Money Lessons: How Ryan Reynolds Became a Millionaire
Written by
Dawn Allcot
Edited by
Cory Dudak
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Ryan Reynolds is more than just a box office attraction. His role as the title character in “Deadpool” ultimately earned him ~$22 million, making him one of the world’s highest-paid actors in 2017, according to Celebrity Net Worth. But that paycheck pales in comparison to the money the superstar investor has made buying and selling brands he believes in.
Ryan Reynolds currently has a net worth of roughly $350 million, according to CelebrityNetWorth. But, Forbes recently reported, the companies he owns or has sold are (or were) worth roughly $14 billion. These include a liquor company, a football club, an ad agency, a wireless provider, and others, according to a post on X, formerly Twitter, from entrepreneur Hunter Hammonds. Hammonds wrote, “Ryan Reynolds is NOT just some celebrity selling booze. He’s a marketing savant.”
How has Ryan Reynolds garnered such a high level of success in so many diverse industries? Breaking it down, there are a few key elements that led to his success.
Trusting His Instincts
Ryan Reynolds was not, in fact, a founder of Aviation Gin, Forbes reported. He started out as just a fan. Another post on X from Hammonds explained, “He tasted that delicious gin one day and fell so in love that he had to own a piece!”
Once Reynolds invested, he quickly became the face of the brand, boosting its popularity through his own charm and marketing savvy. The company sold for $610 million, and Reynolds got a piece of that.
Reynolds also cashed a big check when T-Mobile purchased Mint Mobile for $1.35 billion, per Celebrity Net Worth.
Big or small, the actor chooses his investments by looking for brands he loves and sharing them with the world, according to Forbes. He may not have known Mint Mobile would take off the way it did, but he believed in the affordable mobile communications provider.
“The key thing is, when he believes in something, he already has a large fan base of people who believe in him,” Forbes wrote.
Following Trends
While his name, face, and social media following, alone, are enough to boost revenue for most of the brands Reynolds buys, he takes promotions a step further through his creativity. But he doesn’t rely on pure innovation to put together popular ads.
Entrepreneur Stefan Fernandez shared a video on LinkedIn wherein he broke down Reynold’s marketing strategy.
“He takes what happens in the news and immediately creates ads for his companies,” Fernandez explained. “So, when AI and ChatGPT first hit the news, he immediately created an ad for Mint Mobile where ChatGPT wrote the script for the ad. He takes what already has massive attention, and connects that attention to his company, which, in turn, creates massive growth and builds billion-dollar brands.”
Relating to People
There’s more to Reynolds’ success than just marketing savvy, however. During a conference reported by CNBC, Reynolds revealed that the secret to his success — in film and investing — has to do with conflict resolution. “It’s quite literally changed every relationship in my life, and it’s changed the trajectory of my career and businesses,” he said during the Indeed FutureWorks 2022 conference.
If you can seek to learn about somebody, he explained, by actively listening, you can create an ally. “You can’t address problems with other people unless you understand them.”
Bottom Line on the Box Office Star
It sounds simple, but trusting your instincts and being nice to others can get you far in life. Of course, there’s always an element of being in the right place at the right time and knowing how to recognize opportunities. With multiple blockbuster films and successful businesses under his belt, these also seem to be skills that Reynolds has mastered.
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