

How True Classic CEO Went From Sleeping in a Garage to 9-Figure Revenue
Aug 28, 2025
Ryan Bartlett, Co-founder and chairman of True Classic, shares his entrepreneurial journey from living in a garage to building a billion-dollar D2C brand. He discusses the importance of resilience and strategic growth in e-commerce, along with innovative practices for team engagement and customer insights. Bartlett reflects on how discipline and an inquisitive mindset shaped his success, emphasizing the role of curiosity in entrepreneurship and the value of personal experiences in forming strong professional connections.
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From Garage To Pivot
- Ryan lived in a garage and played poker all day before pivoting to nightclubs and then digital marketing.
- He went broke quickly and used that failure to change course into a more sustainable career.
Training Ground In SEO And Dropshipping
- Ryan learned SEO, built an agency, and used drop-shipping as a training ground before founding True Classic.
- That period taught him to be a jack-of-all-trades and prepared him to run a product business.
Hedge Against Platform Risk
- Overreliance on a single ad channel (Meta) creates extreme business risk when platforms change.
- True Classic hedged by building brand and diversifying channels, reducing Meta dependence successfully.