The Startup Story

Ryan Hogan, co-founder of Hunt A Killer

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About this episode

This week Ryan Hogan, co-founder and CEO of Hunt A Killer,,, joins me on The Startup Story. Let’s be clear, Ryan is not a bounty hunter that lives a high adrenaline lifestyle. Instead, Hunt A Killer is an entertainment and media platform that has leveraged the incredibly popular box subscription format as one way to distribute their content.

Ryan served in the United States Navy for 15 years and left to pursue his startup, Hunt A Killer. Serving in the military is an all-consuming endeavor. Yes, there is plenty of downtime, but never would I have expected to meet a serial entrepreneur that built numerous businesses while serving on Active Duty. And these were not just small side hustles. While serving in the U.S. Navy, he created a Zombie Adventure Run that brought in close to $8 million in its second year!

There were so many elements of Ryan’s story that were surprising to me. In fact, sometimes on this podcast, a founder will drop some truth that shakes me a bit when I hear it for the first time; because it hits close to home. Ryan’s story includes one of those moments. This is Ryan Hogan’s startup story.

In this episode, you’ll hear
  • His early childhood, having a father who left the police force to pursue entrepreneurship and what it taught him
  • Ryan’s own early start as an entrepreneur in the third grade and later starting a lawn mowing business
  • What street racing and nitrous gas has to do with his decision to enlist in the military and his decision to join the U.S. Navy and his 15 years of service
  • His various business ventures during his time of service, including buying and selling items from local auctions, as well as creating a moisture-wicking shirt business
  • Starting, running, and executing on a startup while serving in the U.S. military and how the shirt business would ultimately lead to creating a successful zombie adventure run series
  • The logistics of putting on a running event and how it helped Ryan move over $250k in shirt inventory; plus the eventual shutdown of his running adventure business and some lessons he learned
  • The unknowns of entrepreneurship, why it can be amazing and scary; and how Ryan puts everything into perspective
  • The formation of the idea for Hunt A Killer, creating the game design, realizing quickly the original concept wouldn’t scale and going back to the drawing board
  • Building community around the Hunt A Killer experience, moving to a subscription box model and some lessons Ryan has learned thus far

    • “Every failed startup attempt is a building block.”

    —Ryan Hogan, Hunt A Killer

    Resources from this episode

    Our Sponsor, Vortic Watch Co.: https://vorticwatches.com/

    Help Support Socks for Heroes: http://scmcsg.org/
    Hunt A Killer website: https://www.huntakiller.com/
    Ryan Hogan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanehogan/
    The Startup Story on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thestartupstory/

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    EPISODE CREDITS

    If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

    He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.

    Contact him today at https://emeraldcitypro.com/startupstory

    Special Guest: Ryan Hogan.

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    The Startup StoryBy James McKinney