Ryan Olson was born to a fisherman and his wife in Fairbanks, Alaska. When Ryan was six months old, his father died when his boat encountered a storm during a routine fishing trip. His mother, alone and thousands of miles away from home, had no choice but to move back in with her parents who were located in Boston.

He was too young to carry any memories of his time in Alaska or his father, but his mother's stories managed to keep him alive for Ryan. When he was younger, he idolized his father to the point of carrying a small fishing pole wherever he went, but as he started to grow older, he realized that he did not want to follow in his father's footsteps. All he could focus on was the fact his father had died and left his mother on her own, and he did not want to do that to anyone.

Ryan was smart, and it was obvious early on. He was clever and had a way with words. His mother thought he could be a lawyer or a politician and told him that. She supported him in whatever he chose to do, whether it was Model U.N. or theatre.

When Ryan was 12, his mother remarried. It threw him for a loop, since he was used to it being him and his mother against the world. At first, he lashed out against his new step-father, but he eventually realized that the newest member of their family actually cared about his wellbeing. He didn't think him weak for being more intellectual than athletic. Ryan's own uncle, his mother's brother-in-law, did, and it wasn't until his stepfather defended him that he came to respect him.

Something of a rivalary developed between the parents and their respective sons, but neither Ryan nor his cousin Jacob allowed it to interfere. They had been close since they were in diapers, and their ability to laugh it off brought them even closer. The two were opposites in a lot of ways, but their love of jokes and video games and other teen things negated it. Ryan, an only child, actually felt like he had a sibling.

When it came time to make a decision about colleges and majors, Ryan had no trouble at all. His mother had thought he would do well in politics, but he didn't feel that pull. He had been accepted to numerous colleges, but he chose to stay local and attend Boston University. He knew in his heart that he wanted to start his own business, so that was the major he chose.

While he had a few ideas for passion projects, Ryan's ultimate goal was to go into consulting. He wanted to use his knowledge to help others succeed with the eventual goal of putting stake into business of his own interest, which is exactly what he did once he earned his MBA in 2005. He has helped numerous companies and small businesses since then and Olson Consulting has made quite a name for itself.