We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ryan Heier a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Ryan, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
Most of my resilience comes from 24 years of skateboarding. It’s cliche to say, but it’s one of the most difficult activities you could get into. The never-ending process of falling and getting back up gets embedded into every true skateboarder’s psyche, to a point where your perception of reality evolves and everyday life seems easy by comparison.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
Ritual Skateboards is a core, grassroots company based in Colorado Springs, CO. Our primary focus consists of filmmaking with our team riders and wholesale distribution to skate shops in Colorado and across the United States. What excites me the most about everything we’re doing is the journey, the unknown… You never know what is going to happen when you put your thoughts into action by filming a trick you have in mind. Business is similar in that you never know how far you could go unless you continue doing it no matter what. It gets to a point where you’re in it too deep and giving up doesn’t feel like an option.
We usually try to do quarterly product releases to keep things fresh with Ritual, but some of the stronger selling board graphics and softgoods we’ll keep in stock for longer. For example, Sea Terror and Voodoo Doll apparel is something we’re going to keep in stock indefinitely because it keeps selling and strongly represents our brand’s image. Also, we’ve expanded our B2B catalog by forming our own network of companies as a DBA under Ritual known as Rocky Mountain Distribution. DB Skate Designs (Colorado Springs, CO), Name In Blood Skateboards (Denver, CO), Null Skateboards (Boulder, CO), and Underground Wheel Co. (Malibu, CA) are brands we’ve partnered up with to offer at wholesale to shops, in addition to all of Ritual’s current product lines.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Communication, consistency and organization are three of the most impactful qualities that have helped me with my pursuit of Ritual. Consistency and organization are my strong points, as I’ve always been a bit of a perfectionist (with slight OCD tendencies), but communication was one of my weaker areas. Staying consistent and organized has helped with archiving/filmmaking, bookkeeping, inventory, shipping/receiving, and any other “groundwork” that’s required to produce skate videos and run a company. Communication was an area that I really had to work on, but I gained a lot of confidence just by doing it repeatedly and not taking no for an answer when reaching out to skate shops. I no longer feel uncomfortable when I call stores and ask to speak with their buyer and/or owner. It took a long time for me to get to that point, but you have to get good at being a sales rep if you want to continue growing your business, even if you don’t like that aspect of it.
My advice to anyone out there starting a business or doing something similar is to realize what areas you are struggling with, and work harder to improve in those areas. When Ritual had no wholesale accounts 8 years ago, I never imagined it would’ve gotten to the level that it’s at right now, being one of the most respected, well-known brands in our region, so just keep putting in the work and trust that good things will happen. Brick and mortar locations are struggling in this day and age, so it’s important to view these businesses as partners for your brand/company and do everything you can to help support them if they’re carrying your products.
How would you spend the next decade if you somehow knew that it was your last?
It’s no mystery that our economy isn’t doing very well, and this has become more and more evident to me as I’ve been doing my rounds reaching out to skate shops. This past year, I’d say at least 10% of the shops on our email list (100 out of 1,000) have closed. In times like these, I think it’s important to be debt-free with your business (if possible) and dial back on spending, so at to not get into debt or be overstocked. Colorado’s climate/elevation tends to dry out and warp wood over time, so there’s a certain shelf life for most skateboard decks at this altitude, as compared to sea level. Clothing and the other hardgoods we carry can’t get damaged like that, but not being overstocked or taking on too much risk is a way to mitigate potential losses in a tough economy.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ritualskateboards.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/@ritualskateboards
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RitualSkateboardsLLC
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ritualskateboards
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@ritualskateboards
Image Credits
Personal Photo
-Ollie by Kris Cormier; Photo by Dustin McWethy
Additional Photos
1. Dumptruck by Bobby Hebner; Photo by Mike Bargas
2. BS Noseslide Yank In by Cameron Targosz; Photo by Mike Bargas
3. BS Smith Grind by Justin Richards; Photo by Mike Bargas
4. Tree Wallie by Ryan Heier; Photo by Mike Bargas
5. The Carnography Series Artwork by Samuel Mills (@defameart)
6. Grim Lightning Deck Artwork by Mikey Rotten (@mikeyrotten)
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
