Michael Urban | Founder

Your business is unique. A one of one. And when customers know exactly what separates your business from the rest, they flock to your products or services. But it’s harder than ever to capture attention and articulate why your solutions matter.

Most companies implement the same marketing playbook everyone else uses. Over time, your business starts to sound and look like all others. Your unique edge is blunted. The truth is when you blend in with the crowd, it’s harder and more expensive to attract customers.

There’s a better way. It starts with uncovering the core reason why your business exists. It continues with a marketing strategy built on the back of storytelling. Stories acting as magnets for the customers you’re uniquely positioned to serve.

Over a decade ago, I built a doughnut shop from scratch and grew it to multiple locations through founder-led storytelling. Although doughnut shops aren’t unique, my founder story was, and I used it to create magnetic marketing that attracted tens of thousands of customers.

No matter the business, I help founders attract more customers and grow revenue through strategic marketing and storytelling.

Every business is built on a story. Let’s tell yours.

Here’s how I can help your business attract more customers and grow:

Story Exploration

Discover what your business is actually saying - and what it should be saying.

Transform your marketing into stories that attract customers. Story Exploration is a 2-week program that includes:
  • Founder Discovery Session
  • A review of current marketing assets
  • Identification of your brand's unique story elements
  • Your brand's Story Exploration Report
    $1,500

Story Sprint

Uncover your core narrative and build your marketing foundation around it.

Transform your marketing into stories that attract customers. Story Exploration is a 2-week program that includes:
  • Founder Discovery Session
  • A review of current marketing assets
  • Identification of your brand's unique story elements
  • Your brand's Story Exploration Report
    $1,500

Story Partner

Your ongoing strategic and creative partner ensuring your story stays sharp.

Transform your marketing into stories that attract customers. Story Exploration is a 2-week program that includes:
  • Founder Discovery Session
  • A review of current marketing assets
  • Identification of your brand's unique story elements
  • Your brand's Story Exploration Report
    $1,500

  • “Not only is Michael an exceptional writer, he understands how to leverage world-class writing across channels, making his work stand out in a sea of mediocre copy."

    Jessica Kulick | Creative Director, storyarb

  • "Michael crafts content with my ideal customer in mind. His ability to connect what my business stands for with what my customers need is rare."

    Clayton Dorge | CEO, Scratchmade Events

I’ve told stories most of my professional life. A small business I founded, Harold’s Doughnuts, was built on a story. With no baking or culinary skills, I decided in 2014 that my hometown of Columbia, MO needed a craft doughnut shop. So, I built one based on a story that loving one’s craft could manifest itself in craft doughnuts with locally sourced, wholesome, & authentic ingredients included in each bite.

“Love Your Craft” became my business’s tagline and something much more: a common aspiration held in the hearts of not only my employees, but also in every one of the tens of thousands of customers we served.

The Harold’s story was one of unbridled tenacity, passion, & transformation of a vision into reality. My small craft doughnut business attracted the attention of nearly 30,000 followers on social media & email subscribers & powered the business to exhilarating levels of success over nearly 8 years.

I wasn’t always a founder. I’ve held executive level marketing positions within agencies & medium-sized companies. Early in my career, I worked on political campaigns & at one point spearheaded an effort to commercialize LLM technology to gauge public opinion on social media.

Through it all, I’ve noticed there’s no greater leverage a business or organization of any kind has than the stories it tells.

You already know your story. Let’s work together to tell it.