Agile Businesses: Ryan Williams of The Blockchain Academy On How Businesses Pivot and Stay Relevant In The Face of Disruptive Technologies

An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis

The right mindset — Maintaining the long term vision can be difficult when you are in the trenches and weeds day in, day out. Setbacks are inevitable, like our interconnected education platform, and without a larger shared vision setbacks can turn into derailment. Stay positive, keep pushing toward.

As part of my series about the “How Businesses Pivot and Stay Relevant In The Face of Disruptive Technologies”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Ryan Williams.

Ryan Williams is a busy husband and family man raising three young children and running his organization, The Blockchain Academy, from Napa California. Ryan grew up on the east coast in New York and New Jersey attending Fordham University in the Bronx for his undergrad and achieving his Masters at New York University. When Ryan isn’t working to scale skills with powerful institutions, he enjoys spending time traveling around northern California to hike, and occasionally laces up the boots to play Rugby.

Ryan has partnered with over 300 higher education institutions to provide business and technical instruction towards industry-recognized certifications. As an EdTech evangelist, Mr. Williams works to leverage the latest technologies in order to improve communication and reduce the friction between the students, the educators building the talent pipeline, and hiring employers.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?

“Ready, shoot, aim” is something my college roommates used to say about me, some still do. While I do begin with the end in mind I don’t let that get in the way of starting. I start and find the way. Like many, I had the entrepreneurial spirit of hustling little businesses starting in high school. Learned the nerve to sell pitching products like life insurance, which is not an easy sell. Worked in residential and commercial real estate sales in NYC before falling headlong into a construction business with my best friend only to be nearly whipped out in Circuit City’s bankruptcy, our biggest national client. Bartended my way through my master’s from NYU for Real Estate Development only to graduate at the height of the real estate crash. My eye turned to solar development, a nascent industry at the time. I thought it best to focus on the education aspect of the industry which is often the first growth sector of a new industry, especially government pushed green jobs. .

Once I started down the workforce and skill development path I saw nothing but endless opportunities, especially at the rate of change we are all experiencing. I realized upskilling is no longer optional in today’s world, it is a necessity for personal, professional and organizational growth. Over the past 15 years, I’ve partnered with over 400 Colleges, Universities, Corporations, and Professional Associations to help with education and workforce needs. I didn’t intend to end up here, but I couldn’t be happier with my path. “Ready, shoot, aim”

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘take aways’ you learned from that?

Timing is everything. Most folks are just now getting fully comfortable with the internet, Web 2.0, however in certain circles, such as bitcoin maximalist circles, it can feel like you are behind. The excitement from those who have crossed the blockchain chasm is palatable. More recent mind-blowing innovations, such as NFTs, have individuals and businesses piling in but people are opening their wallets much faster than they are opening their minds to the real innovation and knowledge required to excel in the Web3.0 era. The quick buck has superseded the real value.

We have been focused on the real value, the knowledge of the industry for over 6 years, and every year we have felt like we were massively behind. At a feverish pace to share the knowledge we created a lot of courses, 42 titles at present. That’s a ton of content! Content in need of constant updating to keep pace with the change.

Being early is funnier than being late, if you can last.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?

Throughout my career I’ve been in search for a mentor that never showed. They say the teacher will appear when the student is ready. Always a student, I learn more from those that I struggle with, that know my struggle, our struggle. If you aren’t struggling, you aren’t trying. Shared missteps and collective pivots are what forge a group of people to achieve a larger vision.

I’m grateful for my entire team. Having kissed a number of toads (bad actors) in business attracting a team of high-quality humans capable of bootstrap our way to success forges relationships that last a lifetime. I’m grateful for Bryant Nielson, our Founder, who has the ability to transfer knowledge better than anyone I know. Jim Sullivan, a saint, whose mind and ability to create, curate and deliver on difficult concepts is unmatched. Jim eats blockchain documentation for breakfast. David Stevens, superhuman freak that runs through walls to solve problems, which pales in comparison to his eye for design and growth hacking. Ryan “Kraz” Krasewski whose eye for quality and efficient operations makes for a scalable business.

Then there is the unsung heroes. The best decision you can make in life is hands down who you pick for a life mate, and I won big time. My wife Etta is my balance, both my calm and my drive. Mother of dragons who makes difficult situations look effortless.

Then there are the decisions you don’t make because you are born into them. My parents have shown me unconditional love that without it my dreams, my pursuits would be impossible. I’ve already won the lottery, and I’ve been cashing it in since the day I was born.

