Ryan Stoner. Brand strategy and marketing leader.

Hello. I'm Ryan Stoner. I have a passion for building brands of action and helping teams align around a strategic narrative to power integrated marketing, advertising, sales, product, and transformation. Thoughts on business, tech, marketing, life lessons and whatever else I'm feeling strongly about.

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22squared's Dendro Poaches Phenom Executive To Be Its First Strategy Director

Dendro is designed to service "upstream" strategy at larger companies before agencies are brought in, for turn-around work or optimization for brands with new ownership, as well as launch work for startups.

I am up to something new!

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I wrote an article for Forbes on how marketers can help sales drive business outcomes through marketing enablement.  

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At some point during a workout, I hear the evil voice. The voice that tells me its time to quit, sit down and rest.  You either slap that inner voice around or let it get louder and louder in your head.

That’s why I love teams.  Just when you think you can’t go on and are getting ready to quit, your team is there to push you through the hell instead of letting you quit or even coast. Having the right team around you whether your working out our in business can be magical.

Instead of putting your head through a wall mindlessly day after day, think about all the little voices in your head that stop you in the earliest parts of stumbling on to something big. Surround yourself with a team that can push you through the noise and blocks those voices out.

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What Marketers Can Learn From the Film Industry About Connecting With Their Audience

Consumers’ interests—not their wallets—need to be targeted.

My recent piece published on Adweek - how to captivate your audience rather than trying to sell to them. Five key steps marketers can take to establish cultural urgency in any field.

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Parenting is hard work. It’s emotional work. It may be the hardest work we’ll ever do. Small stresses keep on mounting, but we keep them…

My recent piece published on Medium - how to embrace personalized learning in the connected age to help kids get excited about a learning and translating that energy into how they explore the world.

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Three Core Lessons for Entrepreneurial Leaders

The best advice I learned from my startup experience.

Focus: Learn to manage the entrepreneurial firehose where you keep on adding to the number of products you need to manage. Need to look at everything and see where you can win 3 to 4 years down the road and make choice to shift away.

Thoughtfulness: Go beyond the process of thinking deeply and thoroughly and construct frameworks to solve problems. A systematic and strategic way for work and life.  Look out for other people and do anything you can to be helpful.

Compassion: It’s easy to project your worldview. Team members are only there because of the team leader. Leaders responsibility to understand the problems.

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Less Western, More Worldly

With each new country I visit, my entire perspective "morphs" toward something better. I feel more at home with friends and family than I do in a specific location we call "home".

When you grow up overseas in third world countries you go on adventures that others have difficulty relating to and people lack context for and often don’t want to hear about. Paradoxically, I never learned to recite the pledge of allegiance, but I did learn how to hail a cab before I could drive.

My sense of home is not a physical location, it is wherever I am surrounded by the people I love.  My roots are people, not places. As a result of travel, I am more thankful, open and hopeful. 

People are vibrant, beautiful, and crave community. The more we experience the more we realize there is hope and happiness all around us. Travel allows us to not only see the world but see perspectives. 

WIth each new adventure, my heart and mind continue to be open to the world’s challenges. Traveling abroad doesn’t blind you to the world’s problems. It makes you more acutely aware of them. It’s made me more committed than ever to finding long-term solutions to deeper problems, whether it’s disaster relief, wealth inequality or climate change.

I believe you can thrive in any country and in any industry as long as your attitude and mindset are more worldly.  Do stuff that is interesting rather than appeases others. Find out the real problem, understand it and figure out how solving it helps long-term societal problems. 

Make your own way.

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There are a lot of emotions today.  I have felt all of them. Anger, fear, and anxiety around how we might be impacted by the uncertainties surrounding the incoming administration.

I came across a great quote from Abraham Lincoln, one month before the signing the Emancipation Proclamation, which sets my direction for the next four years... 

In December 1862 Lincoln told Congress, “The dogmas of the quiet past, are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise -- with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew. We must disenthrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country.”

We must rise together. The world is watching and it is our contribution to this country that will set our place on the world stage. Our future is not a zero sum game where some have to lose in order for others to thrive. We can all thrive. We can be inclusive vs. disruptive. We can embrace hope. We can turn ideas into action. We can make change for 2020. 

And to my daughters, you will grow strong, daring, and brave. Someday, that glass ceiling will be shattered. Dream big little princesses. You will have a chance to become anything. There's no path that is unattainable. You can dream as big as you want and have the wings to take you there. 

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As I reflect on 2016, it's amazing what has happened over the past twelve months...and what hasn't happened.  New city, new job, new side projects, new home, new friends, new adventures, and most importantly a new baby girl - Azalyn. There was a lot of change in my life this year. Some days life was moving so fast that I felt like I didn't even have time to react. Maybe there was a lot of change in your life too. Change can be challenging and emotionally draining, but change makes you better. Life changes constantly and every day presents an opportunity to be better than yesterday. 

