He arrived by court order. He stayed to recalibrate his life.
Ryan Fain was everything but all-in when he entered a six-month sober living program in late 2023.
“Honestly, when I got the opportunity to come down here, I just wanted out of jail,” he said.
Down here is Branson, Missouri. But it could’ve been anywhere given Fain initially stayed in his room all the time.
“My first month in the program was pretty rough,” he said. “I’d been living in the drug world my whole life and didn’t trust nobody.”
But, over time, there came a change – and an opportunity.
“I started the Elevate Work classes, trying to put my life together the right way,” Fain said.
What is Elevate Work?
“Elevate Work is our workforce program, where we teach people how to get a job and keep a job,” said Chris Hunter, a director with Elevate Branson, a nonprofit helping people and families break the cycle of poverty. “We believe the way out of poverty is work, so we do everything we can to help someone get employed.”
Elevate Work offered Fain something more: purpose.
“The stuff in Elevate Work was stuff I’d heard before – but nothing I’d applied to my life,” he said. “I just worked when I wanted to.”
Hunter saw Fain’s potential as Fain began to see the same in himself.
His next opportunity? Elevate Entrepreneurs.
What is Elevate Entrepreneurs?
Elevate Entrepreneurs is an eight-week course designed for people who dream of owning and running their own business. Hunter leads the program, which includes:
- Marketing
- Developing a business plan
- Access to capital
Financial coaching is also part of the program. Ryan Hanlen, manager of Regions Bank’s Branson Downtown branch, volunteers as a financial coach. The bank has also donated $2,500 to support Elevate Branson.
“Our students can interact with the coaches to get some extra help as they put their budgets or revenue projections together,” said Hunter.
Fain, who’s worked on cars for years, leveraged that resource to help launch his own mechanic business.
“Once we started going through everything it takes to run your business, that’s what switched it all up for me,” he said. “I knew I could do transmissions, oil changes and brakes – pretty much any repairs.”
The way Fain would go about doing it reflected his first big financial decision.
How Financial Coaching Shaped Key Decisions
Fain decided he wouldn’t open a retail location for customers to come to him. Instead, he’d be a mobile mechanic.
“I knew doing it that way would lower my start-up costs,” Fain said. “All my money wouldn’t be sunk in rent. And people wouldn’t have to pay a tow bill if I come to them.”
Hanlen helped Fain with another big financial decision, purchasing expensive alignment equipment.
“Ryan asked me, ‘How many alignments do you have to do to pay that off?’” said Fain.
The answer? Too many. Fain held off.
Session by session, Hanlen observed Fain having those financial “aha” moments.
“I witnessed a significant shift in Ryan’s mindset throughout the course,” said Hanlen. “He evolved from ‘This might be possible’ to a clear actionable plan. That transformation gave him the confidence to step outside his comfort zone and fully embrace the opportunities in front of him.”
He evolved from ‘This might be possible’ to a clear actionable plan. That transformation gave him the confidence to step outside his comfort zone and fully embrace the opportunities in front of him.
Ryan Hanlen, Regions Bank Downtown Branson branch manager
A Thriving Business and Rebuilt Life
Today, Ryan’s Mobile Auto Repair, LLC – Fain filed the LLC paperwork himself – is thriving. He plans to hire a second mechanic for service calls – and maybe add a retail location someday.
“I’m getting more and more jobs,” Fain said. “I now have people calling and messaging me every day.”
Fain also works at Elevate Rides, Elevate Branson’s program providing area residents with reliable transportation to get to their jobs, the grocery and more.
Hunter considers the position a win-win.
“Ryan working part-time at Elevate Rides ensures he has regular money coming in while also being able to do his own thing,” he said.
Doing his own thing has helped Fain do more than build his business. It’s helped him rebuild relationships with his four children.
“I’m very proud of him,” said Fain’s 16-year-old son, Mason. “Now that he’s completed the program, he calls me all the time. He just shows up more. I’m so happy he’s back on his feet, working and running his own business.”
Becoming an entrepreneur also offered Fain this life-changing takeaway.
“That you can do anything you put your mind to – and do it legally,” he said. “This is a whole different life than I’d been living. This is helping people’s lives versus ruining people’s lives.”
This is a whole different life than I’d been living. This is helping people’s lives versus ruining people’s lives.
Ryan Fain
Ryan Fain is now all in. And he’s grateful to Chris Hunter and Ryan Hanlen for it.
“I used to believe people had an ulterior motive when they were being nice, so I was a little standoffish from everybody,” he said. “But here, they’re loving, caring.”
Hunter credits Fain for making it happen.
“To see Ryan come from addiction to complete Elevate Work and Elevate Entrepreneurs, he’s actually doing the thing.