🕴️The G of the Week: Ryan Reynolds

Welcome to The G of the Week

A quick yet insightful look into one badass person we can all learn from.

This week's G is Ryan Reynolds.

What Makes Ryan Interesting?

He brought Deadpool to the big screen.

He is also a sophisticated businessman:

• Sold Mint Mobile for $1.35 billion.

Ryan owned around 25-30% of the company, which means he is set to earn $300 million from this deal.

He has made tons of ads for Mint via his marketing agency Maximum Effort.

• Sold Aviation Gin for $610 million.

Two guys in Portland found Aviation Gin in 2006.

Ryan Reynolds became a co-owner and brand ambassador of the company when he bought a minority stake in the company in 2018.

Since then, it has become the second-largest brand within the US premium segment.

Not surprisingly, the company got bought for $610 million from the owners of Jonnie Walker, Diageo.

• Bought Wrexham F.C. for 2.5 million.

Ryan and Rob McElhenney bought the Wales football club, Wrexham for $2.5 million in 2020.

Wrexham is the oldest team in Wales, and it competes in the fifth tier of English professional football.

Since the acquisition, the club’s popularity has surged.

Wrexham even has its own documentary on Disney+ called “Welcome to Wrexham.”

What Can You Learn From Ryan?/

Here are three business lessons we can learn from Ryan Reynolds:

1) It’s all about ownership.

While he is a successful actor, Ryan’s biggest financial successes came from owning equity in the companies he sold - Mint Mobile and Aviation Gin.

Starting companies doesn’t make you rich, but owning a piece of a successful company will.

2) Play to your strengths.

Ryan is the face and voice of tons of ads for his companies.

Notice how he plays to his strengths.

Instead of going to board meetings to discuss various distribution strategies, he plays to his strengths.

He’s the face of these companies, actively promoting them in various ads.

3) Create a funnel.

Ryan uses his acting skills and popularity for lead generation.

His popularity gives him access to a ton of companies and entrepreneurs.

He then uses his promotional skills to advise or create companies.

Instead of getting a huge paycheck, Ryan gets equity in these companies.

If they succeed, he succeeds as well.

Ryan’s Words of Wisdom:

• “Don’t take life too seriously cuz you’ll never get out alive.”

• “Embrace the idea that you know nothing cuz you don’t.”

• "I’ve learned more from failures and insecurities than I’ve learned from any success in life."