CEO Spotlight: How this Tech Savvy Entrepreneur Went from Leading Battle to Business

• Becoming a leader is a trait that many learn, but there are a few who come along that are just born to lead.
• Take for instance Dan Ashburn, whose natural leadership has guided him through a military career and combined with an innate sense for technology, has launched him to entrepreneurial success.
• Those talents have taken him from a place of leading his fellow troops into battle to forming his own booming business. Now, he is inspiring others to follow their own dreams. 

The Technical Geek

Those who knew him best weren’t surprised when Ashburn made a name for himself in the digital world. Born and raised in the United Kingdom, he found himself obsessed with computers from an early age when he created his first website at just 13-years-old.

“That was in the early days of SEO. I had a technical geek in me, and I was hooked on this idea that the entrepreneurial sky was limitless when it came to creating money and wealth,” Ashburn recalled.

Ashburn became known as the kid in the neighborhood who was good at the ‘technology stuff.’ As he became older, Ashburn continued to dabble in various technical variations – including Amazon associates, e-book type affiliate marketing, SEO ranking sites, and more – to bring in money before going through basic air training.

The British Airforce took note of his natural leadership abilities and he was promoted to team leader. His calm in the chaos and ability to guide his team was admired by those who followed, characteristics he still carries with him today.

Ashburn spent four and a half years in the military, including a tour in the Middle East, where he learned the value of dedication and teamwork. He also had the chance to use some of his technical gifts.

“After I conquered basic training, I went through communications school and it solidified my technical ability. We did all the Windows courses, networking courses, radar. I set the first 100 percent score on the Windows exam which I was very proud of,” Ashburn recalled.

He also used those abilities in a very technical role for fighter jets known as typhoons, and remaining true to his technical side, he would return to his dorm at night to continue his ecommerce business of reselling web hosting and helping people with their sites. During this time, he had built a modest, five-figure revenue from affiliate income.

At the age of 21, he came to a fork in the road: Become an officer or follow his dream of owning his own business. He chose to leave the military in 2012 when he realized his ambitions were bigger than what he was doing in the military.

Ashburn contacted his best friend, John, who registered the account, and the pair started the agency which would last several years. They went on to launch 200-plus websites and 600-plus SEO campaigns, while also developing ecommerce websites and building around half a million a month during that tenure. They also ventured into the dental world, and Ashburn still owns a dental agency which is a leading agent for Invisalign teeth shining products.

In 2014, fate stepped in when he purchased a ticket to an expo about selling on Amazon.

“Along the journey I was always looking for something more sustainable, something more tangible for myself, like a real business, is what I would tell myself,” Ashburn recalled.

He set to work creating his own empire. His digital skills, work ethic, and entrepreneurial mindset served him well in growing his business. Meanwhile, he stepped out on his own to focus on his growing Amazon empire.

He quickly grasped how to scale a brand and became one of the most sought-after speakers at events around the world. His perception and insight helped him advance as others took notice and flocked to him for advice.

“The last few years have been a whirlwind, but I got a name for myself in the Amazon community quite quickly because there weren’t many guys like me around with the technical skills, strategic skills, and with the experience to back it up,” Ashburn explained.

It was at one of these speaking events that once again, everything changed. The event was China Magic, where he met Severi.

The Entrepreneurial Leaders Combine Forces.

Severi had this image of bringing entrepreneurs together to learn and grow from mentors and speakers while networking with those who could expand their Amazon business at her event, China Magic.

“I was already doing some coaching events that I just kind of fell into really because a lot of people were asking how I did things, but what I learned rather quickly is you can go out there and just help people, but one to two percent of them actually ever take action and take it seriously because they have no investment in it. They have no reason to show up other than you’ve taken time out of your day to show them your systems and show them what needs to be done,” Ashburn said. “Paid coaching showed me what can be done when you have people invested in their success, taking it seriously and working towards a goal.”

Ashburn could see her vision, and Severi had the magnetism, not the structure. He brought that balance to the partnership. After speaking on stage at Severi’s sourcing event, Dan knew her authentic charisma and ability to network combined with his technical flair, entrepreneurial spirit, and leadership skills would make them the perfect partnership. He realized it was an opportunity to continue dedicating his time to helping others achieve their dreams.

“Me and Dan, we shine. We bring positive and amazing energy together. We bring people back to life, we give them family. We are so much more than just a business. A lot of people in the industry tried to tear us apart, but that cannot happen because we are such a unique and authentic combination of skills and personalities,” Severi said.

Titan Network is born.

The business partners saw the massive progress being made by the power of mentorship. The attendees’ sales would increase so drastically because of the quality of information they were receiving from the speakers before they even left China.

It was an opportunity for entrepreneurs to break away from all the distractions of life and focus on their business while learning from the very best in the game.

However, Ashburn and Severi realized their community needed more than the 12 days in China. They were constantly bombarded with questions to continue growing as entrepreneurs, and the pair wanted to help. The duo put their heads together and in a hotel lobby, wrote pages and pages of market research and content about what people needed, and Titan Network was born.

Titan Network combines Dan’s expertise in Amazon, marketing, and leadership with Athena’s ability to network and connect communities. Together, this power duo is providing Amazon sellers with the opportunity to brand, scale, sell, and help others to achieve the same level of lifestyle freedom they have.

“I am a big believer in standing behind what you do and standing by results of the brands I personally generate, and we are partnered in. Titan is definitely doing that in more ways than one, financially and with life goals,” Ashburn explained.

Titans join together as entrepreneurs at the same stage in their journey and ascend through groups from project zero, just starting out, to group four, exit strategy.

The unique network works because those who are a part of it are genuine, like their leaders. When an entrepreneur joins Titan, they receive the energy, knowledge, experience, mistakes and success of everyone in the community.

“There were a lot of ups and downs, triumphs, hundreds of thousands of dollars spent in various experiences and products to get where I am today,” Ashburn said. “That’s the journey, and now Titan Network is one of the largest networks of experienced sellers that I know of and we really are redefining strategy and what it means to be successful in this business.”

About Dan Ashburn:

Dan Ashburn is an industry-leading Amazon entrepreneur with a team that delivers 8-figures in annual sales. Having used his ambitious and entrepreneurial mindset to build countless brands, he has become a sought-after speaker, inspiring crowds with his leadership and depth of knowledge on stages across the world. Dan is the Head Mentor on China Magic, the co-creator of Amazing Selling Machine, and most recently, the co-founder of Titan Network, an exclusive membership organization for elite Amazon sellers. For more information on Dan and Titan Network, please visit: https://www.titannetwork.com