We were lucky to catch up with Ryan Waters recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ryan , appreciate you joining us today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?

There are the typical responses such as hard work and determination, but I feel that it really depends on personal motivation that is very individually specific. When I first began my career as a guide, I would take jobs with low or sometimes no pay, travel far distances, anything just to get opportunities. So over time, I developed simple phrases that became important; “you have to make things happen for yourself”, and “you have to take chances”. These mottos helped me become successful because they gained me valuable experience, which led to additional opportunities.

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?

I learned early on in my mid twenties that I had a passion for mountains, climbing and travel that would not allow me to stay in a standard corporate job. So I followed my passion and learned to become a mountain guide. Over time, I was able to build a pretty good resume of climbs in the Himalayas and around the world so I was able to start a guide service of my own.

Mountain Professionals, my company based in Colorado, has been in operation now for around 17 years and we lead trips all over the world. I even eventually got into Polar skiing trips and was able to complete two pretty significant trips, one was the first unsupported ski traverse of the Antarctica Landmass, a 70-day, 1,200 mile crossing, and secondly the last unsupported and unassisted ski trip to the North Pole in 2014. Both were done with amazing partners.

Having done these trips and climbing the Seven Summits, allowed me to become the first American to do a feat titled the True Adventurers Grand Slam.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

In our business, like others, there are so many avenues to market and get the word out, but I would say that word of mouth amongst people familiar with our industry has been the greatest value. We operate climbing trips and treks, mostly focusing on the Seven Summits and climbing school, so that pool of potential clients somehow gets to know each other and mentions their experiences with different companies. This is even more true now with social media simply with people who are taking the kind of trips we run.

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

It makes me think of the classic scenario of a small business. The owner or founder tends to “do it all” when it comes to the many aspects of business. Most times this is out of necessity at the beginning. As your business grows, you need to “let go” and hire people to do jobs that they are good at, and you are not. I had to learn that people in various aspects of business, accounting, marketing, and even truly amazing mountain guides, they can do it better than me in almost all scenarios and in the end it makes your business grow.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mtnprofessionals.com
• Instagram: @ryanwatersphoto
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mountainprofessionals
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mountainprofessionals1029

Image Credits
Amy VanKanan, Eric Larsen, Bryan Hill