Nathan Mehta’s Mentor Spotlight: Richard Ryan of St. Charles Country Club

Written By Kai Sato

By caddying at St. Charles Country Club, Nathan Mehta has been mentored by Richard Ryan. He took a moment to share how this has positively impacted his life.

How did you first meet your mentor, and was there anything in particular that helped you two forge a relationship? How did the friendship develop over time?

On a loop! Something that helped forge this relationship was him being a director for the WGA and someone who gave great life advice to a 14-year old. I always felt like an equal, and we both enjoy cracking a few jokes.

What are some of the most important things that you learned from you mentor?

How important it was to be balanced and always doing your best.

As a caddy, how were you able to help your mentor on the golf course?

We've had some fun in Directors matches and tournaments at the club.

As you've continued on your career beyond caddying, how has your mentor been helpful?

Having someone there past being a caddy is nice to bounce ideas and career advice off of. It’s like having the knowledge of a seasoned professional as a 22-year old, which helps in decisions or thinking.

What's your favorite thing about your mentor, something that others should know?

Mr. Ryan is someone who is always there when you need and willing to be your biggest supporter at our club helping many Evans before and after me. It’s always nice having a friend and a mentor to bounce ideas off of.

Want to recognize a mentor from your caddying career? Submit your Mentor Spotlight using this form.

Kai Sato

Kai Sato is the founder of Kaizen Reserve, Inc, which exists to foster innovation and unlock growth. Its primary function is advising family offices and corporations on the design, implementation, and oversight of their venture capital portfolios. Another aspect is helping select portfolio companies, both startups and publicly-traded microcaps, reach $10M in revenue and become cash flow positive. Kai is also a General Partner of Mauloa, which makes growth equity investments into cash flow positive companies; an advisor to Forma Capital, a consumer-focused venture firm that specializes in product-celebrity fit; and a fund advisor to Hatch, a global startup accelerator focused on helping feed the world through sustainable aquaculture technologies.

Previously, Kai was the co-president & chief marketing officer of Crown Electrokinetics (Nasdaq: CRKN); the chief marketing & innovation officer of Rubicon Resources (acquired by High Liner Foods); a board member of SportTechie (acquired by Leaders Group); and a cofounder of FieldLevel. He’s the author of “Marketing Architecture: How to Attract Customers, Hires, and Investors for Any Company Under 50 Employees.” He has been a contributor to publications like Inc., Entrepreneur, IR Magazine, Family Capital and HuffPost; he has also spoken at an array of industry conferences, including SXSW and has been quoted by publications like the Associated Press and The Los Angeles Times. He is also the board chairman of the University of Southern California’s John H. Mitchell Business of Cinematic Arts Program. Follow Kai on LinkedIn or Twitter.

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