Rising Tide Startups

Rising Tide
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Rising Tide Startups is a unique, bi-weekly Business interview podcast, hosting some of today’s most exciting solopreneurs, startups founders and side hustlers from all over the globe.

  1. 12/19/2025

    9.17 – Amber Goetz – The Active Media

    Most employees talk about leaving the corporate world someday. Amber Goetz didn’t just talk about it, she actually did it. Her path there was anything but typical. Before building her SEO agency, she spent years as a programmer, TV host, and stunt driver, racing cars and motorcycles for commercials and television. Later, she walked away from a secure marketing job to rebuild her own agency on her own terms. In this episode of Rising Tide Startups, Amber shares why the slow pace and red tape of corporate life finally pushed her back into entrepreneurship. She runs The Active Media, an SEO and web development agency that helps businesses jump from being buried in search results to showing up where customers actually click and call. She explains how AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini have changed how people search, why keyword-based pricing no longer works, and how she now builds campaigns around effort, aggressiveness, and real outcomes.​ Amber talks about how local service businesses can win against bigger brands by treating their Google Business Profile like a true storefront, and why clear communication and strong boundaries with clients keep her business from feeling like a job again. She also shares what living in southern Utah has taught her about people who actually act on big ideas, and her dream of launching a podcast featuring her clients and writing a book to help women grow their authority online.   Key Takeaways: Get clear on what you do best. Naming your core skill and obsessing over it is the first step out of the golden handcuffs.​ Update how you price SEO. Flat keyword packages no longer match how people search, so build offers around time, intensity, and results.​ Let data lead your decisions. Test, measure, and adjust campaigns based on performance instead of guessing what should work.​ Treat Google Business Profile like your storefront. Local businesses that keep it active and complete can outrank much bigger companies.​ Protect your boundaries. Saying no to clients who ignore your time and process keeps entrepreneurship from feeling like another corporate job.​ Define your ideal client early. Knowing exactly who you want on the other end of the phone shapes your messaging, pricing, and red flags.  Listen to the full conversation here: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@risingtidestartups Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rising-tide-startups/id1330525474 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2eq7unl70TRPsBhjLEsNZR   Connect with Amber: The Active Media: theactivemedia.com Goetz Go: goetzgo.com   Please leave us an honest rating on Spotify, YouTube, or Apple Podcasts. Shoutout to our Great Sponsors: Naviqus Virtual Services - Hassle-free administrative support services that are efficient, affordable, and tailored to your needs. Check out https://naviqus.com now to jumpstart your business for 2026! Podbrand Media - Have you ever considered starting your own podcast for your company or brand? Podbrandmedia.com can help. Affordable and effective in content creation and lead generation!

    37 min

  2. 12/08/2025

    9.16 – Noah Tidwell – Solo Operator

    Most 20-somethings are still figuring out their first job. Noah Tidwell dropped out of college, bought a moving company, ran it for five years, sold it, and launched a new business helping home service owners automate their operations. All before most people finish grad school. In this episode of Rising Tide Startups, Noah shares how he discovered his real passion wasn't running a moving company but solving the operational headaches that kept him up at night. The inefficiencies, the manual processes, the time sucks that every blue collar business owner deals with but doesn't have time to fix. So he sold his company and built Solo Operator to do exactly that. Now he's helping small home service businesses get their time back by implementing systems, automations, and processes that actually work. Noah talks about the discipline it takes to focus on high leverage activities, why he hires fast and fires fast in the home service space, and his vision for Solo Operator Labs where he takes equity stakes in businesses instead of charging monthly retainers. He also shares lessons from his dad (who was a previous guest on this podcast), why nobody will ever care about your business as much as you do, and his dream of backpacking through Europe once he builds a business that runs without him. Key Takeaways: Focus on signal, not noise. Identify your highest leverage tasks each day and complete them before anything else. Do what you actually love. If you're dreading most of your work, it's time to pivot toward what energizes you, even if it means starting over. Nobody will care as much as you. You can't expect employees to have the same drive as a founder. Accept that and set realistic expectations. Partner for ownership, not just payment. Taking a piece of the business instead of charging fees aligns incentives and opens doors when cash is limited. Small businesses need systems to survive. Whether you want to grow or exit, having documented processes and automation in place isn't optional anymore. Build a business that runs without you. True freedom means being able to step away and know everything still works. Listen to the full conversation here: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@risingtidestartups Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rising-tide-startups/id1330525474 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2eq7unl70TRPsBhjLEsNZR Connect with Noah: Solooperator: solooperator.co  Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/noah-tidwell-18645b2a2/ Please leave us an honest rating on Spotify, YouTube, or Apple Podcasts. Shoutout to our Great Sponsors: Naviqus Virtual Services - Hassle-free administrative support services that are efficient, affordable, and tailored to your needs. Check out https://naviqus.com now to jumpstart your business for 2026! Podbrand Media - Have you ever considered starting your own podcast for your company or brand? Podbrandmedia.com can help. Affordable and effective in content creation and lead generation!

