We had the good fortune of connecting with Ryan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ryan, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
For a very long time both of us have been very interested in the Smoke Shop industry. We always wanted to open our own at some point in the future but we never predicted that we would start one this early in our lives. Starting a business in your early 20s is never going to be an easy task, we had to go through a lot of hurdles to get where we are today. The main idea kicked in when we were visiting a smoke shop and we thought to ourselves that we have never seen a proper high end, classy smoke shop with great customer service. Every store was always either cluttered with products or had barely anything in their shelves. Thats when we decided to start our own franchise, provide customers with quality products only and the best customer service, sort of a “Chick-fil-A” of smoke shops if I may!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
The most difficult challenge for us was to take that step of quitting our well paying jobs and start a business from scratch & thank god it worked beautifully for us! I’ve learnt to always trust on your skills, having fear in your mind and not taking decisions will just hold you back in life.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
My friends and I always go to the Loquom Lounge every weekend, great food and beautiful vibe

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The biggest shoutout of my life will always go to my family for always backing me up at every step of the way.

Website: https://upnaboveatl.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/upnaboveatl/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/upnaboveatl/

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/up-n-above-smoke-shop-marietta?osq=smoke+shop

Other: https://goo.gl/maps/oeL1qDDSu9uUXeYt8

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