Along the way, I learned a couple lessons about myself. These are a few: 

ASK QUESTIONS, A LOT OF THEM. Never stop learning something new. Changing jobs or moving to a new city can be uncomfortable. Embrace it. Ask questions. A lot of them. You have to break old patterns of behavior in order to adopt new ones. I found myself outside of my comfort zone for half of 2016. I leaned into being an active listener and focused on asking how I can add the most value to continually maximize the success of projects.

MANAGE THE GAS IN YOUR TANK.  Every time I wasn’t the person I know I am capable of being it’s because I overstretched myself physically and mentally. Be more aware of your own needs in order to take care of others. Maximizing your own energy will lead to better decisions. Pay attention to what works for you and listen to the compass in your gut. Physical energy, emotional energy, and mental energy are all equally important to being the best you can be. 

DON'T BE AFRAID--OR EMBARRASSED--OF YOUR FAILURES. It’s over three years removed and I am still coming to terms with my startup failures. Failure needs to be embraced. Learn from it and start again. The value is in remembering the lessons learned and harnessing your startup passion for persevering once again. Embracing your failures allows you to trust your experience to shorten the process, have hunches, and love something hard-as-hell when you believe in it. 

BE HONEST--WITH YOURSELF AND OTHERS. If you aim to work harder than anyone else it is not about proving people wrong, it’s about lifting people up. Have the humility to understand others, before suggesting substantial changes. Leaders put people in the center, so you need to work with people you love, respect and can't live without. At the end of the day it’s not the work we remember, but the experiences with the group of people that came together to get shit done. 

I am hopeful for 2017 and for the opportunity to keep moving forward knowing I can always be a little better than the person I was the day before. Being 1% percent better than yesterday is something we can all achieve. I learned a lot in 2016. In 2017 I’m going to act on it. It’s not a resolution, just a matter of fact. 

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Leading through clarity of purpose

Every successful pitch or project I have led has started with a clarity of purpose - leading to a team aligned around a strong vision or mission to find the best route forward.

Building predictable success takes a simple, reliable, predictable process. At any point in time, you need to see where your team is, talk about getting there, implement a plan to get there, or be able to adapt and change according to reality. 

In an ideal world, you’d be able to walk up to any one of your co-workers and get the answer to the following questions:

What are you working on right now?

Are you confident that it’s the most important thing you could be doing?

Do you know who is waiting on you?

Do you know to whom you can go for support?

Do you know how your work fits into the overarching product we’re trying to accomplish?

Do you know why that product matters?

Establishing and empowering your team with a more formal process and methodology for tackling any new business opportunity is crucial to articulating what your prospective client is looking for. 

It takes a system of people working well together, and passionate about a problem or idea to produce consistently great results. And it takes a methodology to get clarity on the path forward to empower team leaders, create alignment, act with integrity, get to the goal no matter what.

The following is my approach to executing through clarity. 

Clarity of purpose: Before starting, make sure all team members know all the components that go into a successful pitch process and knows exactly what is the one main question that must be answered for the prospective client.

Clarity of plan: Everyone knows the story that must be told and is in agreement on what must be accomplished to get there. 

Clarity of responsibility:  Always knowing who is accountable for what at any given time. Create a master list of areas of responsibilities. Lay a strong foundation before everything gets out of control.

Clarity of action: Everything must contribute to the final argument and all team members are on board for how to accomplish the final goal. 

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Week 3 Day 1 of the new job.

I love the feeling out of being out of my comfort zone. Everything I have accomplished that I am proud of started outside of my comfort zone. Startups, sports, relationships, adventures, etc. 

I believe you can thrive in any environment, situation or industry as long as your attitude and mindset is right.  Do stuff that is interesting  that pushes you outside of your comfort zone. Find out the real problem, understand it and figure out how attack it in a way that will produce results that will produce results that will make you happy. 

My new opportunity has immediately pushed me beyond my comfort zone to expand my perspective and I am loving it. Nothing keeps you young like trying to learn new things. Trying new things takes tons of energy, but it is the only way to expand what you are comfortable with and learn more. 

Someone once told me that challenges are what makes life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.  I firmly believe that which is why the only way to thrive is to live a life outside of your comfort zone. 

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The Stoner Family is Going Back to Cali

Seattle brought us many new experiences, but we missed LA. It’s the city that gave us life-long friendships, love, motivation, connections, and so much more.

We moved to Seattle to grow as a family, to explore new opportunities and to take time to enjoy life and work to live rather than living to work. We all have a limited time to do the carefree things we want and it never gets easier the older we get. Moving to Seattle was a chance for us to experience the PNW, and after almost four years of leading my own company and working with other early-stage startups, I was craving the challenge of returning to the world of advertising and lead the day-to-day for a big brand.  

