Grady Teske - Rising Tides

We’re back with another episode that dives into the REAL stories behind the founder’s journey and this week’s chat seriously delivers. If you’ve ever wondered what it actually looks like to shift from helping global giants to building your own business, let's dive in.

This Episode at a Glance:
Kyle Hudson sits down with Grady, founder of Rising Tides, to unpack the twists, experiments, and mindset shifts on the road from employee to entrepreneur. Here’s what stood out:

✨ Building for Others, Then Yourself

Grady spent nearly a decade creating distribution strategies for multinational manufacturers before making the pivotal decision to build something for himself. His insight? If you understand who you are and who you bring value to, life (and business) gets infinitely simpler. The trick: lay out breadcrumbs for your ideal clients let them come to YOU.

“If I’m this effective at building businesses for others, why don’t I do it for me?”

🤝 Authenticity + Automation = Authority

We talk automation a lot, but Grady makes the case that the real differentiator is putting your humanity at the forefront. His formula: pair your authentic self with smart automation, and you’re not just creating noise you’re building authority and, in turn, luck. As he says, luck is preparation meeting opportunity.

🛠️ Distribution Isn’t Just for Products

Rising Tides is all about building go-to-market strategies lean, omnichannel, and scalable. Grady’s approach? Borrow from the best practices of enterprise giants, but tailor them for startups and SMBs. Think big-company lessons, sized for your stage.

🚀 From Corporate Climb to Startup Grit

Neither Grady nor Kyle grew up in 'entrepreneurial' families, but both found themselves on the corporate fast track before veering into startup life. Their stories are a reminder: there’s no deadline for launching your own thing many founders don’t branch out until their late 30s or 40s, and that’s not only okay, it’s often the smartest move.

🔍 What Should Founders Focus on First?

New founders, listen up! Grady’s tactical advice:

• Forget fancy websites & paid ads at the start.

• Build a simple database (hello, Google Sheets!) and get active on LinkedIn and Reddit to engage your target customers directly.

• Do founder-led sales until you know exactly what resonates.

• Constantly test, fail, learn your “distribution” is about conversations, not just conversion rates.

“Do the founder selling because every single aspect of your job as a founder and eventually a CEO is to be able to DIY and then explain to others not necessarily how the job is done, but the key success factors...”

🌊 What’s Next for Rising Tides?

More automation, more lean experimentation, and even more focus on authentic interactions (plus: keep an eye out for Grady’s upcoming book!). For Grady, “building distribution” isn’t just a strategy it’s a mindset, and a lifelong journey.

LISTEN TO THE FULL EPISODE:
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Keep Building, Keep Iterating and Don’t Be Afraid to “Umm...”

See you next time,
Kyle

P.S. Loved this episode? Reply and let us know your favorite takeaway or, share how you’re building your own luck in your founder journey!