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Turn founder-led sales into a repeatable system.
We build the sales engine that a team can run without you.
Hello and welcome to StoryForm Labs
At StoryForm Labs, we believe a clear, compelling sales narrative is the foundation of every scalable business. Many founders we meet are stuck at the same place: they’ve built a great business, but are still the only one who can close new clients. Growth stalls not because the market isn’t there, but because the founder is doing 100% of the selling.
I’ve seen this across my career in investment banking, leading sales teams, and running demand generation. Founders hit a ceiling, and decide it’s time to hire their first AE or sales leader. But without a system in place, that hire is set up to fail. They can’t replicate the founder’s pitch, they struggle to convert leads, and the company burns time, cash, and confidence. It ends in missed targets, burned runway, and difficult layoffs.
That’s why I started StoryForm Labs.
We help founders turn their instinct-driven pitch into a clear narrative, a structured process, and a system reps can successfully follow. When the story and process are in place, hiring becomes safe, growth becomes predictable, and the founder finally gets out of the sales seat.
Each month, we partner with a small number of early-stage founders to build a sales machine that wins new clients, without them needing to be the one who closes the deals.
If you’re feeling that ceiling, and you’re ready to scale without risking another failed hire, we’d love to help.
Ian Adams
Founder, StoryForm Labs
The
Founder's Journey
96% of B2B companies will never grow beyond Phase 4
Scaling Founder-Led Sales Fails Without a System
The pattern is predictable: hire salespeople, costs rise faster than new revenue, layoffs occur, morale suffers.

Founder-Led Sales,
Capacity Constrained

Hire Sales Reps,
Cash Burn + Layoffs
We follow a proven process to design you a repeatable sales system
1. Design
Clarify your narrative. Define who you sell to and why you win.
2. Build
Turn the narrative into assets, scripts, and a repeatable sales playbook.
3. Validate
Pressure-test the system with real conversations and tighten what works.
4. Scale
Hire with confidence and run a sales engine that no longer depends on you.
We Deliver the Sales Foundations to Unblock the Founder Constraint → Built in 60 Days
ICP & Personas
Deep buyer profiles, buying journey, and competitive landscape including alternatives — every downstream section draws from what lives here.
Offer Design
The commercial foundation. We stress-test the offer across eleven dimensions before the narrative, the process, and the hiring system are built on top of it.
Sales Narrative
The story we tell the market. A new rep should be able to read this and know exactly what they're selling and why, without asking the founder.
Sales Process
The repeatable motion. If the founder is the only one who knows how a deal moves from first contact to closed, the business is still founder-dependent.
Demand Generation
The pipeline engine. Built after the foundation is solid. Demand generation on top of a weak narrative and undocumented process produces leads that can't be closed.
Scaling is Beautiful When You Build the System First
With a repeatable sales system, new revenue grows faster than sales costs - creating profitable, predictable growth.

Founder-Led Sales,
Capacity Constrained

Hire Sales Reps,
Profitable + Predictable Growth
Build a sales engine that powers
revenue growth year after year
We apply proven GTM frameworks and operational rigor used by high-performing B2B teams - and tailor them to early-stage founders who need clarity, confidence, and consistency.
"We are finally crystal clear on who we serve and how we sell to them. For the first time, our entire sales process is mapped, visual, and intentional. I can finally focus more on product. "
— Gunnar Pope, Founder, BitStory.ai
"Ian helped us articulate a sales narrative that resonates with the clients we want to work with. It gives us a stronger, more confident message in the market."
— Chris Daniello, Founder, Revenu Factor
Our work drives the metrics that matter
$1M+
Added in new sales
$150K
Saved from avoiding failed hires
*Results vary based on each business's unique circumstances.
A faster, more affordable path to repeatable sales than a Fractional CRO

We are an AI-native consulting firm that is able to deliver the best results at a lower cost by combining proven frameworks with the power of AI-agents to accelerate your path to a repeatable system.
Your story is your growth engine.
Reserve your spot.
Limited capacity. Schedule a 20-minute intro call to get started.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How fast can I get out of the sales seat?
The 60-Day Sprint is designed to give you a fully documented, executable sales system in eight weeks. By week 8, your ICP is defined, your narrative is written, your process has stages and scripts, and your demand strategy is built. That's the point where handing the motion to someone other than you becomes possible and safe.
What exactly do you build?
Five fully built sections in a Notion portal: ICP & Personas, Offer Design, Sales Narrative, Sales Process, and Demand Generation. Every deliverable is researched, written, and structured by Ian. The result is a system a rep can open on day one and execute without calling you to ask what to say.
Why should I hire you instead of a fractional CRO?
Fractional CROs cost $12K–$20K per month, require long-term commitments, and assume a system already exists. StoryForm Labs builds the system first for a one-time fee, split over 2 payments, with no ongoing contract required. One new deal at almost any B2B contract value covers the full cost of the sprint.
How do I know this will work for my business?
The case studies speak directly to that. At Yesware, the system helped grow ARR from $1M to $15M in 3.5 years. Within Vendasta's Enterprise team, closed-won bookings went from $620K to $2.1M in 12 months. The sprint is built on frameworks Ian has used across VC-backed SaaS companies and bootstrapped founder-led businesses, and now tailored specifically for your business.
Book your intro call
Let's talk for 20 minutes to see what we can do.
Let's Connect
Ian Adams | Founder, StoryForm Labs
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