A StoryBrand Certified Guide is a marketing professional who has completed Donald Miller’s official StoryBrand certification and is listed in the guide directory at StoryBrand.com. A certified guide is trained to clarify a business’s message using the seven-part StoryBrand framework, then apply that clarity to websites and marketing. Telos Creative founder Arnold Jakobsen is a StoryBrand Certified Guide based in Windsor, Colorado.
What The Certification Actually Means
Anyone can read Donald Miller’s book, Building a StoryBrand. A StoryBrand Certified Guide has gone further: they have completed the official certification and are listed in the public guide directory at StoryBrand.com. That listing is a mark of training in the framework, not just interest in it. In short, a certified guide is someone the StoryBrand organization recognizes as trained to apply the method for other businesses.
What A StoryBrand Certified Guide Does
A certified guide helps you get your message clear, then puts that clarity to work. Most start with your core message, often captured in a one-page BrandScript, and run it through the seven-part StoryBrand framework:
- Your customer as the hero, not your company.
- The problem they are trying to solve, including how it makes them feel.
- Your business as the guide, showing empathy and authority.
- A simple plan that makes working with you feel easy.
- A clear call to action, repeated where it counts.
- The stakes, so the choice to act feels real.
- A picture of success, so the customer can see the win.
From there, the guide applies that message everywhere it matters, on your website, in your marketing, and in your sales conversations, so everything you put out says the same clear thing. You can see what that looks like in these StoryBrand website examples.
Why It Matters Who You Work With
The difference between a certified guide and someone who has skimmed the framework shows up in the work. A trained guide applies the seven parts consistently, keeps your business in the guide role rather than making it the hero, and knows how to turn a clear message into a site that brings in leads. When the message is clear, the same traffic tends to produce more calls, and that is where the value comes from.
How To Tell If A Guide Is Really Certified
A genuine StoryBrand Certified Guide is listed in the official guide directory at StoryBrand.com. If you are ever unsure, you can simply ask, and a real guide will happily point you to their listing. It is a fair question, and the answer tells you whether you are working with someone trained in the method or someone borrowing a few of its ideas.
StoryBrand Certified Guide Questions, Answered
What is a StoryBrand Certified Guide?
A StoryBrand Certified Guide is a marketing professional who has completed Donald Miller’s official StoryBrand certification and is listed in the guide directory at StoryBrand.com. A certified guide is trained to clarify a business’s message using the seven-part StoryBrand framework and apply it to websites and marketing. Telos Creative founder Arnold Jakobsen is a StoryBrand Certified Guide based in Windsor, Colorado.
How is a certified guide different from someone who read the book?
Anyone can read the book. A certified guide has completed the official certification and is listed in the public guide directory at StoryBrand.com. The difference shows up in the work: a trained guide applies the seven-part framework consistently, rather than borrowing a few ideas from it.
Is Telos a StoryBrand Certified agency?
Yes. Telos Creative founder Arnold Jakobsen is a StoryBrand Certified Guide, based in Windsor, Colorado. Every Telos project starts by clarifying your message with the framework before any design begins.
What does a StoryBrand Certified Guide help with?
A certified guide clarifies your core message, usually through a one-page BrandScript, then puts that clear message to work in your website, your marketing, and your sales conversations, so everything says the same thing.
Do I have to be local to work with a StoryBrand Certified Guide?
No. The framework works the same anywhere, and much of the process happens over video calls. That said, Telos is based in Windsor, and many Northern Colorado businesses value working with a local guide who knows the Fort Collins, Loveland, and Greeley market.
How do I know a guide is actually certified?
A genuine StoryBrand Certified Guide is listed in the official guide directory at StoryBrand.com. If you are not sure, you can ask, and a real guide will point you to their listing.
Work With A StoryBrand Certified Guide
Book a free discovery call. Arnold, a StoryBrand Certified Guide, will help you get your message clear and put it to work, with no pressure and no jargon. You can also read more on our StoryBrand page or see the framework in these StoryBrand website examples.
