I’m sitting in my office, in the middle of a packed week, buried in designs and ad campaigns.

Across from my office door, my brother (and business partner) Max, is trapped in his own pile of deadlines.

The phone rings. He answers it, and I see his eyes open wide — the kind of wide that means something just went very right

…or very wrong.

A type of stare that says, “Buckle up.”

He mouths:

“It’s Darren.
Owns a baby furniture company.
Big problem.”

I forget about my deadlines and quickly run over.

I hear Darren’s voice through the speaker.

He says:

“We’re spending $50,000 a month on digital advertising
...and we’re not seeing results.”

That gets my attention.

So we dive straight in, and for the next hour, we fire off questions.

Who’s your target audience?
What’s your goal?
What products bring in the most profit?

He tells us about his handcrafted cribs, the wood finishes, and the bespoke quality.
He’s passionate, and his products are actually unique.

This could be a great client.

Then he says:

“I set up the Google Ads myself. I’ll send you the account.”

I head back to my desk, pretending I’m still in control of my to-do list.

In the meantime, my brother starts to explore.

Within minutes, Max’s eyes again—wide!

He signals me to come over quickly, so I jump out of my chair and rush to his desk.

I look at his screen. My stomach drops.

We call him back immediately.

“Darren, we have bad news, and good news,” Max says,

The bad news is your entire ad budget is being wasted.

Almost none match your actual products.

Some aren’t even in the same industry.
Some are for strollers. Some for toys.
Even one for “baby photography.”

In fact, eighty percent of your keywords have nothing to do with what you sell. Not just on ads that didn’t perform, but ads that never stood a chance.

There’s silence on the line. Then a quiet:

“That’s… a lot of money.”

He realizes that he’s burned $50,000 with no return.

“But there’s good news,” we tell him. “We can fix this.”

And we do.
We rebuild the campaigns.
Tighten every keyword.
Align every ad with his company's values.

Within weeks, the results speak for themselves, and this client would become one of the most important stories we tell as a business.

It didn’t just say we were competent.
It didn’t just say we could deliver.
It said something deeper:

If you’re doing this alone — or you trust the wrong people — you’re taking risks you can’t afford.

Every Business Has a Story Like This.

A moment when things went wrong, when you learned something the hard way, or when you helped someone avoid disaster.

Business owners don’t need uncertainty.

They want clarity.
They want confidence.
They want an expert on their side who can tell them exactly what needs to be done.

When you need storytelling in your business — and everyone does – you have a choice:

You can turn to people who claim to know what they are doing...
or you can learn from someone who’s spent more than two decades doing it at the highest level.

Matthew Dicks isn’t just another consultant or coach.

He’s worked with everyone — from Fortune 100 companies and nonprofits to startups, small businesses, CEOs, and religious organizations. He’s taught storytelling to professional Santa Clauses, world-renowned magicians, the Mohawk Nation of Canada, and even the FBI.

And while most “experts” teach theory, Matt still steps onto stages all over the world, telling stories that move tens of thousands of people.

He’s a bestselling author on storytelling, a bestselling novelist, a stand-up comedian, and a guy who’s written a daily blog for nearly twenty years that reaches readers around the globe.

That’s not someone who studies storytelling.

That’s someone who lives it.

That’s why companies, leaders, and creators of every kind turn to Matthew Dicks.
He doesn’t just teach you how to tell stories— he shows you how to make them unforgettable. 

If you want to tell stories that actually move people — customers, clients, teams — learn from the person the world’s top companies trust.

Join us inside Storyworthy for Business and start telling stories that stick.