Ryan Hintze is a successful lifestyle influencer, Wilhelmina fitness model and founder of digital consulting, influencer marketing and e-commerce company “Hintze Media”.
Ryan has taken no for an answer. If he wants something in life he finds every way possible to get it. Ryan started selling his old Pokémon cards on eBay when he was 11 years old so he could buy his own skateboard. His parents didn’t spoil him with “wants”, they only supplied him with “needs”. So his mom told him he had to find ways to make money if he wanted to buy a skateboard. He learned that he could have anything he wanted if he worked hard. It was that lesson that marked the start of Ryan’s obsession with selling products and services online.
When Ryan sets goals, often times he doesn’t know exactly how he’s going to achieve them. He exhausts every possible option until he gets what he wants. Ryan believes that whatever energy he puts into the earth with eventually happen for him. “So many people are wired to be 9-5 employees and not do anything that might attract criticism. “I’ve never been like that, I always had an issue with being told what to do and not being in control of my life.”
Ryan played 6 sports in high school and 2 sports in college. “School and playing division one college football was tough for me because I was being treated like an average joe and was being taught in school to be a normal employee, not an entrepreneur. Most of the time I just bit my tongue and was happy to know that once I graduated I would regain control of my life.”
Ryan first fell in love with digital media and e-commerce when he was in high school. His high school really put an emphasis on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) and he was able to take full advantage of everything his school had to offer. He graduated with 19 industry certifications in Adobe, Microsoft, Solidworks and CIW programs. He used the technical skills he learned in high school to launch his company at age 14 offering web and graphic design services in his community during the end of high school and through college.
Networking has played a key role in Ryan’s success. The relationships and people he met when he first started his business played a key role in his success because they recognized his talent and were his first customers. With over 500,000 followers on all of Ryan’s personal social media accounts, he makes sure to respond to every email and the direct message he receives from his fans, brands, and colleagues. “So many people miss out on opportunities because they neglect to monitor their communication outlets” He advises everyone to make sure they take the time to stay on top of their communications. “You never know when your next customer, future business partner or the brand deal could be digitally knocking on your door.” He takes every chance he can to meet new people and rubs elbows with industry leaders, on and offline.
Most of all Ryan loves to outwork his competition, solve problems and sell products that make his customers happy. “At the end of the day I always over-deliver on every brand deal I work on, every client I work with and hope they remember me the next time they in the market for my services.”
