The Road to Palm Springs
Ryan Blair
CEO
The Active Network, Inc.
ViSalus CEO Ryan Blair tells the transformational story of his life in the New York Times best-selling book Nothing to Lose, Everything to Gain: How I Went from Gang Member to Multimillionaire Entrepreneur. Early in his career, Ryan sought mentoring relationships that gave him the skills he needed for future success. By the age of 21, he sold his first company for $1 million. Now he leads ViSalus, promoting health and fitness with a goal to make a positive impact on life and health.
Ryan has a simple growth philosophy: don’t focus on the competition; rather, focus on the customer experience. This customer-first approach concentrates on customer acquisition and includes a challenge to change every customer into a walking billboard.
After increasing his team from 100 to 300 people, Ryan worked to build an environment where people are excited to come to work. Recently, to promote a healthy lifestyle, he redesigned the ViSalus corporate offices to include an indoor track and a gym.
The economic downturn in 2008 brought ViSalus close to bankruptcy, and in August 2008, it entered into an agreement giving Blyth, Inc. an ownership interest. As always, Ryan focused on the customer and, through an effective social media campaign, the company experienced significant growth.
For ViSalus, prosperity is nothing without the ability to give back, which is why the company started the Body by Vi Community Challenge program, which has provided nearly 1 million meals to families in need.
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