We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kevin Ruppert. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kevin below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Kevin with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
I think my work ethic is attributable to a belief that anything is possible if you work hard enough to make it a reality. This belief was passed down to me from my dad, who passed away when I was still young. My grandma, who raised me, reinforced that belief and then life experience time and again confirmed its validity. I work hard because I’m confident that those efforts can and will bring whatever the end goal is to fruition.
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?
At this stage I’m focused on continuing to grow the comedy community that we’re cultivating in the Dayton, Ohio area in part through Bricky’s Comedy Club. Its exciting to work toward introducing more people to this artform whether they be aspiring performers or audience members. I think what we’ve been doing with Bricky’s is unique within this industry because our central focus is serving the local comedy scene and creating opportunities for new comics through a grassroots approach. For example, we recently had a four day festival where we broke the world record for longest ever standup comedy show. In the process we garnered exposure for a bunch of up-and-coming Dayton-area comedians and also provided an opportunity for them to network with bookers from across the state and region. And we’re continuing to put on shows every week so comedians can develop and work toward building a career in the comedy world.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I think the three most impactful qualities have probably been persistence, humility, and resourcefulness. Whatever endeavor it is you decide to undertake, its a guarantee that you’ll face obstacles along the way. But the difference between success and failure ends up being whether you can find the inner strength to persevere in the face of those difficulties. I’m a big believer that as long as you don’t quit you will find your way eventually and at a bare minimum some positive things will happen. Its also important to keep your ego in check even as you remain confident in your abilities. There are going to be instances where the route to success is through listening to smarter people and deferring to more knowledgeable parties involved. Humility is a skill that, if you cultivate and nurture it, it’ll serve you well. Finally, don’t be afraid to think of brand new solutions to old problems. Keep an open mind and find ways to innovate that go outside the conventional wisdom in your industry. The strategy element that undergirds resourcefulness can be fun and if you get good at it, it’ll also differentiate you from competitors.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
I’m always looking for other people who are pursuing unique and innovative business models within their respective industries. There’s a lot of creative entrepreneurial people out there and when they join forces it can be mutually beneficial. Through Bricky’s we’ve partnered in various ways with nearby small businesses, tech startups, and non-profits on various shows and initiatives. So anytime there is an opportunity to collaborate with others in these capacities I’m really excited about it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://brickyscomedy.com/
- Instagram: @brickyscomedyclub
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brickyscomedy/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/brickyscomedy?lang=en
