In your business, nobody buys until they trust the person. StoryDNA turns your real story into content and ads that build that trust before the first conversation — so enquiries land in your WhatsApp already warm, from a channel you own instead of rent. One shoot day a month. We run the rest.
For founder-led service businesses — advisors, coaches, consultants, gyms, groomers. Modern Wealth Academy, The Strength Yard, Daniel Heng, and more.
In just 1 year, across 10+ founder-led businesses
Up to 12×
Lower CPL
250+
Leads in 2 months
Up to 4×
Sales increase
20–30%
MoM growth
Fuelled by 10M+ organic views of reach — but the point was never views. It's pipeline.
Brands we've helped build on social media
Fitness
Financial Education
Streetwear
Interior Design
Pet Grooming
Financial Education
Nightlife
Real Estate
Representatives
FA Recruitment
Representatives
Fitness
Financial Education
Streetwear
Interior Design
Pet Grooming
Financial Education
Nightlife
Real Estate
Representatives
FA Recruitment
Representatives
The problem
You're not short of leads.
You're short of leads you own.
Here's what founders tell us on the first call — in their own words.
01
“My leads come from an external vendor.”
So you pay for every single one. You don't know what the ad said. Nobody who saw it knows who you are. And the day you stop paying, the leads stop — with nothing left behind.
02
“Lead quality is inconsistent.”
Because the lead met an ad, not you. They're comparing you on price against three other names from the same funnel — which is exactly what happens when trust hasn't been built yet.
03
“My Meta account keeps getting banned.”
When your whole pipeline lives inside one ad account, a ban isn't a marketing problem. It's a revenue event. A channel you own doesn't disappear because a platform changed its mind.
Underneath all of these is the same thing: you've been buying attention in a business where trust is the whole sale.
Attention is rented. Trust compounds — but only if it's you they're learning to trust. Content alone doesn't generate leads. Ads alone don't build trust. A videographer alone doesn't understand your positioning. They only work as one system, built on your story.
Your competitors with steady inbound aren't luckier. Their story is doing the trust-building before the call. Yours could be.
The outcome
When the system is running, this is what your week looks like.
- Every piece of content earns its place — built to pull in leads, not just rack up likes.
- Inbound leads land in your DMs — warm, already knowing your story before they reach out.
- You know which content drives pipeline and which is just noise. No more hoping the algorithm loves you.
- The right people find you — buyers who match your offer, not just random reach.
- You stop paying agencies that produce pretty content with no revenue attached.
- Your brand feels like something. Prospects quote your content back to you before the first call.
The method
Every founder story has 8 Genes. Most businesses only use two.
We're not looking for content ideas. We're looking for the eight things a stranger needs to know about you before they'll hand you their money, their body, their dog, or their retirement.
01
Origin
“Where did this start?”
Who you were before all this, and how it shaped you.
02
Belief
“Why do you do it this way?”
The convictions that shape how you operate — and what you refuse to do.
03
Transformation
“What changes for me?”
The customer transformation. Where they are now, and where you take them.
04
Expertise
“What do you know that I don't?”
Knowledge earned from experience, shown rather than claimed.
05
Connection
“Do you understand people like me?”
The human moments that make a stranger think — that's me.
06
Difference
“Why you and not the one down the road?”
What competitors can't replicate, because it's true of you and not them.
07
Proof
“Has this worked for someone like me?”
Evidence that builds trust, in the customer's words and context.
08
Vision
“Where is this going?”
What you're trying to build — the reason people follow, refer, and stay.
Most founders' content only ever expresses two — usually Expertise and Proof — which is why it looks like everyone else's, and converts like it too.
Eight Genes generate 24 content formats — so the same story can be told a different way every week without running dry. Phase one of every engagement is your StoryDNA report: which Genes your content already expresses, which are silent, and what we build from them.
Read the eight questions again. How many does your content actually answer?
How it comes together
Story, made visible, then put to work.
StoryDNA
Positioning you to stand out as a 1 of 1 — the eight Genes, extracted and mapped.
StoryDNA Creatives
How to convey that visually — your stories in your own voice, as reels and carousels.
