About

Ryan Stewart

Neil Patel

Ryan Stewart: SEO & Marketing Expert, The Blueprint Training: “You Will Only Get So Far By Yourself”

Ryan Stewart has started half a dozen online companies that have generated over $10 million in sales over the last three years. Most recently, he’s the mind behind The Blueprint Training, which teaches SEO practices how to scale their business. Before he took the plunge as an entrepreneur, he worked as a consultant for Accenture.

Ryan’s Original Story: “You Will Only Get So Far By Yourself”

I was very fortunate in my upbringing. I grew up outside of Boston, and both of my parents worked hard to provide a good life for us. I was always active in sports, especially football, which is how I ended up getting a scholarship to play at The College of the Holy Cross. Without football, I never would have gotten into that caliber of school.

What I love to do didn’t “hit me” – I had to seek it out. When I was working for Accenture, I knew that life wasn’t for me. Putting on a suit, sitting in traffic, doing work that the world didn’t really need, was emotionally draining. The thing is, they pay you just enough at those types of jobs to keep you showing up and working hard. But eventually, I hit a wall and knew I had to do something to change my life. I started going to Meetup events, joining online groups, reading everything I could get my hands on, and eventually stumbled across “internet marketing.” Once I found it, and realized there was literally no cap to how much you could grow/earn, I dove all in. I became obsessed with learning, but more importantly, taking action. Building my own websites, helping friends with their businesses, anything I could do to get more experience and grow my skill set. Eventually, after two years of learning and building my own online businesses, I got good enough to start taking on paying clients as a marketing consultant.

As far as college goes, I have an undergraduate and graduate degree (MBA). I decided to get my MBA when I was working as a corporate consultant. At that time, I thought it was the best thing to do for my career and to move up. When I was in school (while working), I realized that life wasn’t for me. The concepts they were teaching were old and dated. I don’t quit things, so I finished my MBA, but I’ve never used it. I make the joke that it’s an expensive paperweight. I learned a lot of important business concepts that have helped me throughout the years (accounting, HR, etc.), but if I knew what I was looking for I could have learned it all on YouTube.

For me, the biggest challenges as an entrepreneur have been focus and delegation. We live in a world that’s trying to distract you, so you’ve got to train your mind to put down your phone, get off Facebook and get to work solving problems. Second, you will only get so far by yourself. Business is still a game that’s played by people, which means you need to learn to find, train and grow people.

My last bit of advice: Listen to Julia, what she’s overcome to be who she is today is nothing short of amazing!

Find more from Ryan Stewart at The Blueprint SEO Training.