Ever since Ryan was a young boy, he had an interest in selling products. He was known for setting up lemonade stands in his neighborhood and selling Halloween candy on the school bus. It was no surprise to his family that he was the one of the youngest kids to ever appear on Shark Tank.
Ryan started his dog treat business when he got his first dog named Barkley. He had this idea after he purchased a bag of regular dog treats that were not up to his (or Barkley’s) standards. Ryan couldn’t stand the smell and Barkley wasn’t all that interested in them either. Ryan began testing combinations of flavors to make Barkley happier.
Once Ryan found the perfect combination, he took it to Shark Tank to gain some support. He got Barbara Corcoran to invest $25,000 into his business!
Ryan is the perfect example of taking the jump on your ideas even if you don’t have all of the details worked out- just start!
I like how you emphasized that entrepreneurs should get started even before working out all the details. So many people delay and procrastinate because they feel as though everything has to be perfectly planned to get started when in reality this is not the case. Oftentimes, the most successful business are the result of repeated pivoting, not a 10 year business plan. It’s inspiring to see someone so young take action to pursue a business and receive funding from investors.
Wow, this is such a fun story. It’s interesting how anyone can make a whole business out of an everyday problem. This story is a great example that you don’t have to solve the biggest problem in the world to be an entrepreneur or to start a business. He took a personal and common problem in his life and transformed it to help other people’s animals.
Cool story. It’s awesome that a 10-year-old with ideas can nowadays become a full fledged entrepreneur. I assume he has a very supportive family, that’s a huge key. Also, I love the design of the bag, I think it perfectly encapsulates Ryan’s story and age. I have two dogs that I think would be interested!