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Ryan Sullivan, PE - Financial & Business Planner, Bozeman, MT (2026)

06/17/2026

Most people think financial planning is about retirement.

I don't.

I think it is about creating options in your life.

The ability to make decisions because you want to.

Not because your finances forced your hand.

That was one of the big themes from my conversation with Batts on the Wine After Work podcast.

I started my career as a mechanical engineer.

Good job.
Stable path.
Clear future.

But when I looked ahead, I didn't see the life I wanted.

So I started asking better questions.

❓How can I create more control over my time?
❓How can I create more control over my income?
❓How can I build wealth faster?
❓How can I use money as a tool?

This thinking eventually led me to starting Off the Beaten Path Financial.

I saw the same pattern in architects, engineers, and firm owners and wanted to help.

Smart.
Successful.
Hardworking.

But often so focused on their work that they aren't building wealth to create freedom.

Taxes.
Cash flow.
Investments.
Business profitability.
Wealth outside your business.

None of those things are the goal, they're the tools.

And when used intentionally, they create options.

✅ The option to take a risk
✅ The option to step back
✅ The option to work less
✅ The option to build the life you actually want

Wealth isn't just a number, it's the ability to choose.

Check out the full conversation here: https://lnkd.in/epamBawY

06/16/2026

You have five years to make as much money as possible.

Why?

Because exponential technologies:
• AI
• Robotics
• Autonomous vehicles
• Gene editing
• Quantum computing
• Space Travel

Are all converging fast.

In the next few years, these innovations will fundamentally reshape our world.

Think about it:

What happens when AI outpaces human intelligence?

Do we still need jobs?

Money?

It’s impossible to predict exactly, but one thing’s clear:

⌛ The time to build your financial foundation is now.

The next five years are crucial.

Set yourself up for whatever comes next, because on the other side, the world may look very different...

06/15/2026

I’ll never forget this moment.

I was 23 years old, sitting in the back seat of a rental car heading to Wyoming for a site visit with two senior engineers.

No music.
No talking.
Just silence.

At the time, I was reading 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘎𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘙𝘪𝘤𝘩.

And for whatever reason, something hit me.

Hard.

I started crying in the back seat and trying to hold it together so the guys in front wouldn’t notice.

Not exactly my proudest “tough guy” moment.

But it was one of the most important moments of my life.

Because what hit me was incredibly simple:

What do you want?

And what are you willing to do to get it?

That was the first time I really understood that there wasn’t some magical difference between me and the people who had built the kind of lives I wanted.

They weren’t chosen.
They weren’t special.

They had just decided what they wanted and gone after it with more intention, more consistency, and more belief than most people are willing to bring.

That realization changed everything for me.

It started the process of taking full responsibility for my life.

My career.
My money.
My future.
My freedom.

I didn’t know exactly where it would lead.
I didn’t know I would leave engineering.
I didn’t know I would start Off the Beaten Path Financial.
I didn’t know I would eventually help architects, engineers, and firm owners build their own version of freedom.

But I knew something had shifted.

I stopped waiting for life to happen.

And started asking a better question:
What do I actually want to build?

That question has driven almost every major decision since.

And honestly, it’s the same question I help others answer now.

Because most people are not stuck because they lack potential.

They’re stuck because they’ve never clearly decided what they want and built the plan to go get it.

06/11/2026

It's baby deer season.

Which means our property has officially turned into a nursery.

It's another reminder of how much I love living where we do.

There is a much deeper connection to nature out here.

To the seasons.
The weather.
The plants.
The trees.
The wildlife.

Before living here, I never thought much about those things.

Now I get to witness them firsthand.

Everything changing, adapting, and just trying to survive.

Having the freedom to slow down and actually notice these things is not something I take for granted.

It's easy to miss what's happening around you when you're always moving to the next thing.

The same thing happens in life and business.

You get so busy doing the work and moving to the next step that you stop noticing the environment around you.

