Author of Building a StoryBrand (originally published as StoryBrand). His key contribution is deceptively simple: position yourself as the mentor, not the hero. Your customer is the hero of their story. You’re the guide.
Most founders get this backwards. They’re so focused on their own journey—the struggle, the insight, the breakthrough—that they make themselves the protagonist. They tell origin stories centred on themselves. But nobody cares about your struggle except as context for why you can help them.
Miller flipped the framework. Yes, you had a journey. Yes, you transformed. But that transformation becomes capability. It becomes the tool you offer. Your customer is the hero. They face an obstacle (maybe one you also faced). They need guidance. You’re the mentor who’s been through the ordeal already.
This is a crucial reframe for business storytelling. The treasure you won through your struggle becomes the mechanism that helps your audience on their journey. Your origin story only matters if it explains why you can solve their problem.
Miller’s framework is practical. It maps to the Hero’s Journey but translates it specifically for business contexts. Customer sees a problem (the Call). Encounters your product or service (the Mentor appears). Faces the challenge of adopting it (the Ordeal). Emerges transformed (the Reward). But—and this is key—the customer is the one who transforms. Your role is supporting that transformation.
This changes how you build messaging. Your homepage isn’t about you. It’s about what problems your customers face. Your case studies aren’t celebrations of your brilliance—they’re evidence that you can guide people through their journey. Your origin story is relevant only if it establishes credibility for the guidance you offer.
Miller’s genius was recognising that most business storytelling fails because it’s centred on the wrong protagonist. You’re not the hero. You’re the guide. That sounds diminishing until you realise it’s actually more powerful. Mentors change lives. Heroes just have adventures.