Ryan Shank is the exited founder of PhoneWagon, the founder of Cameo Ventures, and the founder of ShareWillow.
In this interview, dive into Ryan’s incredible entrepreneurial journey as he takes you through his early aha moments, bumpy periods of rapid growth, struggling with addiction, and finally getting his company acquired. Ryan opens up about his struggles with addiction and self-doubt, the pressure he faced as a founder, and the journey of finding balance in his life. He highlights the importance of seeking accountability, structure, and support systems. Ryan's story serves as an inspiration to entrepreneurs and founders who face challenges, reminding them that with determination, self-reflection, and a positive mindset, they can overcome obstacles and build successful ventures.
OUTLINE:
- (00:00) Intro
- (2:18) Early years
- (4:30) First experiences in hustling and sales
- (14:03) My first sales job at a startup
- (17:00) The entrepreneur’s mindset
- (20:00) Going through my first acquisition
- (25:07) Getting sued for a blogpost
- (27:00) Over Communicate with your team
- (30:50) Mastering inbound marketing
- (30:45) What is product/market fit?
- (35:00) Getting acquired and exiting
- (41:00) Becoming a founding entrepreneur
- (44:45) Going from an idea to a real company
- (54:30) Realizing I was struggling with an addiction
- (57:31) We didn’t have “true product/market fit”
- (1:04:00) What I learned from addiction treatment
- (1:08:00) Getting acquired while in addiction treatment
- (1:13:57) When employees steal from your company
- (1:18:54) Why do acquisitions include escrow?
- (1:21:00) Life after selling my company
- (1:24:31) Being transparent about my past
- (1:26:50) Why entrepreneurs are often neurodivergent
- (1:31:30) Going all in on ShareWillow
- (1:39:26) My non-negotiables to maintain mental health
EPISODE LINKS:
PODCAST INFO:
- Podcast website: https://forwardobsessed.com/
- Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/forward-obsessed/id1615760781
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2TrkOZ7xL7WSlzc2mrwXuC?si=aa5e7790aca64e05
- YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-ldUUGxQZ5b9WPqVXz_qlfXgK3hHPs4z
- YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-ldUUGxQZ5Yt0LiPml0y6pNUSrqHzWql
SUPPORT & CONNECT:
- Digital Surgeons Website: https://digitalsurgeons.com
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@digitalsurgeons
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/digitalsurgeons
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/210497/