What's changing.
What's threatening you.
What opportunities are showing themselves.
What needs attention before it becomes a bigger problem.

Sometimes the biggest advantage is not moving faster.

It's slowing down enough to actually see what's happening.

06/10/2026

A recent prospect meeting started in a way I won’t soon forget.

They came from a referral from one of my clients.

And early in the conversation, they told me my client had said:

“Working with Ryan has been life changing.”

Life changing.

Wow.

That was always the goal but it feels different when you know your clients feel that way too.

Not just better spreadsheets.
Not just cleaner numbers.
Not just another financial plan that gets filed away and forgotten.

The real work is helping firm owners create more control.

✅ More clarity around their business
✅ More confidence in their decisions
✅ More wealth outside the firm
✅ More options for what comes next

I left engineering because I believed I could make a bigger impact helping architects and engineers build better businesses and better lives.

And honestly, I still feel like this work is just getting started.

There are so many firm owners who are incredibly talented at the work, but are carrying too much pressure alone.

Sometimes the right support changes more than the numbers.

It changes what's possible.

Because a better business should not just make you busier.

It should unlock your freedom.

Disclosure: This statement reflects one client’s experience and may not be representative of all clients. No compensation was provided for this statement.

06/09/2026

RFPs are killing your firm.

Because somewhere along the way, you accepted a terrible deal:

Do a bunch of unpaid work upfront…
Compete against multiple other firms…
Give away your ideas…
Race to the bottom on fees…

And then *𝙝𝙤𝙥𝙚* the client chooses you.

That’s not a business development strategy.

That’s unpaid consulting with a lottery ticket attached.

And then firm owners wonder why they aren't making any money.

Look at where your time actually goes.

How many hours are spent chasing work you don’t win?

How many unpaid meetings, proposals, narratives, scopes, fee estimates, design ideas, interviews, and follow-ups happen before a dollar ever hits the bank?

That time has a cost.

Even if it doesn’t show up clearly on your P&L.

It shows up in:
❌ Lower profit
❌ Burned-out staff
❌ Rushed project delivery
❌ Reactive hiring
❌ Owners working nights and weekends
❌ A firm that always feels busy but never feels ahead

The problem isn’t that you need more opportunities.

The problem is that too many of your opportunities are low-quality opportunities.

The better path is not “respond to more RFPs.”

It’s to become the firm that doesn’t have to.

✅ Find clients who already value your expertise
✅ Build relationships before the project is formally released
✅ Develop a specialty where you are the obvious choice
✅ Pursue work where you can actually excel
✅ Charge for the value of your thinking, not just the hours it takes to produce drawings

The most profitable firms are not usually the ones chasing everything.

They’re the ones willing to be selective.

Because profitability does not come from being busy.

It comes from being wanted.

So here’s the uncomfortable question:
How much unpaid work is your firm doing in the name of “opportunity”?

And what would happen if you stopped chasing projects that never respected your value in the first place?

06/08/2026

Two weeks ago I went off roading in Moab, Utah.

One of the first things we did was drive up a hill that had to be close to 60°.

Looking at it from the bottom, it looked almost vertical.

My first thought was: "There is no way we can drive up that"

But then the guide vehicle went first.

Same type of vehicle.
Same hill.
Same terrain.

No problem.

Once I saw it was possible, I figured what did I have to lose.

So I followed.

And we made it up.

That experience felt a lot like the work I do with my clients.

I don't remove the hill.
I don't make the terrain flat.

But I help them see the route.
I show them it's possible.

And then I help guide them through it.

More profit.
More wealth.
More options.

Most people don't need someone to tell them to "just send it".

They need someone who understands the terrain, can point out the line, and helps them build the confidence to take the next step.

Because sometimes the thing that looks impossible from the bottom... just needs the right guide.

Note: Video is from a different spot, I didn't get a video of that first hill.

06/04/2026

Two years ago I was designing HVAC and plumbing systems.

