Today we’d like to introduce you to Ryan Pilkington
Hi Ryan, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My story starts when I was in middle school. Through the effects of being bullied, put down and labeled as the school loser. I found myself in dark times, thoughts and loneliness and even suicide found relief through art, doodling and drawing. I would create my own shirt concepts and logos for imaginary businesses. I dreamed of some day owning and running my own t-shirt business. This allowed me to escape into my own world and was able to through a lot of prayers and the willing to continue graduated from High School. From there I decided to get my Associate and Bachelors Degree in Computer Science/Graphic Design.
I now run my own brand and design studio were we create logos, websites, have assisted with apparel brands, e-commerce brands and packaging design for clients and have been doing this now for the past 15+ years.
I am in the process of releasing my own autobiography book “Rising From the Shadow” about how I was able to take a passion in the midst of darkness and turn it into a career.
From this book and from these experience I created several events prior with speakers and bands to raise awareness on anti-bullying and suicide awareness that were great success.
Currently I have created an Initiative called “Logo4Luvs” and eventually with the hopes of turning that into a 501c3 Non-Profit to help the entrepreneur minded youth have the resources, mentorship and tools to launch their vision and give them purpose. Until that is official formalized we are working with Promise2Live.org in the fight agains stigma and suicide prevention and we sit as an advisory board member as well as a brand consultant.
I have been married for 21 years this March and have 2 miracle boys that we thought we would never had naturally that are 5 and 2 years old.
We live in Holladay Utah and love being apart of great projects that give back as well as working with small business owners.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
This has been a hard road to say the least. I have learned in business you need to build a way to recover quickly and to have resilience. We have suffered the loss of several of our parents, the struggle of loosing several early babies withe miscarriage. Going through the ups and downs of financial stress and as an entrepreneur we are at feast or famine. There has been in my own life a lot of anxiety from my past, and from the sudden death of my mom passing in 2002 before the Olympics. I have silently lived with the Freeway anxiety and rarely take the freeway and have had the blessing of good therapist I feel I am on the road to recovery. Every day is a struggle, and I have learned to take the good with the bad and do my best to waive at the moments and say thank you for the lessons you are teaching me.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Well, as stated – I am a graphic design, brand strategist and digital studio. Working with small businesses and start ups. Was able to go to Barcelona Spain a few years ago for an award for a educations e-book that we used to help market a niche industry that was struggling to educate their own customers and sold it as a white labeled e-doc.
We were there with my wife for 10 days and was the first time I went international. I have self proclaimed me as the Brand Boss.
Any big plans?
Looking to upgrading my business from a studio to a full agency with multiple partners and employees. Looking to get a house and also start investing in homes and air-bnb properties to retire with and also as a true Entrepreneur have other personal product launches with a Sauce Idea called Gran Pappys Secret Sauce, Logo4Luvs Non-Profit and then have some bigger projects that are geared into the community indoor playground space… and a bunch more and of course launch several t-shirt brands and podcasts. Yeah.. lots of grand ideas.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.rgxstudios.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ryan.pilkington2
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-pilkington-37b13445/
- Other: https://logo4luvs-empowering-you-rq7ks2y.gamma.site/
