As for Long’s family, he’s the first of 2 children that Donna Long mothered along with his brother, Robert. Robbie and Ryan have different father and Long says that although he has encountered his father, he doesn’t really know his paternal father. Long’s last name was actually Davis at birth. …show more content…
Long considered his grandfather, who was a rocket scientist, a hero and someone that could be trusted and counted on. Throughout Long’s formative years, his grandfather played an essential role in developing him as a father figure and someone that would add discipline to his life. James Daniel and Ryan Long bonded over a sport that they both loved. Baseball. One day, after watching Ryan strike out for the 3rd time in a row at his little league game, his grandfather called Ryan’s mother and asked if he could take Ryan to the batting cages. Ryan was approximately 11 years old at the time. At first, Long was very resistant to the idea of being taken to the batting cages, but his mother was able to convince him that if he just give “Grandad” a chance to show him some guidance that it would be better for him in the long run. The next day, Ryan’s grandfather took him to the batting cages and worked him so hard that he had blisters all over his hands from swing the bat so many times in a row. As Long recalls, Grandma was not so pleased with Grandad and told him that he was being too hard on Ryan. However, at his very next game, Ryan smashed a triple and a homerun. Long considers this a vital point and a pivotal moment in his life. The discipline and commitment that it took to become a …show more content…
Royce McCalman, who remains Long’s friend until this date, asked Ryan for a few thousand dollars to begin producing events at a place called the Rio Lounge and Grill in Encino California. Long took the opportunity and invested in the nightclub promotion business. Although Long had invested money into the nightclub business he wanted to keep his current job as the fitness director at LA Fitness in hopes that the investment would yield passive income. Long was wrong. The nightclub business turned out to be a failing enterprise and Long began to focus more of his time in the hopes that the nightclub business would make money. While Long focused more of his time on the nightclub business, the executives at LA Fitness noticed a huge decline in sales and customer service at the location that Long was managing. Ultimately, one of Long’s employees at LA Fitness told the LA Fitness headquarters that Long was clocking in, but never showing up. Long was terminated from his position at LA Fitness, leaving him no other option than to succeed in his nightclub