Ryan Christiansen
From Gunshots to Crickets in the Night
Episode 070
Ryan Christiansen is the Self-proclaimed Queen of Direct Response Marketing.
She was born and raised locally in North East Los Angeles. She is the proud founder and CEO of NINE2FIVE Marketing, a Traditional Marketing Agency. If you have driven down any of the main streets in Los Angeles, chances are one of the bus ads you saw was placed by NINE2FIVE Marketing.
As of August 2022, N2F’s clients are on 1/3 of the total buses throughout Los Angeles, the San Gabriel Valley, and the San Fernando Valley roads.
With decades of experience, Ryan knows what it takes to run a successful campaign. From Radio to TV, Billboards, Bus ads, and even lead generation, N2F covers the bases. In a world that is constantly growing and changing, so is Ryan.
Ryan is currently expanding NINE2FIVE’s services to include a full digital marketing team. A full-service ad agency providing the ultimate client experience has always been her vision and her passion.
Ryan’s daily inspiration comes from a famous American Country singer and icon. Can you guess who?
Hint: 9to5 (music note)
Ryan Christiansen Takeaways
- Ryan has an uncanny, natural knack for sales and closing deals
- Ryan runs her own full-service marketing company, NINE2FIVE, which was inspired by Dolly Parton
- Ryan has two older children, whom she feels like grew up alongside her, and one seven-year-old, who she believes she is more equipped to parent now that she has reached adulthood
- Ryan grew up in a rough area with gang activity and constant gunshots and made her way out.
Ryan Christiansen Quotes
- “It was normal. I lost a lot of friends through junior high and high school because of gun violence and gangs and being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
- “We grew up together. I have a seven-year-old now, and it’s a totally different experience from when I had my first kids. Now I’m old and more patient, but back then, we grew up together.”
- “I’ve loved sales since I was a kid. It comes naturally to me.”
- “Basically, I was getting a free education and getting paid while I was doing it.”
- “I now have this reputation throughout the industry that all these people do want to work with me. So it also helped the fact that if I come knocking on your door, they already know who I am.”
- “I’ve always been a fan of the underdog, and if I can see that there is room for growth, that’s what inspires me, and that’s where I go.”
- “Every day, there’s struggles. I’ve just kind of learned to not let it take over me.”
Show Notes
What is Ryan’s connection to the San Gabriel Valley?
Ryan lived in SGV for 20 years. She has a 25-year-old son and a 22-year-old daughter.
She wanted them to get a better education and have better opportunities, so when they were young, she decided to move to Temple City.
Even to this day, her son still has his Temple City friends. It has a family feel to it. Better education was the main reason Ryan moved her family to San Gabriel Valley. It was almost too quiet when she moved. She would hear silence or crickets instead of gunshots.
What was it like growing up in a rough environment before SGV?
It was a terrible normal-like status quo for Ryan. She lost a lot of friends in middle school due to gun violence, gangs, and people being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
It wasn’t until Ryan had children that she realized this “normal” wasn’t good enough.
Ryan had her children young, so in a way, they grew up together. She always wanted the best for them, but she didn’t know what that meant.
Has Ryan always had a job?
Ryan has been working since she was 13 years old. Her first job was at a kiosk at the mall. She has done sales, retail, and an office job at a pest company, and now she is in marketing.
She always had the ability to sell.
How has she dealt with difficult work environments?
Ryan has had bosses who have forgotten her name, demeaned her, and demanded that she just get them coffee. One was a particular pest control company. She learned enough skills and left after a year. She discovered how much she loved sales and demanded that she go out on the field and do sales.
She was met with skepticism at first, but she loved it and is a natural at sales. She truly loves it.
You have to know your product, and you have to know what you’re doing, but she really enjoyed outside sales.
She noticed that she had developed a cough, and her older coworkers had a terrible cough, so due to potential health concerns, she decided to leave the industry.
She ended up back in inside sales and advertising and started doing a great job with ad buying. She was the only one at her agency who did not have a degree, but her manager told her to keep it hush-hush and he would teach her everything she needed to know.
However, she missed sales and closing deals. This led Ryan to a law firm.
The manager needed help with sales, so Ryan ended up working there for close to a decade. She ran the intake department, and by the time she left, she was handling marketing and operations management.
The law firm grew from 11 employees to over 50 in the first two years, with Ryan running the sales.
Was there a turning point in Ryan’s life?
Ryan lost her grandfather and her grandmother in early 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
She is incredibly close to her grandfather and greatly admired him. Looking back at photos of him and thinking of her memories, she realized that she couldn’t sell herself short. She needed to take risks.
It almost felt like she was disrespecting him if she didn’t make a move.
So, she created her own ad agency called NINE2FIVE. One morning, she woke up, and without planning it, she decided it was her final day working for the attorney.
The name of her company, NINE2FIVE, was inspired by Dolly Parton.
What type of clients does Ryan prefer working with?
Surprisingly, Ryan has always been a fan of the underdog and personally prefers working with smaller companies and watching them grow.
She has respect for the larger clients, but watching the clients grow in real time is amazing.
One current client (as of the recording of this podcast) is Every Table. It’s a food service that targets poorer neighbors who are used to eating fast food that is processed. Instead, Every Table offers healthy food options at a cheaper price point.
Did Ryan encounter any difficulties?
It feels like every day, there are struggles. Ryan has just learned how to deal with them and keep moving passed them.
She’s felt blessed to have a successful and profitable business, but she constantly feels like she is juggling.
Ryan has three kids, is full-time homeschooling her seven-year-old, who had a respiratory condition during the pandemic, and working nonstop.
Ryan Christiansen
Santa Anita Racetrack: it’s like a second home for Ryan, and her grandfather would take her when she was little, and they’d pick horses together.
The Rose Bowl: Ryan remembers going to the Rose Bowl during the 4th of July for fireworks and music.
The Norton Simon Museum: This is where Ryan fell in love with art and Vincent Van Gogh.
