📈FIELD GUIDE 31: Never Stuck

Ryan has this way of making the things he’s interested in pursuing come to life. It’s almost like magic 🪄.

Together we’ve brought a couple of pretty massive Food Truck Festivals to Savannah. But that’s not all Ryan has proven he’s capable of.

Interests and the need to follow those interests come at unpredictable times. Make sure you go with the flow.

You’re never stuck. But you’re always interesting.

-Skyler

Name

Ryan Giannoni

Habitat

Savannah GA

Occupation

Passionately pursuing fun stuff.

Soundtrack

My name is Ryan Giannoni. I have picked up and put down more hobbies, passions, interests, and business ideas than any of us can count.

I began my entrepreneurial journey in 1998 at the age of 14. 

In those days, I had two passions. One was to own and operate a bar, like Cheers, the tv show my father and I used to watch all the time.

And two; automobiles. Specifically, heavily modified cars/trucks with souped up engines, aftermarket suspension, tires, body kits, bumpers, and of course… an obnoxiously loud sound system.

This passion originated from a bad deal with a neighbor whom took my car to Atlanta as well as my $4000 (that I had saved up for the last few years) and was to return it in a week with a competition worthy stereo system fully installed by professionals. Instead, I got the car back a month later with the factory radio untouched, the audio equipment I picked out still in the retail packaging, and several valet ticket stubs under the seat.

To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. After a week or so of self-pity I declared that I would not lose on this deal no matter what and I decided to form my own car audio and performance company with my best friend. That business was called G & T Customs.

I still think back to the formation of that business and laugh. To sell car audio in the 90’s you needed four things. a wholesale account with a distributor, a tax ID number, business license, and $5,000.00 for your first purchase. Mark and I or “T” and I built subwoofer boxes for our peers to save up the $5k and then bummed a ride to Athens (because we still couldn’t drive yet) to meet the distributor and set up our wholesale account.

The funny part is I dressed in a suit and tie and brought a briefcase with me with all the paperwork and the $5k in cash. When I knocked on the door a 50 year old man answered and promptly asked if I was lost. “No sir, I have an appointment. My name is Ryan G.” He looked very annoyed until I sat down and opened the briefcase. I had everything they required to become a licensed Rockford Fosgate retailer. And I left there with a literal trailer load of speakers, amplifiers, headunits, etc. 

It didn’t take long for the word to spread across my hometown and the counties beside us… G & T have the best deals out there. Mainly because we had zero overhead and still lived with our parents. The next four years would ultimately fuel my lifelong desire for entrepreneurship. It was the easiest money I’ve ever made. Think about it, our target market were our peers that also lived with their parents and had nothing else to spend their money on. Candy from a baby. 

That is until I went to college where our peers no longer had extra cash for speakers. And simultaneously another company was emerging that added a lot of competition. Perhaps you’ve heard of it. EBay. 

It didn’t take long for that “passion” to die under those conditions. 

So again, I did what any 18 year old in Athens, Georgia would do. I walked to the first bar I saw downtown and asked for a job. 

This passion had been manifesting since I was in elementary school. And I was ready for it. I started off as a door guy checking ID’s, then graduated to bar back, then head barback, then floor manager, then bartender, then I got stuck. No room to move up as the manager role was filled by a more qualified gentleman who still manages that bar today. (To E-rock at Walker’s pub, thank you for everything bro.) 

After a few years of bartending at Walker’s I started to feel as if I would never fulfill my dream. Then Hank walked in. Hank was from Hart County…my high school’s rival. We shouldn’t have gotten along. But we did. Hank informed me that he had just graduated from college in Boulder, Colorado and just bought a bar in downtown Athens. He also asked if I would like to be the GM of his new bar. 

Holy fucking shit! It’s happening.

We spent the next 11 months completely renovating the old bar Gus’s into the powerhouse we now called Sideways. The largest bar in Athens, Ga. Adding amenities like a rooftop deck overlooking UGA’s north campus, among other things. 

The success we had as 22-23 year olds was ridiculous. I somehow remember nights like the time we made $27k in one day. And the random Tuesday night that we packed the bar bc Mclovin (yes, from Superbad) was scheduled to host a beer chugging contest for us. Even happy hours when Bill Barry, the drummer from REM, would stop by and have a vodka soda with us. Great times! 

But sure enough, the new eventually wore off. And by “new”, I’m referring to myself. At 28 years old you are no longer a normal college kid. You are “old enough to be my dad” LMAO.

So I once again, decided I needed to change it up. I left my dream job working with, and for, my dream boss, in pursuit of a new passion. But where does a young professional go? Savannah, Georgia. Thats where. 

This city chewed me up and spit me out for a good two years. I resorted to starting a yacht detailing business to earn a living. In all honesty, I only did it because I could go to work at 11am, work till 3pm, and have a few hundred bucks cash to spend at the beach bars on Tybee Island. It was fun for a while but I grew bored with that and my part time real estate gig. Neither of which I was passionate about. 

I did what any 29 year old would do. I took a job opening the Savannah branch of an emerging popsicle conglomerate. I became a popsicle salesman. Some referred to me as the “Fresh Prince of Pops”, only because the CEO retained the title “The King of Pops.”

If you’ve ever admired a bartender geting attention from girls across the bar, then I highly suggest you apply for a job selling popsicles from a cart at festivals and events.

It sounds crazy but there is no comparison. Selling pops on the street corner actually did become a passion of mine. And it led me to what I consider today to be my true passion.

Food Trucks.

In 2016 food trucks were not allowed in Savannah, Ga. Hell, street vending wasn’t even legal. But when someone is passionate enough (not just motivated) about something, it’s hard to stop them when their heart is in the right place.

My father and I formed a 501c3 non profit organization called Food Truck Philanthropy and I scheduled and hosted the first Savannah Food Truck Festival before the city of Savannah had a food truck ordinance.

Since then I’ve unfortunately lost my father and almost all of my friends. But thanks to my true passion and your very own Skyler, I havent lost what I believe I was put on this earth to do. Be an all in Food Trucker. 

Food Truck Philanthropy, which Skyler and I have run together since before my dad passed, has hosted 10+ large scale festivals across multiple cities with thousands in attendance at each event.

Our one day events have created donations such as the $25,019.19 check to the Childrens Hospital of Savannah, among many other donations to incredible charities and individuals in need. All of which were free admission to the public. 

And for the icing on the cake we’ve done it for free. Food Truck Philanthropy doesnt have a payroll. It doesnt have employees. It only has a small group of volunteers whom share the same mindset. Impact over income. 

Now, I dabble in pine tree farming, trading stock, and building out trucks when the opportunity comes around and time allows.

That right there is passion, baby. My entrepreneurial journey proves that there is no one interest that is worth your attention more than any other. Pursue them all.