104. Riding the Dot-Com Wave, Getting Paid to Play & Life in a Simulation with Mike Ragsdale

I’m back from my sabbatical and I couldn’t be more excited for this first guest of the year. But I’d first like to thank all of the incredible Gravity guest hosts who took over the show while I was away. Their variance in experience and perspective only grows what we’ve established here and I’m appreciative of those contributions. 

In this edition, we’re sitting down with Mike Ragsdale, Founder and CEO of 30A, a Florida travel guide that has transformed into a full blown lifestyle brand shaped around the American beach way of living. 

Our conversation begins with Mike’s childhood upbringing where he was pushed to become a high achiever before falling into a successful career as a marketer working in advertising. Mike stumbled upon an AOL disc in the early ‘90s and the rest was history. He was instrumental in the creation of one of the world’s first humor websites, building a highly successful online community in the process and creating a highly successful company in the process. 

Sadly, as we know, The Dot-Com Bubble didn’t last and Mike pursued other ventures and interests. Eventually, he realized that there were things in life more important to him than money, and following his bliss inadvertently led to the creation of 30A – now a wildly popular brand in its own right. 

We discuss everything from what he’s learned along his remarkable life journey, to the ever-evolving perception of video games in society and culture, to whether or not we exist in reality or if we’re just living a simulation. This is exactly what Gravity is all about. It’s great to be back.

What Brett asks:

• [01:47] Let’s start at the beginning: tell me about your upbringing.
• [12:25] Were you interested in gaming as a kid and how did that affect your childhood?
• [15:44] Tell us about the awakening you had.
• [23:03] Tell us how you got into marketing.
• [36:02] How did your experience with AOL unfold?
• [44:59] What caused you to step down as CEO and found a new venture in 30A?
• [52:21] How are you building community with 30A?
• [59:46] What role do you think community will play in Web3?
• [1:08:51] Any final thoughts?

To learn more about intentional living, and for the complete show notes, visit: gravityproject.com

Resources:

• 30A
• 30A on Twitter
• Mike on LinkedIn

Gravity is a production of Crate Media.