Ryan Knoll

Always be learning, take lessons from those that have failed and those that have succeeded. Don’t write anyone off. They may have something to teach. Even if they don’t know it.

Ryan Knoll was a ten year overnight success. For years he lived the wantrepreneur lifestyle always dreaming of getting out and being his own boss. Ryan started his first business at the age of 19 doing video production for a few companies. After the 2008 market crash his business dried up so he had to re-invent himself. Now he owns a business called Tidy Casa doing over a million a year.

When Ryan started Tidy Casa, he was still working a 9 to 5 job. He partnered with a home cleaner and started a cleaning business. ” I’d sneak away from my desk to answers phone calls and emails. Then, I’d do all the marketing nights and weekends. I did this for over a year and a half until I found myself at a point where the job and business wouldn’t grow without making the tough choice to leave. I was finally able to walk away from the cushy 9-5 job and focus on the business full time”.

Make Time to Learn

Like many entrepreneurs, Ryan is obsessed with reading and learning. “Whether I’m listening to an audiobook on my way to the office or getting through a few chapters before I fall asleep. I’m always trying to learn something new and improve.” Some of Ryan’s favorite books include:

The Effective Executive: The Definitive Guide to Getting the Right Things Done

Scaling Up: How a Few Companies Make It…and Why the Rest Don’t, Rockefeller Habits 2.0

Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as if Your Life Depended on It

The Autonomy of Entrepreneurship

Like most Escapees, Ryan enjoys the autonomy being a business owner and entrepreneur outside the rat race. The commute is definitely a plus as well. “Ever notice how the office is always really close to the boss’ house? Yeah, there’s a reason for that! Getting to choose where the office goes and set your own commute is one of the best things in the world. In addition, if you’re not feeling like going to the office. Not having to ask anyone if it’s “okay to work from home today” is a huge plus. That’s not to say there aren’t downsides, but overall I’d the say trade-offs are worth it”.

Don’t Reinvent the Wheel

Ryan learned early on not to try and reinvent the wheel with a crazy business plan. His first business had him searching for customers. He made the mistake of thinking he could also sell the skills he had. He was always going back and forth between doing and selling. “When you have customers you’re working on their projects. When you don’t have customers you are out hitting the streets trying to get sales. So the business is constantly teetering back and forth on work vs sales”. When he changed to the cleaning business, the business was essentially waiting for him. “Unless you have access to venture capital or a nice seed fund create a business that already exists. Growing up as a wantrepreneur it seems like the way to go is to do something that someone else is already doing”. Ryan learned the hard way that if a business doesn’t exist already there is probably a reason for it. Thinking outside the box is still a good thing. But building a business too far outside of the box is likely a recipe for disaster.

Ryan hasn’t been derailed by his failures. He’s learned from his experiences, adjusted his approach and started over. He has learned to diversify and outsource tasks that weren’t associated with his core strength. Now he tries to focus on growth and not fulfillment. Ryan believes you just have to move forward and can never give up. “If you’ve tried and failed in the past that doesn’t mean it won’t ever work out. The one characteristic I see almost all successful people have is grit. Learn lessons from failure and use it to start again smarter”.