By Brenna Wiegand
Ryan Kackley has a renaissance soul. A farm boy from Jefferson, Ore., population 2,500, Kackley enjoyed studying psychology and philosophy when he was not feeding animals, bucking hay or working in his dad’s sign and graphics shop.
He has translated his passion for human connection and technology into a business epitomizing and helping define the way of business in the coming decades, with social capital as its currency.
He tends to use the word “fun” in connection with practically everything he does.
Kackley, 32, moved to Silverton 10 years ago and in 2007 began devoting himself full time to the creation of Oregon Marketing Group or OMG! He generally describes his Silverton-based services as sales, marketing and training, but considers himself a relationship consultant – though not in the conventional sense of the term.
“I pretty much wanted to be an entrepreneur from the get-go,” he said. He begins by getting to know his clients and helping them define their goals. Then he guides them in ways to make it happen.
Clients, including many start-up businesses, often start by having Kackley create a WordPress webpage, or updating their existing site to WordPress. He guides them in the use of social networking tools, including Facebook pages, blogs, and other networking resources.
“People don’t understand how fast technology changes. Even if they built their own website 10 years ago, it’s probably not doing what it could,” he said. “I can update it with WordPress or show them how. They can have me maintain it, but I also like empowering people to do as much of it as they would like to.”
Kackley recommends promoting one’s business, non-profit or community event on Facebook.
“It’s free marketing, and 800 million people use Facebook,” he said. “Once the page is set up and done, the world will start seeing your organization. To me, Facebook is about connecting with another person, sharing and enjoying each other’s life and experience together. It’s enjoyable for me to be able to walk down the street, take a picture of something interesting and post it on a client’s wall or find a post that’s pertinent to them.”
Depending on one’s goals, he said, networks such as LinkedIn may be another valuable resource.
“Each network is unique unto itself for its intentions and motives,” he said. “There’s so much that’s possible on the Internet and so many creative sources; you can do pretty much anything,” he said. “Combine that with people and it’s a lot of fun.
“When I meet somebody I’m looking to plug them in somewhere, based on their unique skills, services and what their needs are,” said Kackley, who estimates his contacts – social capital relationships – at 5,000.
“Say you need portraits and I know someone who’s great artistically – another may have grant-writing skills or a backhoe. It’s just being aware that everyone fits in somewhere.
“If someone can simply come up with three needs, goals or desires, generally I can facilitate at least one of them, if not all three, in some capacity,” Kackley said.
At times, Kackley has traded services in the form of bartering. From gourmet dinners, a stay at some cozy getaway, or a Mac computer from a recent client. Such flexibility, he said, is one of the joys of being self-employed.
Kackley is putting more energy into training, coaching and teaching – and is getting in touch with his artistic side. He recently consulted with Farmers Insurance to develop a set of creative ads for a billboard campaign. He takes satisfaction in conducting trainings for businesses, including stress reduction, increasing business leads, cold-calling and computer classes, including how to use Facebook, Skype, WordPress and smartphones.
Kackley acquired five electronic billboards in Salem that he sublets to area businesses. He is currently working on a mobile truck billboard system.
Following his curiosity as to why people think the way they do led him to the study of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), birthed in the 1970s by a linguist and a computer programmer.
“All these great people in the human potential movement didn’t understand how they got their results; they just figured they were good with people,” Kackley said. “NLP started modeling their behavior, their linguistic structure – what they said, how they said it and how that produced changes in behavior. The patterns of information were broken down into sequential steps and then taught to others.”
Kackley said that NLP, rather than focusing on what’s broken as in some forms of psychotherapy, seeks to help people understand how they’re creating that brokenness and from there taking the steps to align their lives and their passions to achieve a desired result or outcome.
“That energy or passion is what feeds the goal,” said Kackley, who became certified in NLP and began working with people. Next, he decided to bring his skill set into the business world.
“For a long time, I didn’t have a term for what I did and the way it’s geared around relationships,” Kackley said. He embraced the term “social capital” while going through the Ford Institute Leadership Program – first in Mill City; now in Silverton. Kackley was instrumental, with Silverton Chamber Executive Director Stacy Palmer, in bringing the program to Silverton. He now helps conduct Ford Institute trainings.
“My goal is mutuality and harmony for any interaction or transaction; you’re not trying to sell anybody anything,” Kackley said. “My philosophy is that everything is about relationships.”
Kackley married Elizabeth in August and they recently moved to a home on the North Fork of the Santiam River. Seemingly an innovator in that realm, too, Kackley turns off his computer and phone at 6 p.m. every night and they stay off all day Saturday and Sunday.
“I kind of miss doing the hay,” Kackley said. “I have a friend with a small farm. Every spring I fertilize and plant a hay field, so every summer we cut and bale it. Farming’s more of a hobby now.”
