Ryan sits for an interview on the Outsourcing and Scaling Show with Nathan Hirsh he shares his thoughts on "Amazon businesses" and tips on how to break from that and into a real business.

 

Also, did you ever wonder what Capitalism.com's structure is like, how Ryan structures his schedule and what he's learned about building company culture? Tune-in for a peek behind the curtain!

 

Key takeaways

[2:35] Nathan takes a minute to introduce Ryan "Delicious Leftovers" Moran to his podcast and asks him to share a little bit about how he was as a child: try to remember how you used to have fun.

 

First ventures and umpiring lessons [5:16] Ryan doesn't consider ever having had a first "serious adult" venture. It was really more of an accumulation of all of his smaller endeavours, driven by the goal of becoming a real estate investor. Both Nathan and Ryan used to umpire, they talk about the kinds of lessons they learned and skills they developed.

 

"An Amazon business" [8:15] The tools have changed drastically, from the time Ryan was coding dreamweaver on a dial up modem. But with more resources and ease of opportunity, there are now more players competing, so the game has become about quality — both in product and customer experience.

 

Most people are short sighted though and will start thinking that they run an Amazon business. No one ever says "I have a Walmart business" or an "affiliate business" but people do say I have an "Amazon business" the reality is that Amazon is a customer acquisition strategy, not a business.

 

People who win are the ones who do digital marketing, who focus on people.

 

Where to start [11:48] Ryan's advice for people who want to start marketing starts with a mindset change: an AMazon business doesn't exist, you need to start building your own asset.

1. Budget your profits — the cheque you get from Amazon is not your money, it's the company's money.

2. Invest in customer experience.

3. Build an audience — either build it yourself or create a long term partnership with an influencer.

4. Try your hand at search engine optimization, no one is doing it: you'll have an edge.

 

People [15:04] Making money is about people, it's about who you surround yourself with, and it's about your emotional intelligence. You have to learn how to succeed through others.

 

Ryan shares what he hates to do that is critical to moving forward in building your business: job descriptions… What is required to move you forward? It's always the right time to hire when you know what you're hiring for.

 

The opposite never ends well, Ryan has failed that way many times and he shares a few.

 

Structures, meeting and company culture [22:53] Ryan shares a bit about how he structures his businesses: who's in charge of what… He also touches on the traits he looks for in his teammates and colleagues, how he runs meetings and what kind of culture he is trying to develop at Capitalism.com.

 

Two things Ryan learned through personal experience: if your culture sucks, something about you sucks, and people need more guidance and feedback than he thought from the get go.

 

Scheduling [30:13] Ryan touches on which parts of his schedule he protects and which are more flexible, his current objectives and focuses as well as what he chooses to do weather it's morning or evening.

 

Owning the Cleveland Indians [31:37] When Ryan was 12, he wanted to be the General Manager of a Baseball team but he also realised that if you are the general manager, someone has to hire you — you are not in control. The owner is in control.

 

Nathan and Ryan nerd out on Baseball.

 

Capitalism.com and CapCon [34:39] Ryan shares what the purpose of Capitalism.com is and explains how the Capitalism Conference was born, what its goal is and what's in the cards for the future.

 

Thanks for listening!