Ryan Deiss is a splendiferously successful internet entrepreneur from Houston, Texas. Though Deiss grew up in an average middle-class family, he dreamed of greater success from an early age. When adults asked the young Ryan what he wanted to be when he grew up, he gave a different type of answer than they expected: Ryan wanted to be a millionaire. His childhood hero was not a sports start, a celebrity, or even the superhero associated with him; it was Bruce Wayne. From Bruce Wayne’s life, Deiss formulated his goal not to have a specific occupation, but to achieve financial success. When inheriting a fortune wasn’t an option, he was led to entrepreneurship.
Ryan realized the entrepreneurial power of the internet in an unconventional way: a job with an internet spammer. By being a part of the modern-day equivalent of a telemarketing company, he witnessed “the shear volume of sales that can be generated with just a couple clicks of the mouse.” For Ryan, making one transaction per customer interaction seemed inefficient, and hard to maintain. By combining the surging popularity of internet shopping with the tried-and-true system of subscription-based services, he created for himself a revenue model with which he could predict his monthly income prior to the event, as well as repeat and apply to different services for different markets.
In talking about his approach to his myriad of businesses, he notes one thing they have in common with each other, that differentiates them from other revenue models: he’s not selling products to customers, he’s selling membership to a club (from which members may buy products.) Not only is he getting automatic repeat business, he is also creating demand with the appearance of exclusivity.
Deiss has innovated internet selling in many ways, arguably helping lead to the surge of internet “clubs” seen recently. He innovated the process, by getting customers to pay him for the opportunity to buy his products. He changed the perception of buying somewhat normal items, giving them prestige and rarity by placing them within the confines of a club. He has perhaps shown the greatest entrepreneurship by understanding and applying these innovations to over 20 companies, with millions of revenue each year.
The entrepreneurial spirit seems to have been evident in Deiss at such a young age. This motivation has definitely paid off in the success of so many companies. This shows that motivation is a huge factor in accomplishing your dreams.
I find it funny that people would pay him just so they can buy his stuff. As stupid as it sounds it actually works and people do this all the time. I also find it funny that Diess’s goal from a child was to be a milliionare. Though not the traditional answer it was honest and he was very driven to make his dream a reality. Diess may have had unorthodox method’s but the results are there so it seems to be working just fine.