StoryDNA Engine
How to attract the right leads consistently — page, automations, funnel, and ads on top of what already works.
Case studies
Real businesses. Real problems. Real outcomes.
Not vanity metrics. Business outcomes — leads generated, sales increased, cost per lead reduced.
Modern Wealth Academy
Financial Education, Singapore
The challenge
A financial education platform with a powerful founder story (stroke survivor at 19, multi-millionaire by 32) but no system to turn that story into consistent content and high-ticket conversions. Socials were getting just hundreds of views.
What we did
We built a content engine around Resh's transformation story. Since then, this 7-figure business has grown 20–30% month-on-month for roughly six months, and webinar attendance doubled. The content delivered too — a carousel hit 600K+ and a video 350K views organically — but the real result is the business growth.
FA Recruitment
Financial Advisory, Singapore
The challenge
Financial advisor recruitment is one of the most expensive verticals for lead gen. Industry CPL averages $30-80 per lead. Traditional recruitment ads feel corporate and get scrolled past.
What we did
We installed a content system around authentic founder storytelling, then scaled the winning organic content as recruitment ads. The result: 250+ qualified leads in two months at roughly a third of the industry's cost per lead — in one of the most expensive verticals for lead gen.
The Strength Yard
Community Gym, Singapore
The challenge
A well-loved neighbourhood gym with a strong community but no social media presence. Industry CPL for gyms is typically $20-50 per lead through traditional advertising. Online, they were invisible.
What we did
We crafted a content identity around the gym's personality: street interviews, "gym news" skits, and founder stories. We then scaled the best-performing content as ads, bringing cost-per-lead down to up to 12× lower than the industry average. The viral reach (500K+ views) was the fuel; the lower CPL was the result.
SimpleCivet
Streetwear Brand, Singapore
The challenge
The business was in serious trouble. Sales were declining, the brand had no online presence, and the founder was unsure if the business would survive. They had zero organic views and no content strategy.
What we did
We encouraged the founder to share his personal story: the struggles, the early days, even the question of whether SimpleCivet would survive. This raw, authentic content resonated. Pinned videos hit 31K-75K views. Sales quadrupled within 2 months. Customers now engage during lives and buy products directly.
Loft4Paws
Pet Grooming, Singapore
The challenge
A brand new pet salon with zero online presence. No social media, no inbound leads, no brand recognition. Starting completely from scratch in a competitive market.
What we did
We built TikTok content around the grooming experience. Within weeks, the owner was getting WhatsApp messages saying "Saw your pet grooming shop via TikTok". Generated 100+ leads — her best month in sales, driven by the content system.
Screenshots from real campaigns
Straight from WhatsApp
What clients say when they think no one's watching.
Unedited messages from real conversations. No prompting, no scripts.
From our clients
Don't take our word for it.
“Restive helped us achieve a million views in just a month.”
40+ qualified recruitment leads in a month
Financial Advisor Leader
FA Recruitment
Edmund
The Strength Yard
Asher
SimpleCivet
Resh
Modern Wealth Academy
Daniel Heng
FA Recruitment
Resh
Modern Wealth Academy
Terence
Co-founder, Ascension Profits
Restive was able to not just guide me on getting more views and followers, but also in how to have an overall strategy so these views and followers translate to business prospects.
Linus
magicshow.sg
Working with Restive has been a joy, from the start, they were able to capture the essence of my project idea and communicate that to the different stakeholders involved, making the experience seamless and professional. At the same time, they were flexible and able to accommodate to impromptu changes and ultimately delivered a high level of quality end product.
Yi Khoo
Client
StoryDNA by Restive
A 4-phase system to turn content into revenue.
Not a one-off campaign. A permanent engine built on authentic storytelling that compounds over time. Organic builds trust. Ads scale it. Your prospects already trust you before they ever get on a call.
StoryDNA Extraction
Extraction and analysis. We pull out all eight Genes — your origin, your convictions, the transformation you create — and turn them into a customer report and a positioning that makes you a 1 of 1 rather than one of many.
StoryDNA Blueprint
Your Genes become formats. We map which stories get told, in which shape, to which audience — then script and shoot them. One shoot day a month; we handle ideation, direction and edit.
