The Relationship That Changed Everything with Ryan Ellefsen

What if the person who transformed your entire career is also someone you haven't spoken to in seven years?

In this episode, Ryan Ellefsen shares how he helps businesses take credit cards, lower processing fees, and protect their revenue as VP of EasyPay Direct, a merchant services company he recently joined after 20 years in the industry. EasyPay serves coaches, consultants, speakers, and internet marketers, processing payments for names like Tony Robbins, Grant Cardone, and Frank Kern across 34 US locations. Ryan built his career expertise under the mentorship of Steve Thorne, CEO of NMR (National Marketing Resources), eventually rising from Processing Manager to VP and co-building what became Platinum Payment Systems. Today, Ryan is known for his transparent, relationship-first approach to merchant services — always insisting on a face-to-face conversation before onboarding any client, no matter how small.

Ryan honors Steve Thorne, the man who hired him at $70,000/year when he was making $23,400 as a Spanish teacher in Utah. Phil Smith introduced Ryan to Steve while both were in an MBA program, and Steve believed in Ryan enough to bring him into NMR, where Ryan spent 10 transformative years climbing from Processing Manager all the way to VP. Under Steve's roof, Ryan co-built a merchant processing company that eventually merged into Platinum Payment Systems.

[00:03:41] Reconnected Through a Mutual Friend

• Kevin and Ryan originally met years ago at Genius Network

• Recently reconnected via mutual friend Anthony Simon through an email introduction

• Neither realized in the intro email that they already knew each other

[00:03:51] VP of EasyPay Direct: What He Does and Who He Serves

• Merchant services company helping businesses accept credit cards and get funding

• Specializes in the coach, consultant, speaker, author, and internet marketing space

• Serves major names like Tony Robbins, Grant Cardone, and Frank Kern

• Recently joined after 20 years in the industry; he and CEO Brad Weimert were friendly competitors for two decades

[00:05:04] EasyPay vs. PayPal: The Key Difference

• PayPal is better for card-present transactions like retail stores

• EasyPay specializes in card-not-present, high-risk: coaching, big-ticket packages, phone sales

• High-risk means future fulfillment over time, high-ticket pricing, sold over the phone

• Premier company in the country for internet marketing and coaching businesses

[00:07:55] What Inspires Ryan Most: Giving People a Fair Deal

• Has an affinity for the person being ripped off by hidden fees

• Philosophy: everybody can win — a 10-year relationship beats a 6-month windfall

• Sometimes helps small businesses where he makes almost nothing — and loves it

• Tries to learn something from every single conversation

[00:13:02] How EasyPay Lowers Your Rates Over Time

• EasyPay has its own gateway to manage multiple banks from a single login

• Uses Level 3 Advantage and tokenization to lower interchange rates

• Can lower interchange by up to 75 basis points (0.75%)

• EasyPay's margin stays fixed; all savings go directly to the client

[00:18:40] The Industry's Dirty Secret: Watch Your Statements

• Processors can legally raise your rates by burying notice in statement fine print

• Not calling to cancel is considered acceptance of new terms

• They raise rates 5 –10 basis points at a time.

• Visa changes rates every six months and they go up more often than down

[00:26:15] Started as a Spanish Teacher Making $23,400 a Year

• Graduated college, went on a church mission to South America from 1991 to 1993

• Came back, majored in Spanish teaching, played sports, had fun

• First teaching job in Utah in 1997 paid $23,400/year

• Started a carpet cleaning business in school that eventually made 10x his teaching salary

[00:28:00] Phil Smith Introduces Ryan to Steve Thorne

• Met Phil Smith in his MBA cohort

• Phil introduced him to Steve Thorne, CEO of NMR (National Marketing Resources) in Kearney, Missouri

• Steve hired Ryan as Processing Manager at $70,000/year nearly triple his teaching salary

• His bonus in year two was bigger than his entire teaching salary

[00:29:05] Ten Years at NMR: From Manager to VP

• Progressed from Processing Manager → Director → Managing Director → VP

• NMR and sister company PMI did infomercial production for Dean Graziosi, Anthony Morrison, and others

• Did hundreds of millions in coaching and big-ticket event sales

• Ryan pitched starting a merchant processing company; Steve challenged him to make it a million-dollar idea.

[00:30:31] When a Great Relationship Fractures

• Ryan and Steve haven't spoken in seven years following a lawsuit

• Ended in a no-fault settlement — neither side got what they wanted

• Ryan still considers Steve one of the best, most honest people he's ever met

• "If he ever catches wind of this podcast… I would welcome that"

[00:35:20] What Steve's Mentorship Still Looks Like Today

• After the split, became VP of a digital marketing company within 6 months

• Core lesson from Steve: how to treat people with genuine sincerity

• "Nobody who's ever met Steve Thorn dislikes Steve Thorn"

• Attributes his versatility and confidence across industries entirely to Steve's tutelage

KEY QUOTES

"My philosophy is that everybody can win. If you can set up a relationship that makes some money for the next 10 years, that's way better than a relationship that makes you a whole bunch of money for six months." - Ryan Ellefsen

"Steve Thorn transformed my life. If he hadn't given me that opportunity, I wouldn't be where I am today and I wouldn't have what I have today." - Ryan Ellefsen

"Nobody who's ever met Steve Thorn dislikes Steve Thorn. He's sincere. He's a good guy and he just knows how to treat people. And so I learned a lot from him in that regard." - Ryan Ellefsen

CONNECT WITH RYAN ELLEFSEN

🌐 EasyPay Direct: http://www.easypaydirect.com

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanellefsen

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ryan.ellefsen.2025

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