Leader Spotlight on Ramli John: Entrepreneur, Expert Marketer and Professor

“When the going gets tough, most people quit. Entrepreneurs don’t. They find another way,” said Ramli John, founder of Growth Marketing Today.

And he didn’t.

After his first business fell short, Ramli went on to lead marketing teams for venture capital funded tech companies in San Francisco, New York and Toronto. However, despite the exciting work, it didn’t take long before he realized he was an entrepreneur at heart.

Fast forward to today and Ramli is not only an expert digital marketer but also a mentor and educator. He teaches digital marketing in Toronto at RED Academy and entrepreneurship at Centennial College.

With the knowledge he has acquired over the years, he is now able to pass it along to other people who are looking to become entrepreneurs and or grow their business.

“I noticed that today’s companies are looking for marketers who are good at diverse set of skills, including analytics, copywriting, branding, PR, SEO and more,” said Ramli. “So, if you’re a marketer that wants to stay competitive, you’ve got to keep your marketing skills on the cutting edge.”

This was the inspiration behind Growth Marketing Today. “We are marketing executives from Google, Uber, PepsiCo and more, who teach and inspire other marketers in advanced marketing topics. We personalize our workshops so that it really works for your business,” he said.

This includes workshops in account-based marketing, email marketing, influencer marketing, SEO, social selling and more — all with the core message of staying innovative and emergent.

“The reason why I became an educator is to help inspire and coach the next generation of marketers and entrepreneurs,” said Ramli. “I get a tremendous sense of fulfillment when I see young people achieve greater things than they originally imagined.”

At Centennial College, his Intro to Entrepreneurship course just so happens to be currently all-female. Ramli has taken this opportunity to inspire them by bringing empowered female entrepreneurs into the classroom.

“I recently invited a female entrepreneur who started her own Montessori school,” said Ramli. “I just remember seeing my students face light up. It feels good to see my students change their thinking to believe that they too could be a CEO, VP and entrepreneur someday.”

Beyond the college classroom, Ramli encourages aspiring entrepreneurs to always expand their network.

“Build something. Write. Podcast. Anything you can call your own. I think doing that makes you interesting. In addition to building something you are passionate about, it gives you a starting point when reaching out to people,” he said.

As a leader in the Canadian entrepreneurial community, he also urges today’s entrepreneurs to think outside the box:

“If you want to start a business, DO it now. Don’t be one of those “wantrapreneurs” (a person that only wants to be an entrepreneur). The cost of starting most businesses is now so low. And you don’t have to start a typical business. Start a blog. Start a YouTube channel. Build an Instagram account about fashion. Learn how to define and build your audience and your community will support you when you launch your business.”

To connect with Ramli on Twitter, follow @RamliJohn or connect with him on LinkedIn. For more information on Growth Marketing Today and its workshops, click here.

Written by: Sara Pivato, Social Media & Content Coordinator, Futurpreneur Canada