{"id":714,"date":"2014-06-02T12:48:23","date_gmt":"2014-06-02T17:48:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thecrudelife.com\/?post_type=podcast&p=313"},"modified":"2014-06-02T12:48:23","modified_gmt":"2014-06-02T17:48:23","slug":"building-bakken-episode-44-segment-4-2","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"http:\/\/thecrudelife.com\/new-site\/podcast\/building-bakken-episode-44-segment-4-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Building the Bakken Episode 44: Roaring Lions of Business"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Tech<\/a>

Tech billionaire Rob Ryan (left) answers a question for Building the Bakken host Jason Spiess. Photo by Kevin Tobosa<\/p><\/div>\n

Interviews<\/strong>: Billionaire Rob Ryan, Montana<\/p>\n

Building the Bakken Episode 44 Segment 4<\/strong>:\u00a0 One on One Interview<\/p>\n

Through a variety of serendipitous events, I became one of a handful of people who had the opportunity to interview the billion-dollar-man while covering the 5th Annual Global Economic Summit in beautiful Jackson Hole, WY.\u00a0 This prestigious annual event happens in July and is attended by the globes\u2019 top economic minds, venture capitalists and media organizations.\u00a0 A rare white elk sighting is more common than spotting many of the people who attend this economic conference.<\/p>\n

Ryan is considered on the same technological and entrepreneurial level as Steve Jobs and Gates.\u00a0 Ryan\u2019s 1989 start-up company, Ascend Communications, Inc., generated more than $2 billion in sales. In 1999, Lucent Technologies acquired Ascend for $24 billion in what was considered \u201cthe largest technology merger\u201d at the time.\u00a0 Since then Ryan has gone on to create six more companies that sold for over a billion dollars.<\/p>\n

An investor in \u201cabout a half a dozen companies in the Bakken\u201d Ryan is looking at investing more into this energy tech revolution through start ups and business acceleration. Ryan is the founder, chairman and CEO of Entrepreneur America and currently runs the Roaring Lions Ranch in Montana, where he lives.<\/p>\n

\u201cI raise entrepreneurs,\u201d Ryan said. \u201cWe\u2019ve been doing it for about 17 years now. Recently we have joined forces with HERO Partners and are trying to establish HERO Companies.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ryan says HERO companies are ones that can adapt and transform their environment and produce multiple streams of revenue, almost perpetually.\u00a0 These companies are not common and the people who posses the HERO qualities do not grow on trees.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are very selective with the companies we work with,\u201d Ryan said. \u201cBut then we go in and try to accelerate their growth. In fact dramatically accelerate their growth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ryan says his dream, and drive, in this endeavor is to change the cultural paradigm of the United States through entrepreneurship.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo the dream I have is to impact the United States through entrepreneurship with millions of entrepreneurs spread throughout the United States,\u201d Ryan said. \u201cBut not in places where they already have entrepreneurs like Silicon Valley and Boston, those places already have engines of entrepreneurship.\u00a0 I\u2019m looking at doing it in the rest of the country.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Ryan, most of the people he works with do not have \u201cfancy degrees\u201d or diplomas, rather an honest work ethic with an ability to build businesses. Ryan\u2019s educational background is math, physics and science, but believes his billion dollar process speaks to the core of an individual.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve developed a process on how to grow a company from scratch to billions of dollars, and I\u2019ve done it four, five, times now,\u201d Ryan said. \u201cYou can call the first one perhaps an accident, but it\u2019s hard to call them all an accident.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ryan believes by empowering an individual\u2019s special skills, or core competencies, one can develop a process to build a successful organization.\u00a0 These interpersonal core competencies take precedent over the product in the marketplace.<\/p>\n

\u201cI compete through competencies not products,\u201d Ryan said. \u201cOnce I figure out what you are good at, then I can dream up with you, in fact, I can probably dream it up better than you, a million products we can do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ryan calls each one of those product ideas a pedal on a sunflower, anchored by a seed disk of core competencies.\u00a0 He said the process he has developed with focusing on the talents and strengths of the person have seen successful transcendence into multiple industries.\u00a0 Ryan believes whether it is the media, energy, technology or any other industry, his process can work in any industry.<\/p>\n

Ryan said often times uncovering the inner talents is difficult, bordering on soul searching for some.\u00a0 Then there are those who just don\u2019t have what it takes.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes people just realize there isn\u2019t much inside of them,\u201d Ryan said. \u201cYou\u2019ve heard of Gertrude Stein\u2019s \u2018there is no there there\u2019, well, sometimes there isn\u2019t much inside.\u00a0 You open the wrapper and there\u2019s not enough in there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ryan said when that happens, he looks at it as a very fortunate time in the process.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s good for the entrepreneur to discover this, because imagine if you spent your life savings and all your effort and there is no there there,\u201d\u00a0 Ryan said.<\/p>\n

Complimenting yourself with talented people, having a small ego and having a solid family foundation are additional keys to success, according to Ryan.<\/p>\n

\"rob_terry_ryan_web\"<\/a><\/p>\n

In fact, Ryan says having a successful professional life is dependent on a good marriage.\u00a0 His wife, Terry, an attorney, is \u201cinvolved with every aspect of his life\u201d and \u201creads every document\u201d in his business.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn 45 years I don\u2019t think I have actually ever read a legal agreement,\u201d Ryan said. \u201cI always tell people if Terry\u2019s name isn\u2019t on it don\u2019t bother giving it to me because I am not going to read it or consider signing it in a million years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ryan said institutional studies have been performed indicating successful world leaders and entrepreneurs throughout history have one common thread \u2013 a long term marriage.\u00a0 He said a good marriage offers stability at home and the ability to communicate with someone outside the workplace.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re the CEO who do you bounce ideas off?\u201d\u00a0 Ryan asks. \u201cYou can\u2019t go down and show your vulnerabilities to the people who work for you. So it\u2019s a very lonely position and your wife becomes your partner on that.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the flip side, Ryan said the worst thing you can do if you want to be successful is divorce often.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you divorce a lot, two things happen,\u201d Ryan said. \u201cYou loose stability and your fortune keeps getting divided in half.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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Interviews: Billionaire Rob Ryan, Montana Building the Bakken Episode 44 Segment 4:\u00a0 One on One Interview Through a variety of<\/p>\n

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Building the Bakken Episode 44: Roaring Lions of Business<\/a><\/blockquote>