HODL on to your dreams with Ryan Rudden

Ryan Rudden would be considered a “hidden gem” in the emerging Bitcoin & Blockchain industry. In the music industry, hidden gems typically refer to songs or artists with exemplary value that the world hasn’t wholly discovered yet. Unfortunately, most of the coverage on the early-comers in Bitcoin excludes an important population.

The people typically highlighted on digital media platforms are the founders of exchanges and wallets, creators of alt-coins, Youtubers, authors, cypherpunks, and the technical and business developers. This article will highlight a unique perspective from a mogul from a microcosm of the Bitcoin universe. Despite their collective influence, this community does not get the proper recognition for their persistence, entrepreneurial strategies and bouts with Federal regulation (FinCEN) in the cryptocurrency space. Bitcoin ATM owners deserve their flowers too.

Ryan Rudden is a Maryland native with a message on true leadership potential in the growing Bitcoin & Blockchain industry. I had the pleasure of interviewing him on February 2nd, 2021 in hopes of shedding light on the life of a Bitcoin ATM business owner. The wealth of knowledge he espouses not only comes from his life experiences, but also his career as an accountant and founder of HODL ATM, LLC here in the DMV (DC, Maryland, & Virginia).

Leadership is something Ryan is avidly stepping into to expound growth within his company. Oftentimes, new entrepreneurs do not see themselves as leaders until the fruits of their labor are expressed through partnerships, sales, or the people directly impacted by their efforts.

This University of Maryland graduate applied immense persistence and propensity throughout his education. After being denied admission from the Smith School of Business he pursued a Bachelor of Economics, the road “less travelled by”, in the words of Robert Frost. He graduated from UMD in 2009 and then attended the University of Phoenix which became his next avenue to becoming a licensed CPA. The headwinds of being a Money Services Business (MSB) establishing Bitcoin ATMs across various states ostensibly requires an keen eye from a accounting perspective. Luckily, Ryan possesses those optics which is why HODL ATM is a leading Bitcoin ATM business in the DMV.

As a CPA he experienced 100+ hr work weeks during tax seasons. Such an exhausting routine could drive anyone into extreme lethargy. But, after a tumultuous tax season before the 2017–18 Bitcoin bull run he made a reflection on his life. Self-reflection incites inventory of potential; his reflection enabled him to pivot in his career. He pondered the idea of an exit strategy with value extending beyond leveraging the inflationary USD. Thus, HODL ATM was created out of the drive to segue into a new ecosystem of opportunity yielded by DeFi.

HODL ATM was created after the 2017–18 bull run. Bitcoin hit an all-time high of about $20,000, meaning that not only this digital asset prove its potential of becoming a store of value, but emerged as a ubiquitous utility that outperforms the USD and other fiat currencies globally. Ryan embarked on the endeavor of establishing tangible territory in IoM (Internet of Money) using machines crafted to issue Bitcoin at convenient locations such as gas stations, tobacco shops, grocery stores as well as liquor stores.

The journey of being a accountant to also becoming a new Bitcoin ATM entrepreneur gave him insight on how to lead people. You must “try to motivate rather than to scold”, to receive positive results from partners within the company. He turns to his dad and wife to discuss hard questions and make tough decisions. He executes patience with contractors because just as the outside world is learning about this digitally subversive industry, merchants, contractors and vendors are attempting to catch up as well.

We are in 2021, 12 years since the first Bitcoin transaction was executed on January 12, 2009; Bitcoin was virtually $0.00 its time of inception. There are entrepreneurs like Ryan across the world assisting in the great Bitcoin migration dubbed as, Mass Adoption, by establishing Bitcoin ATMs in convenient stores, restaurants, book stores, and more. According to Ryan’s price prediction, Bitcoin will reach $60K by the end of 2021.

Where did you recently see a Bitcoin ATM? Did you stop and buy Bitcoin?