Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Rian Graham. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Rian, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s jump right into the heart of things. Outsiders often think businesses or industries have much larger profit margins than they actually do – the reason is that outsiders are often unaware of the biggest challenges to profitability in various industries – what’s the biggest challenge to profitability in your industry?

The biggest challenge to profitability in the industry is being the person mentally and spiritually that you need to succeed. You can have a million dollar business idea, but you have to be the leader, the entrepreneur, the risk taker, the negotiator, the teacher and the student. A lot of people think because you have a good business idea then tomorrow your business will do well but its really the person you are today. Our midst controls and shifts our environment. Our mindset we have to evolving and executing is what will determine if you are successful.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Rian Graham and from a kid I always felt I was a bit different then most. I had a unique passion and creativity for organizing groups, finding solutions to challenges, and reconstructing things to receive better outcomes. For an example, in the court grade I went to a local public school in Detroit Michigan and because we were under afforded there were limited after school programs. There was a basketball team but not a cheer or dance team. I seen what I thought was a problem. At just the tinder age of 10 I thought not everybody wants to play basketball. After trying out for the team, and ideally not being the best at I realized every other school had cheerleaders and we didn’t. I actually would prefer to cheer or dance over running up and down the court. I quit the basketball team and started my own dance/cheer group. I worked an agreement with the head basketball coach convincing him to let us girls of about 12 youth to ride the school bus with them to the game. I orchestrated practices three times a week, and made permission slips for games days that I sent home with the girls for their parents to sign. I used my mother food stamp card to buy chicks and drinks and hosted candy. and bake sales during our lunch periods. I raised enough money to buy all the girls uniforms and hand pressed our logos with a iron at home myself. We was the real deal until we got caught. One day a girl called in sick, well her mom called into the school inform them that “Shandy’ wasn’t going to make the game today as she had fallen ill. To the school office they were confused because to their knowledge they don’t have a cheer/dance team and only a basketball team. After a few back and fourth of the parent convincing her them that their child is in fact on a dance/cheer team their called the Lady Eagles the principle got involved to do a school investigation. To they surprise a whole 10 year old kid came up with this and when they called me to the office to reprimand me when she learned how I managed to do everything, she let me off the hook scotch free. I believe she was impressed although she never admitted it. She later went on to hire a cheer coach and the school later started an actual program but to be fair they was never as good as the “Lady Eagles” started by and Ran by 10 year old Rian Graham.. Dance became my passion and I went on to dance professionally when I became an adult for the Detroit Pistons Basketball Team of the NBA.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson I have learned is relationships are truly worth more than money. In order to truly be successful you must know how to cultivate and foster health relationships. You are must be healthy mentally and spiritually yourself to keep them. Good relationships can get you in doors that money can’t. Good relationships can help you obtain a promotion that you aren’t even qualified for. Most importantly good relationships can mention you in rooms that you never even been in.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

For a long time I just had a bunch of list of things I was accomplishing to feed my ego. I was curious about a lot of different business ideas so in true egotistic faithful fact I would try to accomplish it just so I could see if it could be done. I would open a hair store and realize I actually don’t hair and don’t like customer service that much. I would start a modeling agency and realize I don’t like a lot of the things that goes on in the industry. I would do so many things but achieve success In them all at a high level only to find myself still unfulfilled. It was up until I remembered my true purpose that I have received my greatest peace.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linker.ee/rianryelee
• Instagram: @rianryelee_
• Facebook: RianGrahaam
• Linkedin: RianGraham
• Youtube: RianRyelee

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