StoryDNA Engine
The system that turns attention into conversations. Winning organic content scaled as ads, your landing page, and WhatsApp automation so an enquiry is answered in your voice instead of sitting unread.
StoryDNA Optimisation
Double down on the angles, positioning and formats that resonate; cut what fades. Creative gets refreshed before it tires, so cost per lead keeps falling instead of creeping back up.
Is this for you?
We're selective about who we work with.
This is for you if:
- You believe in long-term brand building, not quick hacks
- You have a proven product or service that people already buy
- You want a system, not a one-off viral moment
- You're ready to show up on camera and share your authentic story
- You're willing to invest in ads to scale what works
- You see content as an investment, not an expense
This is NOT for you if:
- You want overnight results with zero effort
- You're looking for the cheapest option
- You just want more followers, not more revenue
- You're not willing to put in the work or show up on camera
- You think social media is a fad
A note on fit
StoryDNA is for established founder-led businesses — ones already closing through relationships and wanting more of them, not their first ones. If you're earlier than that, we'd rather tell you now than take an hour of your day to say it. Follow along on Instagram in the meantime: the frameworks are there for free, and the door stays open.
What it takes
We build the system. But you are the brand.
The best-performing content comes from founders and teams who are willing to put in the work alongside us. Here's what we need from you:
Show up on camera
One shoot day per month. We handle scripting, directing, and editing. You bring the energy and authenticity.
Share your real story
Your journey, struggles, and wins. The raw, unfiltered stuff that makes people connect with your brand.
Dig up the archives
Old photos, behind-the-scenes clips, early days footage. These assets are gold for storytelling content that builds trust.
Be ready to scale
When we find winning content, we scale it with paid ads. You should be ready to invest in amplifying what works to drive consistent leads.
What you get
Everything included in the install.
No hidden fees. No nickel-and-diming. Every deliverable is built on authentic storytelling — not trends, not templates. And it's built for founders and teams who don't have time to babysit a content system. We run every step end-to-end.
24 StoryDNA creatives across the 3-month build
Reels and carousels built from your Genes — engineered to lower CPL, not just look good
1 shoot day per month
We come to you. You bring the story, we handle the rest
Ideation, scripting, shooting & editing
End-to-end production. You don't manage a team of freelancers — we are the team
Ad scaling — the Restive method
We run your winners as ads with a simple ruleset. Not a separate ad-agency service — baked into the install
Guided installation for ManyChat DM automation
Inbound leads from every video captured and routed — nothing slips
Monthly performance review by our team
Double down on winners, cut what doesn't work
Direct access to Markus + team
No account managers. You talk to the people doing the work
The 6-month and 1-year plans. Full breakdown and pricing on your StoryDNA Consult.
Meet Markus.
Hi, I'm Markus, the founder at Restive.
As someone who does storytelling, I thought it'd be apt for you to know about mine — a visual version exists here if that's easier.
About 2 minutes.
I used to be at Accenture doing tech consulting. I honestly wasn't doing too well — kept getting passed up for promotions. And it just seemed like a wrong fit. I wanted something more creative.
Around that time I started noticing which businesses around Singapore were closing, and which weren't. The ones that survived had one thing in common — social media.
What if I could blend what I loved (creativity) with something that actually helps people?
The first year almost broke me. I didn't pay myself for 8 months. Some months the company made $300. I was so desperate to get good that I paid $7,500 for coaching. It got me out of that hole, and a few months later I hit my first $10K month.
Then I paid another $10,000 to a mentor who taught me something simple: storytelling is the only thing that holds up on social media. Pretty content is a race to the bottom.
It resonated with me and I tested it on The Strength Yard. The videos hit. Leads came in. That was the moment content stopped being content and became a system — one built on real stories.
Since then, we've helped 10+ businesses do the same — 10M+ organic views and real revenue. How? We help them tell authentic stories, people connect deeper, and they buy. It's differentiation at a deeper level — because no one can copy your stories.
These days I'm lucky to work with clients who value what we do — founders who enjoy the creativity we bring and want to tell their real story. We ask for 90 days up front — not to trap you, but because the system needs a runway to compound. After that, clients stay because they want to, not because a contract says so.
