Derron Ridley of Fairburn on Life, Lessons & Legacy

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Derron Ridley. Check out our conversation below.

Derron, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: Are you walking a path—or wandering?
I am definitely walking a path. To be honest I have been walking this path for years now, creating landmarks along the way, enjoying the delicious fruits of opportunity, cashing in the gems placed here and there. Even with all of those attributes, the one that is most rewarding is reaping the benefits of Continuous Growth. At times we tend to place limits on ourselves and in doing so we never reach full potential. I do not want to be an expert with anything that I do. I know that may sound strange to most people, but the reality is that if you are an expert that means you have limited your growth, you have reached the top therefor you cannot gain additional knowledge, skills and overall growth. Now, you are stagnant stuck in your expert ways.
The saying goes, ” You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” My goal is to be the most versatile artist not an expert artist. It all begins in our minds and when you welcome continuous growth you remove all those limits, boundaries and obstacles. Take the General Sherman Tree for example. These are giant sequoia tress in Sequoia National Park. Towering close to 300 ft, weighing 2.7 million pounds at the age of 2100 years old! You can image standing next to one and feeling just the raw power of its presence and it will never stop growing as long as it has just the basics. That is the type of impact I crave.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Derron. I am an Artist and multi-business owner/operator. I started my first company, Planet X Global, in 2005 when I was in college. It began as a side hustle in its infant years, painting custom shoes and clothing and as time progressed and I grew, so did my mindset. The day I decided handle my side hustle as a business changed everything. My appetite for continuous growth presented numerous opportunities to expand my Creative/Artistic reach. Now fast forward to 2025, Planet X Global now offers a vast number of services. I do original canvas paintings, handmade products, business branding and marketing, clothing and apparel, custom furniture, graphic design, blueprints and so much more, and I am still growing, still welcoming curiosity.
Because of that, back in June 2025 I started my second company ARTistic TCG, where I buy and sell trading/sports cards, collectibles and memorabilia through my store on eBay. I began collecting basketball and pokemon cards in middle school and it grew from there.

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
The individual who would place others ahead of myself, especially when it came to matters of the heart. During those times I was driven by helping others achieve their goals and live their lives, but I was not helping myself. I stopped growing mind, body and soul and it began to spill over into my daily life. As each day passed, I watched everyone around me grow and I was being left behind. I didn’t bring much to the table but when I sit down what I had was pushed to the other side, leaving my side as barren as the desert. In doing so I was unknowingly putting my Growth on hold. In my head what I was doing was right because the happiness of others mattered more. I never stopped to ask ME if I was happy. Now, don’t get this misconstrued, I am not advocating anything being wrong with placing others ahead of you at times. Trust me, I know what it means to sacrifice.

When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
The day I realized I was meant for more. I needed to grow up and stop blaming others for what I was going through. The reality was my mindset was weak, tiny, deprived of growth for years. I lived in pain every day. So much so I became an alcoholic. You see, then it was easy for me to point the finger and say it’s their fault. I was not strong enough to take accountability. One day I was on the verge of giving up, accepting the fact I would just live life, not experience it. It was that day I asked the right questions and instantly my brain began to rewire itself.
I asked myself one universal question I could apply to everything in my past, “Why did I allow that to happen?” The reasons I was wearing that pain. It was no one’s fault but my own. Why was I drinking? Why did this person hurt my feelings? Why are the people I love walking out of my life? Sure, there are a miniscule amount of it that was out of my control but that was irrelevant to the equation. It was at that moment, I forgave myself. I understood what it truly meant to be held accountable. Now my mindset is unparalleled, I move more deliberate, posture is straight, eyes calm and I do not rush to speak. The world adjusts to me. Confidence and Success are mindsets before movements.

Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. How do you differentiate between fads and real foundational shifts?
Easy, I do what everyone is not doing. Allow me to elaborate. In both my business industries there is a lot of worthy competition so standing out is of the upmost priority. How can you stand out in the middle of a crowd? You remove yourself from that crowd. Observe why the crowd is. Execute the plan to deliberately move separately from the crowd. This “crowd” mindset is everywhere in our daily lives. When one restaurant launches a new sandwich, so does the next. Similar to the domino effect just with ideas. The new sandwich is a fad. Foundational shifts are the moves being made that the new sandwich makers aren’t making.
Both of my companies rely heavily on logistics. Everyone sends products in regular brown boxes or white bubble mailers. This is where I take advantage. Something as simple as replacing the brown with a black box marks the beginning of a foundational shift. It gives an immediate impression; the interaction continues beyond your purchase. It draws the eyes and makes more of a personal connection. My personal research shows clients are more than likely to leave positive reviews which are vital for a small business such as mine. Fads come and go, but a good solid foundation is what you build on. Everyone choose to follow to route to the left, I took a right.

Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. When do you feel most at peace?
Honestly, I am most at peace at the end of the day, right before bed. It’s during that time I reflect on the day as well as future moves and progress that will be made. I just smile. I mean a good healthy, true smile that comes from the depths within. There are so many levels to me so that smile comes a long distance, so when it arrives, I cannot help but glow. I have grown so much and growing I shall continue to do. Not only do I see how much my mindset and life have changed but I can feel it. Ever have a time where you felt it was right? Like the feeling was different and you didn’t second guess you just knew. Thats how it feels. Its genuine, it’s connected, drawing me like a magnet. I experience a type of happiness that is rare, a utopia, therefor I am at peace.
No matter what it is, whatever your choices are, never forget to stop and ask yourself, “Am I happy?”

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ebay.us/m/Q5OXOq
• Instagram: @planetxglobal_l.l.c
• Facebook: @DerronRidley
• Other: ARTistic TCG Instagram @ ARTisticTCG
  Ebay Store : https://ebay.us/m/Q5OXOq