One more final big lesson? Overspending on gimmicks like CGI videos and influencers. I love all the creativity from the experiences but I definitely have overspent at different times.
Founder Friday this week meets Meghan McTavish, the mastermind behind The Plotline Journal—a journal that converts ordinary journaling into a screenwriting adventure. Say goodbye to passive reflection; Meghan’s approach places you in the director’s chair, and the mess of life becomes plot turns and daily moments into epic scenes.
It started in a black book. Bedridden after a brutal divorce, Meghan was drowning in doom-scrolling and desperation. Then, an epiphany: What if she wrote her days like a screenplay? That shift—from victim to heroine—lit a flame. What began as a private lifeline then became The Plotline©, a guided journal rooted in narrative psychology, where framing your life as a story unlocks meaning, resilience, and purpose.
Writing the story
For Meghan, the art of storytelling comes as naturally as breathing. Having worked as a digital editor for Qantas Magazine, freelanced for the likes of Margot Robbie’s Papa Salt, and spent years perfecting the craft of telling great stories, she’s a seasoned media pro. But The Plotline©©—her guided journaling business—wasn’t on her to-do list. It sprang out of an incredibly personal moment. “I was in a bad patch,” claims McTavish. “To alter my mindset, I started writing a journal—but not the kind where you journal about your feelings. Instead, I inserted myself into the situation of being the lead in a film. What would this scene be like in a movie? How would the scene be acted out? How would my character continue?”
The exercise was eye-opening. This method of recasting her life experience gave her a fresh perspective on her own narrative. And once she had started, she discovered that she wasn’t the only one who could benefit from this kind of change of view.
“That’s when it struck me,” she says. “What if I developed a journal that would allow people to see their own lives as a story worth telling?”
And so was created The Plotline©—a guided journal that encourages individuals to “screenwrite their day” and enter their own narrative with greater intention. By merging a passion for storytelling with a passion for personal growth, McTavish has developed something more than a journal. It’s a self-discovery tool, a way in which individuals can rewrite their lives, and most importantly, a reminder that each individual’s story is one worth being told.
Key strategies
I focused on buyers in Australia, New Zealand, and Canada—those markets really adopted the brand—and expanded from there
Three things have contributed to the growth of The Plotline© by Meghan McTavish: positioning, storytelling, and community. Positioning it as a luxury self-help tool. Journals are everywhere, so The Plotline© needed to be different—not another notebook, but something coveted. “I wanted it to feel elevated, like something you’d be proud to leave on your coffee table rather than toss in a drawer,” Meghan explains. The goal wasn’t just aesthetics; it was about crafting an experience that made people feel like the main character in their own lives. Storytelling in its purest form. The brand as narrative, and every touchpoint—product copy, package, marketing—reinforcing it. “Customers aren’t buying a journal,” she says. “They’re entering a mindset shift.” By using storytelling in every part of the brand, McTavish turns The Plotline© not just into a product but an experience.
Building a niche but intensely loyal fan base. Instead of throwing a wide net, she began with those who were already fans of creativity, self-awareness, and personal development. “I focused on buyers in Australia, New Zealand, and Canada—those markets really adopted the brand—and expanded from there.” By backing a loyal tribe rather than aiming for a large audience, she built a solid foundation for consistent growth over the long term. These strategies have established The Plotline© as a leader in an oversaturated market, proving that when a brand is created to be personal, it becomes something people want to belong to.
For Meghan McTavish, The Plotline© is not just another journaling company—it’s a mindset shift. “Most guided journals are gratitude, goal-setting, or wellness, and those are all great,” she continues. “But I wanted to tap into something deeper—the power of narrative psychology.” The way people tell their own stories, she goes on, directly affects the way they see themselves. That’s why The Plotline© avoids standard ‘Dear Diary’ prompts and instead offers a screenwriting-based framework that invites users to reimagine their everyday lives as if they were writing a screenplay for a movie.
What also sets the brand apart is the tone. Meghan goes out of her way to avoid the excessively polished, earnest tone that pervades the self-help genre. The Plotline©, however, is more conversational, more tongue-in-cheek, and infused with a wink of humor. “It doesn’t feel like homework,” she explains.
“It feels like something you want to do.” Staying ahead of the game is all about constantly evolving, and for McTavish, the journal is just the beginning. She has already begun a Substack to further expound on the principles of The Plotline© and is in the process of developing a podcast, Plot Armor, to bring the storytelling concept into other mediums. She’s also exploring wholesale agreements with bookstores and brands aligned with her values. “It’s about building something bigger than just a product,” she explains. “It’s about creating a movement around the idea that our lives are stories worth telling.”
The biggest challenges
The best founders aren’t the ones who dogmatically stick to the original plan but the ones who evolve and get better as they go
For Meghan, the biggest lesson in business is simple: start before you’re ready. “The Plotline© wasn’t completely finished when I first put it out into the world,” she admits. “I rewrote along the way. If you wait until it’s all perfect, you’ll never leave.”
She believes that the most effective way to be heard in a saturated marketplace is through storytelling. People don’t buy products—they buy what they represent. The brands that succeed are the ones that elicit feelings from their consumers. For The Plotline©, that meant tapping into narrative psychology and inviting individuals to rewrite their own lives as if it were a script.
Meghan also stresses the importance of having a good ‘why’ prior to worrying about the ‘how.’ Logistics—manufacturing, selling, filling orders—can all be figured out, but in the absence of a good reason for doing so, barriers become impossible to overcome.
“Your customers are more valuable than any marketing ploy,” she says. Most of her most vital development has not happened through commercials but through consumers who are a believer in the product—people who forward The Plotline© to friends as gifts, share it in group texts, and promote it in ways no advertising campaign ever could. She’s also learned that business is all about continuous evolution. The Plotline© has already undergone changes in positioning, target markets, and growth strategy. “The best founders aren’t the ones who dogmatically stick to the original plan,” she says, “but the ones who evolve and get better as they go.”
At its core, The Plotline© isn’t just a journal—it’s a mindset shift. By applying storytelling principles to daily life, it helps people reframe challenges, take ownership of their narrative, and see every moment—big or small—as part of a meaningful story arc. Because life isn’t just happening to you. You’re the main character.
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