We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ryan Stock. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ryan below.
Hi Ryan, thanks for joining us today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?
This is really where you meet at the main intersection of the doers and the dreamers. I say that having been on the dreamer side far longer than I should have been. I was always “thinking” about the goals and ideas but frankly just stopped there and never got to that critical point of moving into real action. In fact, between two of the companies I started, there is one example where I had the idea almost 10 years before getting things up and running. The other was an example of making a more decisive decision when a unique opportunity presented itself. There is no question that making that initial “jump” to start the first steps to taking an idea to an actual product or company is easier said than done. However, I do believe it is easier “done than thought.” It’s very easy to have an idea, perhaps a great idea, only to come up with a million reasons as to why it won’t work and why you can’t start “right now.” Unfortunately, most great ideas remain in this purgatory of never coming to fruition, which can lead to regret and mental anguish in the long run.
Relating to the genesis of starting the Mexican spirits brand Los Magos Spirits International: long before it became reality, the story got started when I decided to begin surrounding myself with as many people as I could who knew more than I did, people who had more experience in various business aspects than myself. Almost instantly, things began to take shape and progress.
Ryan, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
My journey to becoming the Chief Executive Officer at Los Magos begins at the same place as most other success stories: humbly and on the ground floor. I attended Kendall College and earned a B.A. in International Hospitality Management. While in school, I worked in the hospitality industry as a dishwasher, a cook, and also in various operations roles for renowned groups such as Lettuce Entertain You and Boka Restaurant Group. It made for long hours, but I did this to put all the theories I learned into practice and learn the ins and outs of the industry I wanted to break out in. During my time at the award-winning restaurant Tru, I realized I wanted to work in the culinary industry business sector and began planning the steps to make that happen.
After graduating in 2010, I took a role as Director of Outlets for the Hyatt Hotels Corporation and dove in headfirst in order to lay the groundwork for becoming an effective manager. This valuable experience led to an Assistant General Manager position with Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, which proved to be the turning point in my career that pivoted me towards opportunities I’d never imagined. Over the next decade, I moved back and forth between Las Vegas and Beverly Hills, working in various executive positions for The Culinary Academy of Las Vegas, Gordon Ramsey Holdings, and Caruso among others. I worked with Bobby Flay, Gordon Ramsey, and a host of other top professionals who fast-tracked my leadership skillset. I gained enough expertise and experience from these opportunities to allow me to form my own company Adept, a hospitality industry private equity group, followed by Los Magos Spirits International.
Los Magos Spirits International is home to the industry’s most-awarded sotol. I fell in love with sotol a few years prior while on vacation in Chihuahua, MX, where I noticed nobody drank agave-based spirits. Upon returning home, I did some research and found very few offerings here in the States. Filled with confidence and determination, I launched my company, assembled a team, and began producing an economically, culturally, and environmentally sustainable product. Los Magos sotol stands ahead of the pack because it is 100% organic, cultivated, and produced using eco-friendly processes. I am extremely proud that we have been able to produce a product that people not only love but also one that does not exploit the rich resources of the Chihuahuan Desert. When you drink Los Magos sotol, you are drinking a spirit that captures the wild, untamed spirit of one of North America’s most treasured wilderness areas.
As Los Magos Spirits International expands its footprint, we are determined to continue producing a top-shelf product while also giving back to the world at large. Our Los Magos Foundation continues to develop and implement programs that support the workers, families, and communities that produce our products. We will also continue our ethical and sustainable harvesting and production practices to ensure that no harm comes to the fragile ecosystem where the sotol plant thrives. We are a company with a conscience, which is what makes us successful. It is my hope we can continue bringing products into the market people can enjoy anywhere, anytime with their loved ones, making the world a better place one sotol pour at a time.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
This is an interesting question to think about because it notates the concept of “strategy”, which for me has taken a fairly different meaning than what I believe is the more common understanding of the concept. Clientele growth comes from several different aspects: a useful product that solves a problem, the most cost-effective version of a product that clients want/need, and a brand/person that has garnered a client’s/consumer’s trust.
My advice for any new business owner to effectively ensure clientele growth is to maintain your consistent vision. Early on, it can be extremely tempting to pivot if things are not going well right away, such as making changes to your product or offering. DO NOT give in. Stay the course on what you originally set out to accomplish. A brand or product that can maintain consistency and a clear direction is a brand that has a clear identity. Also, do it REALLY WELL. It is easy to do something really well when you stick with the plan and keep it focused. Do not try to add more products or services in an effort to satisfy everyone. No product will ever do that.
New consumer acquisition is incredibly costly. Regardless of the industry, you have to ensure that the consumers who are receptive to your product/service are going to be able to come back again and again and get the same product/service they have come to rely on and love.
How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?
This is a very important topic for me personally. I am closely tied to my companies. Growing and expanding has been a challenge for me at times because it can be very difficult to pull away from being intimately involved in every single aspect. However, in order to grow, it is sometimes necessary to hire more support staff and entrust the people you hire to execute the vision, ideally in the same way you do.
That said, I have made it a priority to remain in touch with the clients as much as possible. I believe there is a tremendously positive impact to be had when consumers can see a real personality behind a brand/product. It allows a very direct, personal connection beyond the product itself and the consumer. When a consumer/guest feels a direct and personal connection to a product or brand, there is a significantly higher chance for loyalty toward that specific brand.
For my spirits company, we sell products in over 35 states around the country and are still growing. We also sell online to all 50 States. I get alerts every single time someone makes an online purchase. I always save every single one of those orders, and I make it a point to send a direct “Thank You” email personalized to every person who purchases a product from us. The “response back” rate on this is approximately 95%. Without fail, I frequently hear back from consumers blown away that they received a personal email from the CEO about their purchase. I get two very important pieces of information from this. First, I learned how the consumer was introduced to our brand, an incredibly valuable data point. Secondly, I have created a direct personal connection with a consumer, many times before they have even received the product. This has created an incredibly positive experience for the consumer that directly connects with the brand.
It can be easy to tell yourself, “You don’t have time to do this.” That very thought has hit me many times. But the reality is when it comes to directly connecting to your actual consumers or guests, there is ALWAYS time. There is NOTHING that can take priority over that. If the brand/company prioritizes its consumers, its consumers will likely reciprocate.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://losmagossotol.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/losmagossotol/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LosMagosSotol/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/los-magos-spirits-international-inc/
Image Credits
Not applicable