From Storytelling to Storyliving: The Shift That Built 787 Coffee and How It Can Build Your Brand Too
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Most brands tell stories. The legendary ones live them.
At 787 Coffee, we started by telling our story—beans grown in Puerto Rico, roasted by hand, brewed with purpose. We showed humans the process, the visuals, the values. But over time, we realized that in business (and in life), you don’t just win by saying something meaningful. You win by building something unforgettable.
That’s where storyliving begins.
And here’s the good news: every small business can do this.
Why Storyliving Beats Storytelling
Storytelling captures attention.
Storyliving earns loyalty.
Google-backed studies have shown this:
Type of Learning and the Retention Rate :
Lecture-style learning - 5% Retention Rate
Reading - 10% Retention Rate
Audio-visual (video) - 20% Retention Rate
Immersive Experience (VR) - 75% Retention Rate
(Source: Training Industry, PIXO VR)
Translation? Humans remember what they live, not what they hear.
This is why brands like:
Nike invite you to run with their community, not just wear the logo.
Apple stores let you touch, swipe, and feel the ecosystem—not just browse it.
Airbnb didn’t just show you homes; they built a world of connection, hosted by locals
At 787 Coffee, We Made the Shift
We moved from saying to doing:
Farm-to-Cup Immersions – We let customers walk the farm in Puerto Rico and see exactly where their coffee begins.
Interactive Workshops – Our V-60 and Bean to Brew experiences let guests touch, taste, and learn their coffee. We even roast coffee together.
Community Events – We host open mics, art nights, perreo parties... humans don’t just drink our coffee—they live the culture. - The music we play in our coffee shops is a true reflection of the company we have all build.
This is how we caffeinate our brand. With action, not just design.
How You Can Bring Storyliving Into Your Business
Whether you’re a tattoo artist, a fitness coach, a fashion brand, or running a bakery, here’s how to shift from storytelling to storyliving:
1. Design an Experience
Don’t just explain your process—invite people into it.
Let them taste, try, feel, touch.
2. Train Your Team to Live the Brand
Your team, each one of them are walking billboards.
If they don’t embody the energy, no customer will feel it.
3. Create Shareable Moments
Use Instagrammable, TikTokable, real-life moments to let your customers retell the story on your behalf.
4. Reward Participation, Not Just Purchases
Let customers co-create your story—through community events, feedback loops, surprise shoutouts, or collabs.
Pro Tip from Psychology
Storytelling activates the brain's language and listening centers.
But storyliving? It lights up the sensory, emotional, and decision-making areas—making your brand unforgettable.
Let’s Connect On Social
Let’s understand the concept.
How Apple Stores Became the Ultimate Storyliving Experience
A real story about experience > explanation
In the late 1990s, Apple was still a niche brand—cool among creatives, but far from the household force it is today.
Steve Jobs knew that Apple’s story couldn’t just be told in ads or brochures.
It needed to be felt.
So he did something most tech companies thought was crazy:
He decided to open retail stores.
But not just any store.
Not rows of products or walls of discounts.
Jobs wanted something radical: a temple of the brand.
A place where humans didn’t just shop—they belonged.
The Turning Point: The Prototype Store
In 2001, before launching the first Apple Store, Jobs built a full mock store inside a warehouse. He and his team walked through it daily, questioning everything:
“Is this a store, or an experience?”
“Does this make humans feel smarter, or overwhelmed?”
“What’s the story we’re living the second we walk in?”
The result?
🧠 They removed cash registers from the front.
📱 They encouraged play—letting customers touch everything.
💬 They trained staff as "Geniuses", not “salespeople.”
☁️ They created open tables instead of locked cases.
🌱 They gave the space breathing room—like a gallery, not a gadget shop.
The Goal Was Never Just to Sell Products
It was to let customers live the brand’s philosophy:
Simplicity. Innovation. Creativity. Empowerment.
Storyliving, not storytelling.
They didn’t put signs that said “Think Different.”
They built a place that let you think different.
And that experience was so powerful…
By 2020, Apple Stores were making more money per square foot than Tiffany & Co. and were visited more often than Disney parks.
🚀 Why It Works
Humans don’t remember sales pitches.
They remember how they felt inside a space.
Apple proved that designing an experience is the fastest way to build belief.
Final Message to Business Owners
Stop trying to go viral with clever copy.
Start becoming memorable with lived impact.
Humans don’t fall in love with what you say. They fall in love with what they get to be part of.
YOU GOT THIS!
Call to Action
If you’re ready to turn your brand from a story into an experience, join one of my Business Labs or sign up for the weekly Strategy Meetings.
I’ll teach you how to:
Build real-world brand energy
Create unforgettable moments
Turn your clients into community
Let’s stop telling stories.
Let’s start living them.
✍️ Brandon Ivan Peña is a business coach, Latino entrepreneur, speaker, and founder of 787 Coffee and award winner author of the Creative Fucker book. He teaches leaders how to scale with soul, build teams that thrive, and grow with purpose. For more insights, workshops, and resources, visit soybrandon.com and follow him @soybrandon