Today we’d like to introduce you to Ryan Grassley.
Hi Ryan, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My story with content marketing actually started with a motorcycle trip. Back in 2006, I rode from Utah down to the Panama Canal and back, and along the way I built a website where people could vote on which town or country I’d head to next. I’d travel to that destination, shoot a video about it, and post it on YouTube — then I’d use those videos to drive visitors back to the website, where they’d help decide what happened next on the trip.
What started as a fun hobby ended up teaching me something that became my career: every company on earth, no matter its size, needs someone who can tell its story through video.
Eventually, that skill turned into a job doing content marketing for a large industrial company. It was a great gig, but I found myself looking for work that could make more of a difference. Then I came across a posting on Upwork looking for someone to make videos of an all-terrain wheelchair. I have a friend from high school, Sam Durst, who has cerebral palsy, so I knew immediately I was the right person for the job. After I made a few videos, the company asked me to come on full time, and I left my previous job to help build what was still a very small startup.
It’s been a lot harder than I expected — but I think that’s a sentence almost every entrepreneur ends up saying. A lot of us say, ‘that was harder than I thought,’ or ‘if I’d known how hard it would be, I never would have started.’ That’s exactly why it’s important to jump in with both feet and not leave yourself an escape plan — it forces you to work as hard as it takes to make the thing work.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Growing Extreme Motus has definitely not been a smooth road. We’ve had partnerships fail, and we’ve even lost friendships over some of them. But through all of that, our mission has stayed the same: build a product that helps people with disabilities, and their families, enjoy the outdoors.
We know this matters because the most beautiful places in this country don’t have sidewalks — they’re at the end of a trail, in a state or national park. We build a product that makes those places accessible to people with mobility challenges.
The thing people don’t always think about with our all-terrain wheelchair is that it doesn’t just help the person with the mobility challenge — it changes things for their whole family. A lot of families never even attempt a trip to a state or national park because they assume it’s not possible. But once they find out the right piece of adaptive equipment exists, it opens up the world for that entire family. That’s something I think is really important.
So yes, there have been bumps and setbacks along the way. But we keep going because we know how important it is — for a person’s physical and mental health — to be able to get outside into those green places.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I work in marketing, specifically content marketing. My philosophy is simple: if we make enough videos about a product, eventually the people who need it will see it and buy it.
In a way, content marketing is a form of propaganda. If you make enough videos about any subject, you can get people to buy in. My go-to example — even though it’s not a flattering one — is the flat earth movement. People don’t believe the earth is flat because of evidence; they believe it because they’ve seen enough videos about it that it’s reshaped their sense of reality. It’s not a perfect example, but it makes the point: content marketing works.
I think anyone has the power to do this today, because the phone in their pocket already has the camera and microphone they need to reach a worldwide audience. If you can provide value or entertain people while showing how a product has changed your life — or a friend’s life — you’ll find the audience that needs it, and it will start to sell.
That’s exactly how it played out at Extreme Motus. I remember making a bunch of early videos, and a guy named Darren called me up — he wanted to buy one of our wheelchairs, the very first one I sold. I asked if he had any questions, and he said no, he’d already watched all the videos. That made me really happy, because that was the plan all along.
I’m also proud of the fact that I was able to do all of this with no budget. Extreme Motus didn’t have money for ads. I couldn’t afford a booth at trade shows. But what I could do was pull my phone, cracked screen and all, out of my pocket and share this company’s story with the world. That turned into something real: a product we could sell, one that genuinely makes people’s lives better in a meaningful way. That’s what I’m proud of.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Something not everyone knows about me is that I’m a competitive pinball player. I play in tournaments, and I’m in a league — I never win, but I always have a great time.
What I love about pinball is that it demands total focus. You can’t be thinking about anything else — work, problems, whatever’s going on in life — you have to be completely present in the game. If you don’t know anything about pinball, think of it like a board game: every machine is different, with its own artwork and its own strategy. But pinball adds another layer of difficulty — you need reflexes and muscle memory. You have to learn the machine, understand it, and actually make the shots. It’s not just randomness bouncing around; there are real skills you can develop and get better at over time.
It’s also become my way of disconnecting from work, which matters more to me than it might sound. My original hobby was making videos — and that hobby eventually became my job. So I had to go find a new hobby to replace it, something that was just mine, with no connection to work at all. Pinball became that for me. As an entrepreneur, you have to schedule time to actually have fun, because if you don’t, there’s always more work waiting, and without a way to disconnect eventually you burn out.
Pricing:
- The Extreme Motus all-terrain wheelchair sells for $4,500. Most customers also add a few accessories and shipping, so the average sale price ends up closer to $5,000. We know that’s a real investment, so there are programs out there — grants, for example — that can help families, nonprofits, cities, and municipalities cover the cost. We actually have someone on our staff dedicated to helping individuals, nonprofits, and cities navigate the grant-writing process. So if cost feels like a barrier, don’t hesitate to reach out — we’re here to help you figure out how to access the outdoors again.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://extrememotus.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/extrememotus/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/extrememotuswheelchairs
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/extreme-motus
- Twitter: https://x.com/ExtremeMotus
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SamAndRyanGo