Extensive research suggests that “purpose driven businesses” are more successful in many areas. When your company started, what was its vision, what was its purpose?

At 5:15 AM every morning my wife and I read stoic passages. It is my belief we are all made to work, work is our shared purpose, a human purpose. The best work is the work in service of others. If your aims are true, those who help the most people are the most successful. Blockchain, if used as intended, is a great equalizer, bringing agency to the masses, and not just those at the top. From the very start our vision has remained true.

Bring understanding, skill and purpose to blockchain technology through partnership. The ethos of blockchain is partnership,

Thank you for all that. Let’s now turn to the main focus of our discussion. Can you tell our readers a bit about what your business does? How do you help people?

We partner with Colleges, Universities and Associations to scale blockchain education and skill development through well established and trusted channels. We are sort of like a mini-Pearson but on service steroids. On a very practical level academia is often too slow to meet the latest needs of the workforce. Research and philosophy are desperately needed in this space, but without enough people equipped with the right skills there is only so much innovation that can happen. Our program partnership empowers well established institutions with the best in class curriculum towards the most in-demand skills required right now, today. Across the upskilling and workforce development sector there are a lot of vendors working to provide whitelabel turnkey program solutions to higher education, however we are truly different. We want to help eliminate ourselves over time, which can seem contradictory to a successful business model, but it isn’t. We are focused downstream on business strategy and developer assessments, certification and digital badges. If we help 500 universities and associations train 10s of 1,000s of their students and members, we point them to the certifications and skill benchmarks we’ve established with the industry.

Which technological innovation has encroached or disrupted your industry? Can you explain why this has been disruptive?

I tend to look at everything through a workforce lens because ultimately I’m in the workforce industry. Blockchain is the disruption to the workforce much like the internet except the efficiencies are likely to have some shorter term but painful consequences. I’m actually worried about all businesses, particularly old school middleman broker industries. Blockchain can, and will over time, eliminate the need for middlemen. Take Title Insurance as just one example of many. It is a 1% tax, nearly $20 billion in premiums on all real estate transitions. Once county records make their way to the blockchain, an immutable ledger, the title industry of 60,000 to 70,000 employed folks have jeopardized jobs. This pales in comparison to real estate brokers once the asset class becomes liquid powered by tokenization. Nearly one million U.S. real estate brokers will be looking for new work. Naturally long standing entrenched interest will fight the change but efficient technology and end consumers benefit will always prevail. Look no further than Amazon.

Those equipped with the knowledge, practical skill, execution and ability to drive adoption will provide massive value while also eliminating a ton of jobs. Automation is the buzz of Web2.0 business everywhere. Once Web3.0 automation hits the mainstream in two to three years many businesses and professions will go the way of the horse and buggy. I’m comforted by the fact that the automobile created a ton of new jobs. Just as the MadMan advertiser had to become a growth engineer, lawyers will have to be able to write and interpret smart contract code, and Accountants will have to learn how to audit a blockchain. All our professions, if they are not eliminated completely, will be in need of a major upgrade.

What did you do to pivot as a result of this disruption?

Since we, blockchain, are the disruption, and timing has been our issue, we have had to focus on where we can provide value in the meantime. We pivoted to developer ecosystem onramps and developer assessments with many of the top blockchain platforms. If ecosystems, like dogecoin, do not have an active network of developers innovating at any pace of its competitors, that ecosystem will die. Savvy foundations and thought leaders understand it is about people equipped with the right skills and resources. Easier developer onramps lead to faster growth.

Was there a specific “Aha moment” that gave you the idea to start this new path? If yes, we’d love to hear the story.

Yes! Everyone is looking for solidity developers. They are paid an order of magnitude higher than a fullstack developer. The issue is employers and project managers have to trust that the developer they’re looking to hire actually has the ability to write the code to meet the project’s demands.

We had already created more curriculum than any blockchain education provider in the world. What’s next? Platform specific skill benchmarks and assessments resulting in Certifications was our aha moment. When you are in the wild west, which is where the blockchain and cryptocurrency industry currently resides, we took it upon ourselves to begin laying the workforce guardrails to help employers hire or internally develop talent required to be successful, Certifications, issued by the platforms themselves, also make it easier for college and university faculty and corporate training providers to establish programs aligned to these standards further expanding the talent pipeline.

So, how are things going with this new direction?

Fantastic. I have never felt better about our positioning. By 2022 we will be on track to have 100 institution partners across the world leveraging the curriculum we created pointing to the certifications we have had a hand in developing. We’re doubling down with train-the-trainer, which in decades past can feel like cannibalizing your own market, but if you continue to provide upstream value for those you help bring into your space you build a community that is more valuable as a whole. We will continue to strive to have the best and most in-depth curriculum, useful labs and industry recognized assessments, all of which help scale with the workforce in a meaningful way.

