Ever wonder how what starts as a side hustle can grow into something much, much bigger?
Meet Ryan White, a small-town business owner who’s taken his social media agency into multi-million dollar territory—with a little help from Bench. Let’s take a look at his story and how he’s using Bench to grow his company.
In 2016, Ryan White was working as a private baseball instructor in his hometown, a small community of just 3,400 people. At 28 years old, he was already considering how he could stop "trading time for money" and create a more scalable source of income. “I had basically one idea, and that idea was no matter what I decide to launch, if I have an audience to launch it off of through social, it would have a much better chance of being successful,” he says.
So Ryan immersed himself in the world of social media growth, studying industry leaders like Gary Vaynerchuk and Grant Cardone. Through trial and error, he honed his skills, growing his personal Instagram following from 1,000 to 80,000 in just a few months.
His success didn’t go unnoticed. Friends and family began asking him for advice to grow their own followings, too. “They were saying hey, you’re this small-town kid. How do you have all this influence? And they were asking, ‘Can you help me out?’ So it was really a hustling effort of hey, give me 20 bucks a month, 30, 50, and I’ll help you out.”
After about six months, he’d already worked with more than 100 clients. “That was probably the aha moment, when I realized ok, we should probably incorporate and take this more seriously.”
From side hustle to main hustle
By the end of 2017, Ryan was earning $62,000 from his part-time social media business—outpacing his $50,000 salary as a baseball instructor. On Jan. 1 of 2018, he decided to take the leap and dedicate himself full-time to his company, Social Revelation. “We did our first seven figures 18 months from that decision,” he says.
Social Revelation’s early focus was on Instagram growth. The company provided a subscription-based service that helped clients grow their accounts for fees ranging from $150 to $500 a month. At its peak in 2019, the agency managed 600 active accounts.
However, social media platforms like Instagram constantly evolve, and algorithm changes in 2019 forced Ryan to pivot. Instead of viewing these changes as setbacks, he saw an opportunity to refine his business model. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, Ryan transitioned Social Revelation into a high-ticket agency, catering to speakers, coaches, and authors.
This shift marked a strategic evolution. “We asked ourselves, ‘Why do people want social media growth? They’re really trying to build credibility and influence online so they can sell more of their product.’”
This insight spurred Ryan and his team to expand Social Revelation’s services, so they could not only help clients grow their social media presence, but also establish themselves as credible authorities in their fields.
Today, Social Revelation operates in two primary domains: social media growth and digital PR. Ryan and his team help clients build social proof on platforms like Instagram while also getting their clients’ stories featured in prestigious media outlets. By securing podcast interviews, TV appearances, and online articles, Social Revelation ensures that clients rank on the first page of Google for their relevant keywords.
This dual approach addresses the two main ways people research brands: social media and search engines. “We don’t buy anything off Amazon without reading a review, and we don’t go to a restaurant without checking its ratings,” Ryan says. Social Revelation helps clients build that kind of trust and authority, turning online impressions into conversions.
Continued growth
Since its inception, Social Revelation has generated between $7 million and $15 million in online sales. The company operates with a small, remote team of six employees and has worked with high-profile names like Grant Cardone and Dean Graziosi. “If you see an entrepreneur who’s a household name on social media, there’s a good chance we’ve touched them at some point,” Ryan says.
Beyond revenue, Ryan has been approached three times by larger companies interested in acquiring Social Revelation. While he hasn’t sold yet, he sees an eventual exit as a natural next step in his entrepreneurial journey. “That’s kind of the World Series for an entrepreneur,” he says.
So, how does Ryan use Bench to run his business?
Fun fact about Ryan: He’s got a bachelor’s degree in accounting. So for the first couple of years, he was comfortable doing Social Revelation’s books himself. Once they hit $1 million in revenue, however, the resulting time investment and complexity demanded a change.
Initially, Ryan hired a bookkeeping firm that was referred to him locally. While their services were adequate, their quarterly updates via email and lack of tech integration made the process cumbersome. By the end of each year, reconciling records and coordinating with his CPA became a time-intensive ordeal.
In 2022, Ryan decided to try something new: he hired Bench to run alongside his existing bookkeeper for a year, creating a unique opportunity to evaluate both systems. Bench’s real-time dashboard and tech-driven automation stood out immediately. The platform’s ability to seamlessly integrate tools like Kajabi and Stripe simplified transaction tracking. With a user-friendly app, direct communication with Bench’s bookkeepers, and transparent profit and loss (P&L) insights, Ryan quickly saw the value.
For just $50 more per month than he was paying his bookkeeper, Ryan got access to a wealth of real-time information through Bench’s dashboard and reporting tools—not to mention the personal service and support provided by his Bench bookkeeper.
By the end of the year, the choice was clear. In 2023, Ryan transitioned fully to Bench. “I’ve got a great relationship with Bryn, my bookkeeper,” he says. “She loves to connect consistently, which I love. By the time we get to the end of the year, we’re not behind, because we’ve been putting in time as we go.”
That’s made it much easier for Ryan to focus on growing his business, knowing his books are in capable hands. “There’s tremendous value in what Bench does for small business owners,” he says.
And Ryan’s advice for other entrepreneurs? Engage experts to do the things you don’t want or need to spend your time doing—like bookkeeping—and focus on building your credibility and influence. “That’ll be the stepping stone to your dream outcome, which is selling more of your product,” he says.
