Ryan Shemen, who organized over 1,500 events and sold for companies acquired by Groupon, talks about turning a restaurant into a four-year client, why persistence and the law of averages matter, and his Wayne Gretzky rule: you miss 100% of the shots you don't take.
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Welcome to the Business Blast Podcast. I'm your host, Tyler Wagner. This episode is brought to you by Authors Unite. Authors Unite makes the process of becoming a published bestselling author as simple as sipping your morning cup of coffee. You can learn more about Authors Unite at authorsunite.com. Now let's jump into the episode.
Alright everyone, welcome back to another episode of the Business Blast Podcast. I'm your host Tyler Wagner. Today I have Ryan Schieman with us. He is a marketing expert. He has organized over 1,500 successful functions. He has over 100,000 followers and connections, and Ryan was in charge of the sales and marketing of Better Fly, which was acquired by Groupon and TakeLessons. And he gives it his all daily. So welcome to the show, man.
Well, thank you very much for having me on your show today. I greatly appreciate it. I've been listening to a bunch of the previous podcasts, and it's exciting to see what several entrepreneurs and different companies and all the innovation that's going on in the world today.
Yes, man, thank you. I'm glad to hear that. And, uh, we'll dive into the first one, Ryan. The first question I have for you is what is the best story from your life that has an underlying valuable message?
Sure, uh, well, a story that I will never forget is my first job. I was doing the marketing, advertising, and sales for a restaurant. We were working with the number one net profit establishment in the state of New York. We were doing a massive delivery for them and we went above and beyond to show them how much we truly cared, which then turned into a 4-year account. So it's amazing to see what happens when people work together, and truly possibilities are then endless.
And I'm excited for your answer on this next one. What is the most valuable piece of information we should know that's within your expertise or industry?
Sure. Well, I would say is that I've coordinated over 1,500 successful functions throughout my lifetime, organizing weddings, corporate events, fashion shows. Currently we have weekly yacht cruises that go around Manhattan, Brooklyn, Statue of Liberty. And my advice to everyone is to fully understand who it is that you're gonna be working with, whether it's a one-day project, or it could be a year-long or sometimes a 5-year deal. So it's a very important is to read reviews and to understand who you're working with rather than the organization that you're working with, being that having care and someone who is going to go above and beyond to suit your needs, that is what is imperative nowadays.
And what's your best piece of overall business advice, so not necessarily industry-specific?
Sure, my piece of advice that I give to folks who I speak with is to understand the law of averages and to understand is that you're, you might be a salesman, saleswoman, you might be in marketing, you might be a whatever it is that you are profession is or looking to get into. And my advice to you is that the more phone calls that you make, the more emails that you send off, the more successful you will be. So if you're told the word no, understand why are you being told no. Is it a timing issue? Is it a financial issue? Are they currently under a contract with a competitor? So to me, it's understanding and for really going above and beyond, as nothing good in life ever comes easy. You should never wait for that magical client to fall onto your lap. Rather, go out and get after it, as if you are hesitating or you're waiting for that opportunity, it may never come, or your competitors are actively going after those potential clients. So it's imperative to give it your all, and ultimately you will see results.
And, uh, if you could give the younger Ryan one piece of advice, what would that be?
Sure, advice, that's a great question. And I would say advice that I would give to myself is to never get down on oneself and to know is that if someone might be rejecting you, it could purely be because of timing. It could be because they're currently locked into a contract. Don't take things personally. I know that being honest with people, being punctual, being real with folks, that will ultimately get you the results that you're seeking.
And in your opinion, what is the key to happiness?
Sure. The key to happiness is finding out what do you find value in, what you enjoy doing. Are you a people person? Are you an introvert, an extrovert? And honing in on that and working with people that find value in your hard work. Someone who is appreciative of the time that you're putting in. Being that I've worked for over 20 different organizations throughout my lifetime, so I've gotten to see the way that several different businesses are structured. And I've seen some that are now publicly traded, so worth hundreds of millions of dollars, if not billions. And I've seen organizations that had over 500 employees that today don't even have 100 left. So to me, it's about working with people who you find value in, something that you have passion for, something that is going to make you get out of bed with a smile in the morning. That to me is what ultimately leads to happiness as well as to long-term success.
And what is the best book that you've read and what was the number one thing you learned from that?
Sure. Well, that's a great question. Being that I've read several different books on several different topics, However, I would say is that reading a book from several of the different sharks from Shark Tank, just seeing how some of these organizations and individuals have literally started with very minimal items or with not too many folks looking to go out of their way to help them. So to me, that's what I've seen has really made a large impact. And knowing is that there are folks that are extremely successful. They didn't start off as successful or as millionaires or billionaires, that ultimately it's about working with people rather than against folks. So it's about learning from different entrepreneurs and different individuals who are further down the road. That is what's, what led to some success. And I know that I'm really just climbing the mountain So while I've closed millions of dollars worth of deals throughout my lifetime, I'm just getting started, and all my trials and tribulations have made me the person who I am today. So to me, it's about not repeating mistakes, learning from the past, and that way you're creating a better future for yourself and the people around you.
I love that. And what is your favorite quote and why?
My favorite quote would be by Wayne Gretzky, and that's that you miss 100% of the shots that you don't take. And that's that, you know, giving it your all on a daily basis is essential, going above and beyond what's needed. But if you're not willing to pick up the phone and offer your solutions and services because you're scared to hop on the call Maybe they won't respond to your email. There's always doubt that's out there. No business is 1 million percent perfect, but you know, if you don't take that shot, like Wayne Gretzky, who had missed thousands of shots throughout his career, just like Michael Jordan missed thousands of shots, ultimately, if you continue taking those shots and you get better and you understand what made you miss, maybe You know, in sports, it could be you didn't jump high enough. Maybe you didn't work out hard enough. Maybe you didn't hit the treadmill hard enough. So there's several different factors that go into it. But if you take enough shots, you're going to make enough shots. If you make a bunch of phone calls and the first 50 people say no, and you're understanding why— maybe your pitch was too slow, maybe you didn't hit them over the head with the value proposition, There's several different reasons why, but the more times that you're perfecting your craft, you're getting better. Ultimately, you will see massive results. And just like Wayne Gretzky, who is the best hockey player of all time, he knew that it would take missing a lot of shots and learning and improving and ultimately scoring tons of goals.
Dude, thank you so much for coming on. The last question I have for you before we let you go is, where is the best place for people to find and connect with you online?
Sure, well, thank you to each and every person around the world who's listening into this. We appreciate you as well as iTunes for providing this platform. And shout out to Skype and to Tyler and his fantastic team. And for those of you who would like to hear more information about myself, for possibly I can assist your business online or offline, they could find me on Facebook, Ryan, last name is Shemen, S-H-E-M-E-N. LinkedIn where I have over 19,000 connections, as well as on Twitter, Success W-T-E-A-M-W-R-K. On Instagram, Success with Teamwork, and likewise all of that on Google, on YouTube. You can just type in my name, Ryan Scheman, or Success with Teamwork to find out more information. And I thank you very much for your time this afternoon. And definitely looking forward to learn from additional entrepreneurs and other folks who you will be interviewing. Awesome, man.
Thank you again for jumping on. We really appreciate it.
Well, thank you. Keep up all the tremendous work and happy holidays, everybody.
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