Ronny Sage is the CEO of ShoppingGives, whose mission is to turn everyday shopping into fundraising. His prior experience includes doing affiliate marketing, working with agencies, and even includes helping to grow some major brands. Ronny explains how he got started with his latest project ShoppingGives, and how they are looking to change the way retail works. 

Every holiday season over $91 Billion is spent in retail, and over $7 Billion is spent on advertising those sales. At ShoppingGives their core mission is to help everyday people give back to charities that are supported by the user and the company. 

Individuals can sign up to create a team and start fundraising donations that partner with major charities and 750 of the top retailers. These retailers then give back to the user’s selected charity by allowing customers to donate a percent of their purchase to charity. 

Ronny shares his own personal mantra that has helped him through a variety of careers, roles, and learning experiences. “The path least expected can have an outcome that you thought was impossible.”  Originally, Ronny got a BA in Music Business, however, he quickly shifted gears after working in the publishing world out of college. This led him to explore his natural love of marketing and all things digital.  

In his interview it is clear that each one of Ronny’s roles has helped him get to where he is today. 

Some Questions Kaivan Asks In This Episode

• How did you start your company?
• What did you do before that led up to this?
• What does your company, ShoppingGives, do?
• What was the process like from making the shift from employee to entrepreneur?
• How did it feel to be chasing your dream?
• How do you manage splitting time between work and family while running a business?
• How did it feel for Ronny to be a struggling student and use his gifts in music and dance to express himself more freely?

What You’ll Learn In this Episode

• Why Ronny started his business.
• How Ronny pivoted several times in order to get where he is today.
• How he was able to build on his previous experiences to achieve success.
• What it takes to not be selfish, when you have a family, and a business.
• How Ronny overcame a severe learning disability as a young child.

Bio
Ronny started going to school for Music Business and studied classical guitar. He earned a BA in Music Business, and then found a job at a Publisher, before social media became a mainstay. He was able to carve out relationships and figure out where he learned the affiliate industry. Then, he went into consulting and found his way into Rise.com where he was the 7th employee there, and helped them monetize their platform with payment processing and major retailers. Next, he went into the educational space, which led him to agency work.