A business - me? Yes.

A business – me? Yes.

Yesterday afternoon I made it official. I’m now a business.

After all this time in Amsterdam being a reluctant administrative hero, and setting some grand designs on freelancing, I felt ready.

So I made a pilgrimage to the Kamer van Koophandel (Chamber of Commerce) to get my name in on the Dutch books. And was successful. In fact, it was rather painless.

I am now Ryan Millar, business guy.

So now I just need to start to establish my business, get some more clients and projects, and get some momentum.

I’ve currently got some regular clients, and I’m keeping my hustle up, lots of unpaid projects and things bubbling away. And hopefully some more clients will hop aboard, and then I guess, I’ll get into a rhythm and some of the uncertainty and insolvency will fade away, to be replaced by greater success and stability.

Of course, from what I understand, freelancing is not known for its stability and certainty. But it is known for its freedom, and the professionalisation of one’s passion. So I’m focusing on those aspects for now.

My trade is teaching and performing improv comedy, training business people to relax and be creative, producing shows and videos, and acting and writing stuff. I even have a (very simple) website: www.ryan-millar.com

All those activities is a pretty broad remit, the guy at the KvK told me. And I said yeah, that may be true, but I’m not currently in a position to turn down any money-making opportunities. He nodded sagely. Then we laughed sadly.

How many of those activities actually make me money? Well, at the moment, lots of the improv – which delights me to no end – but the other stuff is in development for the next little while. So in the meantime I’m looking for any paying gigs that even tangentially relate to what I want to do. I’ve recently found myself transcribing medical interviews.

“Hey, I’m writing,” I told myself, as I typed, “so it counts.” And it did. It’s not my calling, but – like I said – starting a business isn’t easy. But for the most part I’m enjoying it, because I’m doing what I’m passionate about (and some transcription). And there’s already invoices going out, plus I’m now an official business, so I’m cautiously optimistic that this will work.

I’d love to be wildly optimistic, but I’m a businessman now, so I need to be pragmatic. Therefore, cautious optimism is my way forward.

By Liesbeth Smit|2017-09-14T08:43:43+00:00March 29 2013|

“Ryan is an extremely qualified, talented, and professional teacher and coach. I’d recommend Ryan’s services to anyone!”

Derek, Amsterdam,

“As a coach Ryan’s ability to zone in and identify the main agenda for each sessions was amazing. His coaching helped me reflect, make decisions and make positive changes in my business.”

Tracy, Dublin

“Ryan seemed to know just what to do to get the best from everyone. I would jump at the opportunity to do another workshop led by him.”

Calum, Brighton

“Ryan’s coaching sessions really improved my public speaking skills and made my presentations much more interesting for my audience.”

Furio S., Berlin

“I loved loved loved your workshop. I liked the way it was structured and meaningful. Time flew unnoticed. I liked the shortness of the exercises, the surprise and fun, and the fact that you gave me so much to explore. I now can be in an empty prison cell or in a desert island and never feel alone or bored anymore. Now I can expand my world.”

Elsa, Lisbon

“I’ve learned so much from you and thank you for giving me that nudge to get out of my comfort zone.”

Imaan, Amsterdam

“Ryan is the most enthusiastic, positive workshop leader I have ever had the pleasure of working with. I’ve been to several of his workshops and after each session I came away with a sense of achievement and feeling that I had learnt something new.”

Chris, London

“The skills I learned from those two weekends, which were two of the most enjoyable weekends I’ve ever had, have been an invaluable tool I use to this day in my daily life, both at work and in personal interactions.”

Andy, Brussels

“Your Taking It Easy session helped me relax more into the truth of a scene and let it grow more organically instead of pushing too hard to make it funny or dramatic. I loved that you were really clear about what you wanted us to get and how the exercises played into the scene work we did later. I really got a lot from one short session.”

Andrew, Brighton

“Ryan really made the most out of the workshop. No time-wasting. He gets to the point quickly, in a clear and effective way.”

Pedro, Lisbon

“I really admire your energy, creativity and knowledge and I’ve learned a lot from your training sessions.”

Natasha, Amsterdam,

“Plenty of energy, enthusiasm, good clear guidance on how to make the scene ‘deliver results’ without killing the improviser… Ryan’s enthusiasm for improv is infectious.”

James, Brighton

“Very inspiring and useful workshop. Picked me up from where I’m at and helped me develop strategies to improve developing scenes and my performance skills.”

Anonymous, Switzerland

“Thank you for your positive spirit, energy and creativity. Your public speaking sessions really helped me feel more comfortable standing in front of a group of people.”

Serena, Amsterdam

“Absolutely brilliant! Exceptional work!”

Anonymous, Impro Hotel

“I LOVED the fucking GREAT and positive energies in the workshop. They so got me going. Perhaps the highest moment during this festival was laughing in the workshop (to the dances… :)).”

Ben, Tel Aviv

“Because of you my fear of speaking or presenting in front of an audience has lessened a great deal.”

Samora, Amsterdam

“Ryan’s improv workshop is incredibly fun but also ruthlessly effective. Participants are taught to drop their inhibitions, let their imagination flow and and embrace the positive attitude at the heart of improv. They are also treated to Ryan’s personal blend of enthusiasm, wit and generosity.”

Jeremy, Brussels

“Working with you was an absolute blast! I’ll take your writing advice with me wherever I go.”

Marton, Budapest

“I especially enjoyed the clarity in all of what you were doing – I always understood what it was that you were teaching. I never felt lost. That was really awesome.”

Martin, Tampere

“Ryan is a great teacher, very serious (and very funny!) gives great coaching during scenes! I had a great time studying with him!!”

Alon, Tel Aviv

“Thank you so much for passing your writing knowledge onto me. I learned a lot and had a lot of fun too.”

Larissa, Amsterdam,

“Ryan is an incredible teacher. He took a straggling group of beginners and turned us into a viable company of improvisational actors who regularly perform together – in front of actual, paying, repeat customers.”

Carrie, Brussels

“I’ve benefitted immensely from this journey which I would recommend to anyone looking to learn more about themselves in a fun, immersive way.”

Simon, Amsterdam

“I thoroughly enjoyed the workshop. I learned how beautiful authenticity is, with such little moments as sharing your breakfast. Being in the moment is so amazing to see and to feel.”

Laura, Amsterdam

“Ryan is a natural at teaching and you get the feeling he puts his heart and soul into helping others. I look forward to doing more workshops with Ryan.”

Shauna, Tunbridge Wells

A business – me? Yes.

How was working with Ryan?

Contact Ryan Millar

A business – me? Yes.

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How was working with Ryan?

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