When the future seems so uncertain, what is the best way to boost morale? What can a leader do to inspire, motivate and engage their team?

Eternal optimism and genuine gratitude for the work being done by the humans on your team is all that is needed, but it must be expressed, and expressed often. We are fortunate to be working in a growth sector which boosts morale on the daily. We are certain blockchain will change the world and keeping that in focus is key

Is there a “number one principle” that can help guide a company through the ups and downs of turbulent times?

Trust. Blockchain has been called the truth machine but until we are all living in a blockchain world it requires trust in the mission, the vision, and those on your team to make it through tough times. You must also trust yourself, that you are on this path for a reason and trust that the universe will transpire to your aims if your aims are true.

Can you share 3 or 4 of the most common mistakes you have seen other businesses make when faced with a disruptive technology? What should one keep in mind to avoid that?

1. Education and training — It is about people. Businesses are experiencing massive turnover right now, but the businesses that invest in their employees’ growth achieve greater employee retention and a better equipped workforce. I really like what Amazon is doing with Amazon Career Choice and Degree investment.
2. Waiting. Delay because something is too cutting edge is stupid. The pace of change and competition is so fierce that waiting is no longer an option. If you aren’t investing in R&D and people skills in the latest technologies you are asking to be disrupted. At the very minimum at least one person within an organization should understand the technologies poised to impact your business.
3. Overinvestment. Technology is a double edge sword. The excitement can cause some to overcommit to one platform that could quickly erode from a lack of ecosystem development. Learn as much as you can about the platforms and their roadmaps before committing too many resources. Start small and grow with the ecosystem, but most importantly, start.

Ok. Thank you. Here is the primary question of our discussion. Based on your experience and success, what are the five most important things a business leader should do to pivot and stay relevant in the face of disruptive technologies? Please share a story or an example for each.

1. The right people — Honestly, that’s the ballgame. Jim Sullivan is one of very few people on the planet that can create technical blockchain curriculum and developer assessments and without him the platform partnerships would be fruitless. David Stevens was named Best Digital Marketer for Continuing Education by LERN and he is building the next generation education and workforce platform interconnecting Universities and Association from around the globe. Bryant Nielson, The Blockchain Academy founder, has created more blockchain education content than anyone in the world and he’s been a true leader in the education space delivering key notes all over the world, currently the Chair of the Government Blockchain Association. Without these key players achieving our mission would be impossible.
2. The right partners — Established valued brands and technology stacks that won’t get deprecated anytime soon are vital to business growth and continuity. We’ve made the mistake of choosing some technology vendors that didn’t work in the end which set our education platform back many months. One weak link in the chain can cause the whole thing to stop.
3. The right mindset — Maintaining the long term vision can be difficult when you are in the trenches and weeds day in, day out. Setbacks are inevitable, like our interconnected education platform, and without a larger shared vision setbacks can turn into derailment. Stay positive, keep pushing toward
4. The right investment at the right time — Often startups raise before they have enough traction and lose a large portion of their business to an investor seeking an outsized return. We have sought to bootstrap until there is any significant competition in our space. While valuations are currently sky high, if your investors take too much of a slice you lose positioning. Hold out as long as you can.
5. The right timing — There is a great Ted Talk from Bill Gross, The Single Biggest Reason Startups Succeed. In which he rated his startups investments on five factors: Idea, Team, Business Model, Funding and Timing. It turns out timing was the biggest indicator of success. That being said we have been early, but our pivots in the meantime have bolstered our positioning so as blockchain hits the mainstream I believe we will have the right timing.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“When you are going through hell, just keep going.” Winston Churchill. Pain is growth and no pain is permanent. Seek pain, seek the hard problems that need solving. Sometimes the bootstrapped startup life can feel like hell, but it is worth it, and how sweet it will be when we’ve helped so many find their struggle, their growth in the blockchain startup space and share in their achievement.

How can our readers further follow your work?

LinkedIn and our blog syndicated to all our university and association partner sites is the best way to follow what we’re up to. Ideally it is the work of our partner institutions that we want the public following. They are the established communities of trust and if our work can shine through their brands, students and members we will have done our job.

Thank you so much for sharing these important insights. We wish you continued success and good health!

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Agile Businesses: Ryan Williams of The Blockchain Academy On How Businesses Pivot and Stay Relevant… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.