Ryan Blythe

Community Members’ Questions Keep Coming

BY RYAN BLYTHE

After four years of writing for Aroundabout Local Media and 10 years since the launch of Georgia Trade School, I have received enough reader emails and questions to provide material for several articles. As always, I appreciate your feedback, as it gives me insight into what our readers, community members and stakeholders have on their minds. Below are four questions I have received, along with my responses. Keep them coming, and we will do this again.

1.

Why doesn’t Georgia Trade School take federal government loans? Couldn’t you be 10 times bigger?

Possibly, but I don’t think we want to work 10 times harder. I made a conscious decision to be an independent school. We live in a state where welding is heavily subsidized by the government, as it is identified as a high-demand career. You can pursue discounted or free tuition at a technical college. Our model was to give another choice to the suburban teenager who was predisposed to college as his or her only post-secondary option. Instead of seeking career-changers, which most private schools try to reach, we started recruiting at high schools. As a result, our students’ average age is 19. In an industry where the average welder is 55, this is a big deal.

2.

Besides capital and drive, what are the skills or mindset needed to be a successful entrepreneur?

First, it is great you realize that without access to capital and a tremendous work ethic, building a business would be incredibly challenging. It is important to be realistic. In 2021, one in five businesses failed within the first year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. After five years, half will have failed, and after 10 years, two out of three will have closed their doors. If those numbers scare you, remain an employee. You must be very confident in yourself and your business plan. There will be burnout, and no two days will be the same, ever. Expect surprises and chaos. But in that chaos, you can find great creative breakthroughs. After all, Fleetwood Mac made “Rumours” while the members were going through relationship breakups. Regarding your business plan, there are numerous resources available to guide you. One of the best is SCORE — Service Corps of Retired Executives — which provides free mentors who offer workshops and in-person or virtual support on topics ranging from startups to marketing to finance.

3.

If I want to work for you, what is a deal breaker?

I cannot stand it when shopping carts are not returned to the corral. Do not be that person. Also, we have a five-generation workforce, so you must be comfortable with that. My Generation Z and younger millennials challenge me often, but I like that because some of their ideas, particularly with regard to marketing, are exceptionally good.

4. What makes Cobb County special? We have one of the best chambers of commerce in the United States. Our business associations are among the largest and most active in the metropolitan Atlanta region. Cobb government, especially at the municipal level, is very responsive. Our emergency services and firstresponders are highly regarded. There is a pay-itforward attitude among many of the county’s top stakeholders. This is a very generous place — you do not find that everywhere. Also, we have the Braves!

Ryan Blythe is the founder of Georgia Trade School, which for the seventh consecutive year, was named one of the Cobb Chamber Top 25 Small Businesses of the Year.