Introduction
Ross Alan Shafer (born December 10, 1954), is an American comedian, network television host, and motivational and leadership speaker/consultant. He has authored nine business books, won international stand-up comedy competitions, and earned six Emmys as a network talk and game show host.
Biography
Born and raised in McMinnville, Oregon, Shafer graduated from Federal Way High School in Federal Way, Washington. As a high school All-Conference football player, he received a scholarship to play linebacker for the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington, where he earned a business marketing degree.
Shafer said of his early life, "I had trouble finding anything that I was passionate about, or that made me happy." Nonetheless, he demonstrated offbeat entrepreneurial qualities, culminating in the creation of the first "combination pet and stereo store", which was noted for its novelty. His first foray into acting came in the form of a community play; afterward, he tried out for a stand-up comedy competition.
From 1984 to 1989, Shafer hosted the local Seattle-based talk and comedy show, Almost Live!, and also hosted Fox's late night talk show, The Late Show.
Ross works as a keynote speaker and leadership coach in the areas of market share growth, customer friction, and workforce motivator. He coaches leaders and teams on how to cross-pollinate innovative ideas about emerging trends, shifting buying habits, and the motivation of work forces during mergers and acquisitions. His clients include Ace Hardware, Aflac, and Hard Rock Cafe. Ross also authored a humorous cooking book, Cook-Like-A-Stud.
Bibliography
- Cook-Like-A-Stud (1991) ISBN 978-1880098172
- Nobody Moved Your Cheese! (2003) ISBN 978-1553956587
- The Customer Shouts Back! (2006) ASIN B004TY0W0Q
- Are You Relevant?(2009) ISBN 978-0-615-26523-0
- Grab More Market Share(2011) ISBN 978-1-118-13004-9
- Shy to Confident (2013) ISBN 978-0-615-86614-7
- Absolutely Necessary (2015)ISBN 978-0-692-27999-1
- Behave Like a Startup (2016) ISBN 978-0-9975336-1-3
- Success: It's on You(2016) ISBN 978-0-9975336-0-6
- No More Customer Friction (2017) ISBN 978-0692-86063-2
- Rattled (2021) ISBN 978-0-578-97246-6