Ross Shafer

At the Mort Sahl Tribute in 2007[3]

Born and raised in McMinnville, Oregon, Shafer graduated from Federal Way High School in Federal Way, Washington. As a high school All Conference football player, he received a scholarship to play linebacker for the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington, where he earned a business marketing degree.[4][1]

He has authored nine business books and has won international stand-up comedy competitions. He’s earned six Emmys as a network talk and game show host yet credits his success to reselling bicycles at age 13. He flipped cars at 15 and flipped homes at 18. After college at 21, he started buying and selling companies.[1]

Since his early teens, Ross Shafer has been obsessed with understanding “Who succeeds? Who fails? And Why?” His confidence flourished when he discovered that there were specific blueprints for success in every job and every industry. That understanding led to his noteworthy achievements in business, television broadcasting, book writing, professional speaking, [5][1] and even stand-up comedy.[1] His wildly diverse career choices have allowed Ross to communicate complex ideas with great fun - and an “everyman” quality.

Ross works as a keynote speaker and leadership coach in the areas of market share growth, customer friction, and workforce motivator.[6][1] He coaches leaders and teams on how to cross-pollinate innovative ideas about emerging trends, shifting buying habits, and the motivation of workforces during mergers and acquisitions. His clients include Ace Hardware, Aflac, and Hard Rock Cafe.[7] Ross also authored a funny bestselling book, "Cook Like a Stud" (38 recipes men can prepare in the garage using their own tools).[1]

• Cook-Like-A-Stud (1991) ISBN 978-1880098172
• Nobody Moved Your Cheese! (2003) ISBN 978-1553956587
• The Customer Shouts Back! (2006) ASIN B004TY0W0Q
• Are You Relevant? (2009) ISBN 978-0-615-26523-0
• Grab More Market Share (2011) ISBN 978-1-118-13004-9
• Shy to Confident (2013) ISBN 978-0-615-86614-7
• Absolutely Necessary (2015) ISBN 978-0-692-27999-1
• Behave Like a Startup (2016) ISBN 978-0-9975336-1-3
• Success: It's on You (2016) ISBN 978-0-9975336-0-6
• No More Customer Friction (2017) ISBN 978-0692-86063-2

• The_Late_Show_(1986_talk_show)#1988_hosts

• Ross Shafer at IMDb
• Ross Shafer Website
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