John Elbing

John Elbing is the creator of Storybuilding and the founder of Standpoint, a brand-narrative practice in Geneva, Switzerland.

Storybuilding is a method for building a company's story from the customer's standpoint rather than its own. Three steps happen in every person's mind when they meet a brand — Recognition, Perception, Projection — and the story is built to survive all three. It works through a sequence of canvases a company's client-facing team fills in together, in workshops they run rather than receive from an agency.

Born in the U.S. and raised in Switzerland, John has worked across software development, digital marketing and startups, and has coached over 150 companies. He holds degrees in computer science and business, and teaches entrepreneurship and marketing.

He is the author of Storybuilding: Your Brand From Their Standpoint (2025), and co-author, with Luisa Colombo, of Charting Your Retirement Journey (2025).

He works in English and French, supports marginalized communities in building their futures, and lives in Geneva with his daughter, his partner, and a cat unimpressed by his accomplishments.