Out of everything that Ethan Ewing ’94 has learned from more than a decade in the business world, it was a phrase he heard in lacrosse practice that fueled his rise to president of Bills.com: “Whatever you do, just be the best.” Ewing first heard the quote uttered by the former Denison lacrosse coach and Ewing’s biggest influence, Mike Caravana. “He would always give us a quote of the day, and this one stuck with me no matter what. On the field, I was going to be the best.” The protocol headlined Ewing’s lacrosse career at Denison, where he captained the team–a bright indication of the future leadership role he would one day assume.
Twelve years later, Ewing has taken up office in San Mateo, California, as the captain of a booming business website that offers free financial advice for consumers, while educating them on the best value products and services for their needs.
Ewing’s talent and skills today are an accumulation of hard-earned experience in the Internet-based business realm. Prior to Bills.com, he was vice president of business development for the client acquisition site MetaReward.com. Before that, he served as a mortgage project planner for iOwn.com, when his perseverance carried him through the Internet bust of 2000. “You put your head down and worked hard when everyone else was going out,” he revealed.
After Denison, Ewing never forgot what he considered the greatest advantages of the school. “You got to engage in learning in this bubble, and people at Denison care about you.” He felt that attention on and off the lacrosse field, as his advisors pushed him to succeed as a student athlete. That sincerity translated into his own desire to help others: upon graduation, he departed for Thailand to teach English for a year—an experience that gave him a new perspective of the lifestyle in this country, which ultimately steered him toward a career that focused on the care for the consumer. “This business is about hearing people’s issues and helping them with it, and I wanted to bring people together with the good lenders. The content of Bills.com is targeted towards the people who don’t have the all the resources to get personal financial advice.” That mentality played well in conjunction with the wisdom he gained from his inspirational coach. “If I was going to be a ditch digger, I was going to be the best ditch digger. But I will aim to be the best – it’s what gets me excited every day.”