Storytelling is what we specialize in. It's what separates content from noise. If any of this resonates and you want to see if we're a fit — book the StoryDNA Consult.
Common questions
Before you apply.
The test isn't your industry — it's whether your customer has to trust a person before they buy. An advisor, a coach, a consultant, a gym owner, a groomer: in all of them someone is handing over their money, their body, their dog, or their retirement, and they want to know who they're handing it to. That's where founder storytelling does the heavy lifting. We've installed the same system across financial education, FA recruitment, gyms, pet grooming, interior design and more. If your sale closes on trust in you, it fits.
Within 30-60 days, most clients see the lead generation system producing inbound enquiries at cost-per-lead measurably below their industry benchmarks. Reach usually follows — most clients see a piece take off in that window — but that is a side effect, not the goal. Lead flow is the signal we optimise for, and the one we report on.
You choose a 6-month or a 1-year plan. We ask for that long because it's the runway the system needs to compound — build, scale, sharpen — and because creative has to be refreshed before it goes stale. There's no month-to-month. Everything we make is yours to keep.
Getting the system working is the easy half. Two things happen if the work stops. First, ad fatigue — even winning creative eventually goes stale, and CPL creeps back up if nobody refreshes it. Second, your organic channel stops compounding the moment you stop feeding it. A plan keeps new creative coming, the ads re-optimized as the market and the platform shift, and the channel alive — which is exactly when the numbers get good.
Yes. The most powerful content features the founder or team. Authenticity is what drives connection and trust. We handle the scripting, shooting, and editing. You show up for one shoot day per month, bring your real story, and dig up old photos and behind-the-scenes footage. The raw stuff is what makes content connect.
The system requires ads to produce consistent quality leads — that's the honest answer. We've had clients insist on going full organic. We got them viral. But after the spurt of sales wore off, it didn't turn into sustainable, consistent business. Organic alone builds brand and trust; ads are what turn that trust into scalable, predictable lead flow. Because we run proven organic content as ads (not typical ad creative), clients consistently see dramatically lower cost per lead than industry averages.
Most agencies create content for engagement or long-term branding that may not drive measurable results. We install a proven system for lead generation — the same one that's already working for 10+ businesses. Every piece of content we create is engineered to move a viewer closer to becoming a customer. We handle the full funnel: content creation, ad scaling, and lead capture automation.
We work with both: founders who don't have the overhead of an in-house content operation, AND teams with existing marketers, agencies, or freelancers that aren't producing the results they expected. End-to-end, we handle ideation, scripting, shooting (one day on camera every three months, we come to you), editing, ad management using our proven playbook, DM automations, and performance reviews whenever you want them. You show up for that shoot day, and we run everything else — or we plug into your existing team and sharpen what isn't working. The StoryDNA Consult is where we figure out the right structure.
Quality over quantity. Every client gets direct access to me and my team. We shoot, script, edit, and optimize everything. Taking on more clients would dilute the attention each one gets. We take just 3 clients a month — and we've sold out every month this year. When we're full, we close the doors for that month.
StoryDNA by Restive runs as a 6-month or a 1-year plan. We break down exactly what's included and your investment on the StoryDNA Consult. Best fit: founder-led businesses past ~$20K/month that can comfortably invest in marketing. We take 3 clients a month; when we're full, we close the doors.
Then this isn't the right time, and we'd rather say so than take a call that wastes an hour of your day. StoryDNA is for established founder-led businesses — ones already closing through relationships and wanting more of them, not their first ones. If you're earlier than that, follow along on Instagram: the frameworks are there for free, and the door stays open.
“We're not hired to make content. We're hired to install a system that turns your authentic story into business results.”
Let's install your inbound lead engine.
Book a StoryDNA Consult — a real conversation about your business and whether our proven system is the right fit.
No pitch. No pressure. Just clarity on what's possible.
Yes — install the system in my businessWe take on just 3 clients a month. When we're full, we close the doors.
Not ready to book?
Follow along or drop me a message.
Follow for weekly content breakdowns, frameworks, and behind-the-scenes. Or DM me directly with any question about your business. I read every message.