Moving to Seattle was one of our most profitable and comfortable two years as a family. It allowed us to buy things we would've never been able to afford, including a 4 bedroom dream-like house that we spent a year fixing up.  It allowed us an opportunity to increase focus and clarity, improve quality of life, and cherish more family time. Since we didn’t have a lot of friends, we spent more time appreciating just us. I fell in love with fitness and 6am crossfit WODs. We traveled - to Thailand, Panama and endless PNW weekend getaways.  Our second daughter, Azalyn was born.  Jenn embedded herself in coffee culture leading creative projects for Starbucks. And I created some amazing work for T-Mobile and KinderCare that allowed me to speak at Ad:tech and SXSW. I also ultimately even launched an internal program at Publicis, engaging Seattle startups in the power of branding.

But the biggest lessons for us as a family from last two years is that all this STUFF and comfort does not equal happiness. We don't need to make extra money to spend on buying things. We prefer to only spend money on necessities and travel and new experiences. We don’t thrive in comfort. Jenn and I are both still determined to make a dent in the universe in some way, shape or form. We love each other, but we are also both social animals. We are our happiest when we are celebrating life with people we love. 

Stay true, but don’t stay put. 

Make this a mindset instead of a thing. Past informs the future, but does not dictate it. Find the thread for what you love. Surround yourself with people that will push you to be your best. Take a moment to listen to your life – both on a personal and business level.

Good energy is contagious. Be driven by curiosity. Be the glue that brings good people together. And continue to grow with your social circle no matter where in the world they are.  Whether that is Seattle, LA or elsewhere, no matter where we are we will continue to push ourselves and our circle of friends forward. 

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What are the 3 things you focus on every day?

Tim Cook focuses on three things every day he comes to work. People, Strategy & Execution. 

1.) People: Start by getting the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the right seats.  

2.) Strategy: Things you are going to do, and things you aren’t going to do.

3.) Execution: With so many things going on each day, how you execute on them is critical.

Tim Cook believes if you can get those three things right, everything else falls into place. 

People, strategy, and execution are very important in maximizing the talents that lead to the successes of your business, but I would also add ‘Purpose’.

A company with a ‘Purpose’ is one on an unyielding mission to not only make an impact on the world, but a transformative impact that can put a dent in the universe.

If your people are aligned under a strong vision or mission it will always enable your team to sort through the clutter and find the best route forward.  Building a strong team capable of executing your strategy requires having a purpose that’s inspiring to help them get through the difficult problems of growing a company. 

Building predictable success through clarity of purpose will ultimately empower your team leaders to create alignment, act with integrity, and get to the goal no matter what. 

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The Side of Right

I’ve always like the philosophy of aiming to be on the ‘side of right’. The belief that fortune in life doesn’t automatically go to the strongest, smartest or wealthiest. It goes to the side that has continually shown generosity and intent to lift others up.

Making a difference in the world requires more than a title or resources. It’s about having the right mindset. And to feed that mindset we must learn to be kind and do good. As individuals, we must cultivate and develop the ability to act with compassion and integrity to become a resilient leader.

What being kind means for me is that you seek to build a strong relationship with people in your life. Trust and confidence are created through compassion. And having stronger relationships put you in a better position to make challenging decisions that help you forge ahead in life.

Doing good means that you communicate honestly and put people in the center. Good companies solve problems and bring joy by solving those problems.  Leaders who seek to do good spend time, personally and professionally with people we like, respect and can’t live without.

If you function day-to-day the same way -- believing that people are fundamentally kind, doing good and that progress comes from being on the ‘side of right’. You will rarely be disappointed.

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I came into the 2016 Crossfit Open determined to hit PR’s with every WOD, leave it all on the floor, and wasn’t ok with anything less. I spent the better part of the year putting in the work, doubling down on my efforts during early-morning rise and grind sessions. When you're a competitive, driven person who has goals you want to see go down, you can’t help but to sometimes obsess over your expectations for the end result.  But then life happens. In my case, my second daughter was born March 1st, the week of 16.2. An event that brought more joy to my life than knocking down any competitive goal. Nothing in my life is more important and brings more joy to my life than my family. It was a reminder to stop obsessing over the destination and enjoy the journey. It’s the little moments during life that we get the most enjoyment. I can’t say that I completed every WOD after 16.1 to the best score I am capable of, but I can say that I laughed, smiled and enjoyed the Open more than my first year as I reflected on how much I have improved and how much fun I had over the past year with the awesome community at Stoneway Crossfit. 

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Brands shift back to the tangible and other insights and observations from SXSW 2016

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Let’s all support Michelle Obama’s Peace Corps Let Girls Learn Fund, "which helps break down barriers and stigma that prevent girls from getting the education they rightfully deserve."

There's nothing more important I can do than raising strong, brave girls. Azalyn is two weeks old today and Zaya is loving being a big sister. I am a lucky father to have two amazing little girls that are only two years apart in age. There is something special about the bond between a dad and his daughters. These two keep me inspired! I will do everything I can to ensure that they will grow up having the confidence and smarts needed to thrive in this crazy world.