Failure is a part of the process that every entrepreneur experiences and if used wisely, it can help you to grow.
Ryan Andreas has been an entrepreneur since the age of 13. As a student at the Orfalea College of Business at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, his area of concentration was entrepreneurship. Throughout his college life, he simultaneously ran a number of online businesses. The combination of studying entrepreneurship and working as an entrepreneur greatly transformed his knowledge of digital innovation and advertising technology.
Born in Santa Barbara, California, Ryan is currently a resident of Miami, Florida and is a managing partner at Quantified Media. This digital advertising company focuses on product creation from its beginning to completion. Ryan travels regularly to the international branches of Quantified Media.
What attracted you to working at Quantified Media?
I have a deep passion for not only learning, but also sharing the knowledge I have gained. I often reminisce about the challenges I faced as a budding entrepreneur and how I had to overcome the struggles without help or guidance from anyone. Successful entrepreneurship has a number of brutal pitfalls; particularly if there is no indication that these difficulties are up ahead.
With that in mind, I made the decision to provide assistance to others that I never had the privilege of accessing. This is a way to ensure that entrepreneurs endure fewer struggles and begin to enjoy the benefits of entrepreneurship a lot quicker than I was able to. I see this as a method of “paying it forward.”
What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?
I wake up on a typical day and a part of my morning routine is looking for the latest developments within the industry. Based on the discovery I make, I might use the information to tweak current strategies or develop new ones to assist current and future clients. To be productive on a daily basis, I carry out a lot of research. It is a huge part of how I get the job done. It is vital to keep up with changing times as doing this essential to crafting new strategies, improving existing ones and devising business opportunities that can potentially benefit my clients.
How do you bring your ideas to life?
I pay attention to detail and plan carefully to bring my ideas to life. I create checklists and write notes to ensure that when I have a new idea or become inspired I can write it down and expand on it. The checklists help to ensure that I adhere to the details and see the progress I have made over a given period.
What is one trend that excites you?
Video content in general and live video in particular is a technology trend I currently find captivating because it fosters seamless communication. As a content marketing success, live video enables marketers and entrepreneurs to satisfy the needs of clients or consumers for personal connection and instant gratification.
In the past few years, the popularity of video content has tremendously increased. Live video has more recently captivated the attention of the majority. This makes digital marketing appear more personal and a little less digital, which succeeds in drawing people in.
What is one habit that more productive as an entrepreneur?
I feel most productive when I am coming up with practical solutions for the people who depend on me. This includes combining analytics with creative thinking and ensuring that clients have access to quantifiable e-commerce platforms. I also like to anticipate possible obstacles that may come up while working with clients to ensure that solutions would be in place if the need arises. For example, we are currently hiring on a large scale in preparation for planned growth of the company.
What advice would you give your younger self?
I would tell him to quickly master the art of negotiation. This is something that should be practiced every time the opportunity arises and this includes in everyday life circumstances. Becoming skilled at negotiating is a tremendously imperative trait that prospective business people and entrepreneurs need to possess. This could enable you to close some of your best deals and you could learn how to find a middle ground that could make all parties believe they have gained something.
Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on?
Nobody seems to agree that it is important to take time off from time to time to recapture the passion for the venture. Especially when they are just starting off, many entrepreneurs work every day in an attempt to ensure success. However, while it is important to keep an eye on the business and cater to the needs of the client, it is important to factor in time off. This is necessary and can actually assist you in coming up with remarkable ideas.
As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
The thing I do repeatedly is research, research, research. The industry is constantly changing and research is essential to keep abreast of what’s new and other relevant changes that are happening in the industry and across the globe. Implementation, changes and improvements are necessary, especially when clients are dependent on these strategies and solutions to achieve success. In an ever-changing market, there is always room for improvement and regular research will provide the knowledge required to help clients succeed.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business? Please explain how.
One of the strategies that have helped me grow is recruiting qualified and driven individuals who are continuously looking to learn more. Having a supporting team of eager professionals is an invaluable asset that has really helped me grow my businesses and attain customer loyalty.
What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?
Failure is a part of the process that every entrepreneur experiences and if used wisely, it can help you to grow. A failure I experienced during my entrepreneurial career was initially failing to obtain a proper mentor. I had this notion that I could do everything on my own and didn’t need to seek the advice of others. I quickly learned this was not the case, and realized that many successful entrepreneurs often seek the advice of mentors. I now have a mentor on speed dial that assists me when I am at a crossroads.
What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?
Remain Focused
A number of first-time entrepreneurs tend to want to take advantage of every “opportunity” they encounter. However, things are not always as they seem and falling prey to certain traps could get you side-tracked. If you simultaneously juggle multiple ventures, this could limit your productivity and effectiveness. Therefore, it is important to focus on getting one thing done perfectly, rather than 10 things poorly.
What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?
I recently spent $100 on a nice dinner. Being an entrepreneur is both physically and mentally demanding; therefore, taking time out to relax and recharge is extremely essential. Becoming and remaining a success require a sound mind and body, so it important to schedule regular or intermittent breaks for rejuvenation.
What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
Google Drive definitely helps with the level of productivity I strive for. It enables me and my team to simultaneously work on projects. I am also able to easily create and collaborate with team members and share files and documents. In addition, I can do a presentation while building out spreadsheets with the Sheets, Slides and Docs apps.
What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?
I recommend Grit. This New York Times bestseller is written by Angela Duckworth, a pioneering psychologist. It highlights that exceptional success can be achieved with ‘grit.’ Grit is a specialized blend of persistence and passion.
My grit is clearly displayed in the fact that I started my journey as an entrepreneur at the tender age of 13. I have since successfully operated ventures like Media Codecs, HiringZ, and Arcari LLC. Although I have experienced challenges, I have overcome them all to become the a success today.
What is your favorite quote?
“I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” Michael Jordan
This quote emphasizes how I’ve continually overcome obstacles and rely on failures at times to learn and succeed.
Key Learning:
- What I have learned in my career is the need to become skilled at the art of delegation. I used to have real issues with delegation and would end up doing every required task. This is something that was totally at odds with my chronic want for things to be efficient and scalable.
- I have since broken that mold with the help of my business partner. Together we have been able to scale our company in a fairly controlled way to over 140 team members across 3 countries, with the number increasing monthly. For a healthy and successful company, efficient delegation is vital.
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Mario Schulzke is the Founder of ideamensch, which he started a decade ago to learn from entrepreneurs and give them a platform for their ideas.