Today, AIA is publishing my thoughts on helping architecture firms build more resilient businesses.

My career started in engineering, working with architects, engineers, and contractors every day.

Over the years, I noticed a pattern.

Some firms seemed to thrive regardless of what the economy was doing.

Others were constantly riding a roller coaster.

When work was plentiful, they hired quickly.

When projects slowed down, layoffs and cash flow concerns followed.

Most people blamed the economy.

But after working with firm owners for years, I've come to believe the real issue is often much closer to home.

The firms that struggle the most aren't necessarily the least talented.

They're often the ones that haven't built the systems needed to withstand uncertainty.

In my article for the AIA Practice Management Digest, I explore the common drivers behind the boom-bust cycle, including:
❌ Reactive pipeline management
❌ Thin profit margins
❌ Lack of cash flow forecasting
❌ Minimal operating reserves
❌ Hiring based on today's workload instead of tomorrow's pipeline

And more importantly, what firm owners can do about it.

A big thank you to AIA for the opportunity to contribute.

You can checkout the full article here:
https://communityhub.aia.org/blogs/eva-read-warden-aia1/2026/06/01/why-architecture-firms-stay-stuck-in-the-boom-bust

06/03/2026

A firm owner client had revenue bouncing between $10,000-40,000/month.

Some months felt great.

Other months she couldn't even pay herself.

That variability was causing significant stress.

Not just because of the money but because it makes everything harder:

⚠️ Hiring
⚠️ Paying herself
⚠️ Planning ahead
⚠️ Saving for taxes
⚠️ Investing personally
⚠️ Making confidence business decisions

When revenue is unpredictable, the entire business feels unstable.

And when the business feels unstable, the owner carries all of that stress.

So we focused on one big thing:

Creating more consistent predictable revenue.

Within 6-months she built over $75,000/month in recurring predictable revenue with additional project based revenue layered on top.

That changes everything.

From someone who was living off credit cards and racking up debt;

To someone that has tens of thousands of dollars a month of extra cash every month to do whatever she wants with.

Not to mention the stability of it.

🚨 Life changing 🚨

More firm owners think they just need more revenue.

Sometimes they do.

But often, what they really need is better revenue.

🔥 More predictable.
🔥 More repeatable.
🔥 More aligned with the business and life they are trying to build.

The goal isn't just to make more money.

It's to make the business feel less chaotic while building something that actually supports your freedom.

06/02/2026

I hear some version of this on a lot of prospect calls:
“You hit the nail on the head.”
“You just described my situation perfectly.”
“That’s exactly what I’ve been struggling with.”

That’s not an accident.

And it’s not because I’m psychic (although that would be cool).

It’s because I’ve had the same conversation with a lot of architecture and engineering firm owners.

The details are different.

But the pattern is the same.

⚠️ They’re making decent money, but not building enough personal wealth
⚠️ The business is growing, but it still depends heavily on them
⚠️ Cash flow is inconsistent
⚠️ They want more freedom, but don’t have a clear path to step back, scale, or eventually exit

After you hear the same problem enough times, you start to understand the person before they even finish explaining it.

That’s what creates trust.

And I think this is where a lot of A/E firms miss the mark with their own clients.

They say things like:
🤮 “We provide thoughtful design”
🤮 “We’re collaborative”
🤮 “We deliver high-quality work”

So does everyone else.

The real question is:
Do your clients feel like you understand them?

Do they say:
💡 “You get it”
💡 “That’s exactly what we need”
💡 “You understand what we’re trying to build”

Because if they don’t, you’re probably still talking too much about your services and not enough about their world.

Your best marketing does not come from sounding impressive.

It comes from making your ideal client feel understood.

That’s when you stop being one of many options.

And start becoming the only choice.

Ryan Sullivan, PE - Financial & Business Planner

06/17/2026

06/16/2026

06/15/2026

06/11/2026

06/10/2026

06/09/2026

06/08/2026

06/04/2026

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06/02/2026

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