad) for marketing automation, scheduling, and e-commerce.

GTM is sales-led and event-driven, with Shlomi Ron serving as the primary business developer, leveraging speaking engagements, podcast appearances, and content marketing to acquire enterprise clients. The firm's strategic positioning blends marketing expertise with academic instruction (Ron teaches Brand Storytelling at the University of Miami Business School) and certified mentorship, targeting brands that need to differentiate through purposeful visual narrative in environments characterized by information overload, shrinking attention spans, and AI-generated content saturation.

Name

Visual Storytelling Institute

Legal name

Visual Storytelling Institute LLC

Website

https://visualstorytell.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Visual Storytelling Institute is a Miami-based, founder-led consulting and training firm that helps enterprise brands optimize corporate storytelling through proprietary visual storytelling frameworks, corporate workshops, personal coaching, and keynote speaking, supported by a book, podcast, and digital content products.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marketing Consulting Services

NAICS

Other Management Consulting Services (541618), Graphic Design Services (541430)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Graphic Design & Visual Content Production (BPAFAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Event Strategy & Experience Design (BPAFAGAA), Graphic Design & Visual Communications (Collateral, Illustration) (MPAAAEAC)

Keywords

• Visual storytelling consulting
• Brand narrative services
• Corporate storytelling training
• Marketing communication advisory
• Thought leadership content

Headquarters

HQ city

Miami

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Visual Storytelling Consulting: Customized consulting programs to help brands optimize their corporate storytelling strategy. These are tailored engagements addressing specific client needs for visual storytelling strategy development.
2. Corporate Workshops: Team training programs delivered to corporate clients for skill development in visual storytelling techniques and implementation.
3. Personal Coaching: One-on-one coaching services for individuals seeking to develop their visual storytelling capabilities.
4. Speaking Engagements: Keynote speaking services where Shlomi Ron speaks at corporate events, conferences, and industry gatherings on visual storytelling topics.
5. Book Sales - Total Acuity: Sales of the book 'Total Acuity: Tales with Marketing Morals to Help You Create Richer Visual Brand Stories' published by Shlomi Ron.
6. E-guides and Digital Products: Digital guides and resources sold through Gumroad, including the 'Landscape of AI Writing Tools' guide and other educational materials.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Visual Storytelling Institute provides customized consulting programs that help brands develop and optimize their visual storytelling strategy, paired with corporate workshops and one-on-one personal coaching to train marketing teams. The firm also generates thought leadership through the book 'Total Acuity', the 'Visual Storytelling Today' podcast, e-guides, a weekly newsletter, and keynote speaking engagements delivered by the founder. Services are anchored in proprietary methodologies (Visual Storytelling Framework, Total Acuity Methodology, Brand Narrative Development Process) for producing emotionally resonant, purpose-driven brand narratives.

Product overview

Visual Storytelling Institute (VSI) is a Miami-based consulting, training, and thought leadership company founded by Shlomi Ron. The company operates as a unified service offering organized around three pillars: (1) Consulting services for optimizing corporate storytelling strategy, (2) Training programs including Corporate Workshops and Personal Coaching for team and individual skill development, and (3) Thought Leadership through a book ('Total Acuity'), podcast ('Visual Storytelling Today'), newsletter, e-guides, blog content, speaking engagements, and an NFT Gallery. The portfolio is unified by the mission to help brands elevate their visual storytelling to drive business results.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Visual Storytelling Today: The company's podcast focused on visual storytelling, ranked in top 10 best business storytelling podcasts on the Web.
• Total Acuity

Products and services

• Visual Storytelling Consulting Customized consulting engagements that help brand and marketing leaders develop commercial stories, refine brand narrative strategy, and align storytelling with business outcomes. Designed for enterprise and mid-market organizations.
• Corporate Workshops Team training programs delivered to corporate clients to develop visual storytelling skills, content creation capabilities, and presentation techniques.
• Personal Coaching One-on-one coaching services for individuals such as startup founders, executives, and influencers seeking to develop personal brand narratives and visual storytelling capabilities.
• Speaking Services Keynote speaking engagements delivered by founder Shlomi Ron at corporate events, marketing conferences, and industry gatherings on visual storytelling, AI in marketing, and brand purpose.
• Total Acuity (Book) Published book by Shlomi Ron containing short stories with marketing morals and illustrative visuals demonstrating visual storytelling principles. Available for purchase as a standalone product.
• E-guides Premium digital downloadable guides on visual storytelling topics (e.g., 'The Landscape of AI Writing Tools') sold through the Gumroad storefront.

Quantifiable outcome

• Podcast ranked in top 10 best business storytelling podcasts on the Web
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Miami Tech Works / Tech Talent CoalitionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVSI founder Shlomi Ron participates in Miami Tech Works and Tech Talent Coalition - an industry-led partnership bringing together business leaders with education and training providers to align academic programs with tech industry needs in South Florida. Provides networking and thought leadership opportunities within Miami's growing tech ecosystem.
• University of Miami Business SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerShlomi Ron teaches Brand Storytelling at the University of Miami's Business School, combining academic instruction with industry expertise. This academic partnership enhances VSI's credibility and provides access to emerging business talent.
• GumroadminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorE-commerce platform used to sell digital products including e-guides. VSI distributes premium content and resources through Gumroad storefront.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Contently: Contently combines a content marketing platform with strategic services for enterprise brand storytelling. It overlaps VSI's consulting line while extending into technology and freelance talent networks.
• Section: Section offers cohort-based business courses taught by practitioners, combining live workshops with online curriculum. It overlaps with VSI's workshop/coaching offer but uses a tech-enabled cohort model rather than bespoke consulting.
• Animalz: Animalz is a content marketing agency producing long-form content for B2B SaaS and tech brands. It is comparable as a content strategy consultancy but focused on execution/output rather than the methodology/workshop emphasis VSI uses.

Direct peers

• Content Marketing Institute: Content Marketing Institute educates marketers on content strategy, runs conferences, and produces research. It overlaps with VSI in serving marketing teams that need frameworks, training, and thought leadership for content-driven brand storytelling.
• Duarte: Duarte trains and consults on presentation and storytelling for enterprise teams. It directly overlaps VSI's corporate workshop and visual storytelling methodology, with a stronger focus on presentation delivery and a longer operating history.
• StoryBrand: Donald Miller's StoryBrand is a direct peer offering brand storytelling frameworks, workshops, and certifications for businesses and marketers. It sells the same consulting/training combination VSI does, with a heavier emphasis on licensed guides and a larger speaker/training ecosystem.
• MarketingProfs: MarketingProfs delivers marketing training, workshops, and certifications to corporate marketers. Comparable to VSI's corporate workshops and personal coaching lines, with a broader curriculum across the marketing function.
• Anecdote: Anecdote is a business storytelling consultancy that helps leaders find and tell their stories through workshops and coaching. It directly parallels VSI's coaching and consulting offer, with similar boutique scale and practitioner-led delivery.

Broad incumbents

• IDEO: IDEO is a global design and innovation consultancy whose work frequently spans brand storytelling, customer experience, and visual communications. It is a broader incumbent operating at much larger scale than VSI but addressing overlapping enterprise buyer needs.
• Ogilvy: Ogilvy is a global advertising and brand strategy network with storytelling, content, and brand consulting capabilities. It competes with VSI for enterprise storytelling budgets but as a full-service agency rather than a specialist storytelling boutique.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/vistoinst
• Facebookfacebook.com/visualstorytellinginstitute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Visual Storytelling Institute