He Did it Like This, He Did it Like That, He Did it With a Wiffle Ball Bat

By Justin Petruccelli

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

On days when I'm feeling a little snarky and someone asks me how I'm doing, I might respond with, "Just living the dream." But when Gar Ryness says it, it's the gospel truth.

Ryness is living proof that you can turn anything into a business. Since he was a kid, he's been getting laughs with a unique talent--he can mimic any baseball player's batting stance, swing and any other idiosyncracy a player might bring to the plate. He calls it the least marketable skill in America. But back in April, he discovered otherwise when his video clips became instant viral hits, prompting him to start a website that now has corporate sponsorship and paid advertising.

"When people start a business, usually it's what they love to do," he says "I never could've conceived in April that I could make a business out of imitating batting stances, so it's just so crazy how cliché that is now that there are these business opportuinites. It's just crazy that people want to pay for it. When you have a business start out of something that you'd do for free, I guess that's what people are saying."

For someone who never expected to start a business, Ryness, 35, knows a thing or two about branding. He's dubbed himself The Batting Stance Guy, and since being discovered, the Los Angeles resident has made appearances at Angels Stadium, Dodger Stadium and on pre-game shows for local Fox Sports affiliates in Milwaukee and Minneapolis. Ryness says he's not sure where things will go next, but for now he's having a blast and getting a taste of what inspires entrepreneurs.

"When people appreciate something, it's just really fun," he says. "It's really fun to be the best in the world at something But I would suggest to people that if they're going to pick something, don't pick it as a 7-year-old"

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