Graduated in 2021 with a major in Music Business. Principal instrument: guitar.
Position: Partner Accounts and BDR (Sales) at Redis, Inc, a tech firm providing a service to very large tech firms, essentially a massive data cache so that common queries can be answered faster and using fewer resources. Around a thousand employees, mostly in San Francisco, but he’s with other salespeole in their Austin office. Ryan reaches out to both potential customers trying to guage interest in their product, as well as current customers about new services which Redis can provide.
Overview: While still at Berklee, Ryan wasn’t sure if he needed to stay in music or what he wanted to do and he decided to get an MBA. He got into the MBA program at Belmont University in Nashville and started that summer right after graduation. In late 2022 his MBA was complete, and Ryan spent the next year working at a music app startup where he had started working while still in the program. But as with many startups, working there involved, long hours, modest pay, and the hope that things would get radically better if the company took off. Eventually Ryan decided that glorious future was unlikely, so he gave notice, left on good terms, and moved home to California to plot his next move.
Ryan taught some music lessons while applying to hundreds of jobs over most of the year–he regrets not trying to network directly with hiring managers. Soon after he applied to the position at Redis he noticed an old friend worked there. Ryan reached out to this friend, who vouched for him and this led to Ryan getting an interview and ultimately this job. The job started out with him exclusively reaching out to potential customers, but he was semi-promoted to his current position where he also reaches out to current customers.
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You can see Ryan’s LinkedIn profile here.
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Choice Quotes: “I find a lot of satisfaction in having a conversation with someone I’ve never spoken with before, getting them to open up about their needs, then getting them to hop on a longer call and hearing the eagerness and excitement in their voice when they realize that our produce will solve their problems. It feel like I’m an ancient hunter who brought down the gazelle on the Serengeti, like I’ve won.”
“At Berklee, I faced a hard truth. If I wanted people to listen to my music, I had to appeal to what people wanted to hear. That does help me in my current role in terms of my mindset. it helps me with social interaction, knowing I need to say what they want to hear, not just what I think should be good. I need that outside-looking-in perspective.”
“If you have doubts about whether you want to go through the uncertainty of a music career, have your options open in terms of your career path. Get comfortable with the idea that music might be a hobby, a passion on the side. Find joy and acceptance in that. Don’t give up music just because you had to find a different job.”
“Before embarking on a career in sales, ask yourself, ‘Do I have thick skin? Am I naturally OK with rejection and with trusting in the process?’ If you’re OK with that, then you should go for it. And do so now rather than later. That first role (BDR, SDR), isn’t sunshine and rainbows. Especially if it’s mostly commission. You’ll hear ‘No,’ all the time. But if you’re going to do it, start when you’re still young and like a spongs that absorbs lots of information. Sales jobs are relatively easy to get, but you want to get through that first year or two and move on to where it’s less of a grind. Also, be watchful about pyramid schemes. If they offer you multiple group interview slots, it’s probably some pyramid thing and not a company you want part of.”
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See the full index of successful Berklee alumni.