    30 min

  3. 11/14/2025

    9.15 – Joris Delanoue – Fairmint

    What if equity could move as fast as code? Most founders spend thousands on lawyers, cap table management, and outdated infrastructure just to raise money and distribute equity. Joris Delanoue thinks that's ridiculous. As co-founder and CEO of Fairmint, he's building the rails to move private equity onto the blockchain, turning cap tables into smart contracts and making ownership as easy to transfer as sending an email. In this episode of Rising Tide Startups, Joris shares his journey from being a serial entrepreneur in France to a blockchain pioneer in Silicon Valley. After selling multiple companies and experiencing the pain of locked-up investments and cap tables that were impossible to manage, he moved to the US with one goal: to fix capitalism. What started as an idea for a startup exchange using SPVs evolved into Fairmint, a platform that's already moved over $1 billion in equity onto the blockchain. Joris breaks down why blockchain is the superior technology for securities, how Fairmint is deintermediating traditional finance without sacrificing compliance, and why privacy features like zero-knowledge proofs are unlocking trillions of dollars in institutional capital. He also discusses the shift from infrastructure as CapEx to OpEx, and how transfer agents are suddenly the most sought-after role in finance. Additionally, he shares his belief that entrepreneurship changes the world faster than politics ever will. Key Takeaways: Blockchain is a superior infrastructure for equity. Just like cloud computing replaced private servers, blockchain will replace traditional financial rails because it's faster, cheaper, and more efficient. Cap tables should be smart contracts. Moving equity onto the blockchain eliminates intermediaries, reduces costs, and makes ownership programmable and liquid. Compliance is a feature, not a bug. Being an SEC-registered transfer agent means investors don't lose their assets if they lose their private keys. You can always recover securities with proper ID. Infrastructure can become a profit center. With the right tokenomics, what used to be operational expenses can now generate revenue instead of costing money. Equity should be accessible to everyone. Employees, contractors, partners, and community members who contribute value should be able to participate in the financial upside. Entrepreneurship beats politics. As a founder, you can impact billions of people through what you build, the values you embed, and the vision you execute.   Listen to the full conversation here: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@risingtidestartups Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rising-tide-startups/id1330525474 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2eq7unl70TRPsBhjLEsNZR   Connect with Joris: Fairmint: https://www.fairmint.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/delanoue/ Closing thought: "The worst thing you can do is not know what to do and start chasing rabbits. Sometimes it's just better to do nothing." Please leave us an honest rating on Spotify, YouTube, or Apple Podcasts. Shoutout to our Great Sponsors: Naviqus Virtual Services - Hassle-free administrative support services that are efficient, affordable, and tailored to your needs. Check out https://naviqus.com now to jumpstart your business for 2026! Podbrand Media - Have you ever considered starting your own podcast for your company or brand? Podbrandmedia.com can help. Affordable and effective content creation and lead generation!

    47 min

  4. 10/31/2025

    9.14 – Petra Zink – Impaccct

    Sometimes a setback does more than stop you; it reroutes you. Petra Zink is a Brand & Business Growth Strategist, Keynote Speaker, and Author who helps executives and founders turn their reputation into scalable revenue. She's the founder of impaCCCt and The360Talent.Co, host of the Trusted Authority™ Podcast, and author of Trusted Authority: From Unknown to Known. Originally from Austria, Petra has been living in Australia for 16 years after coming for a six-month stay. Her journey started after being put on a performance improvement plan instead of getting the promotion she expected. Petra developed the impaCCCt framework based on a simple observation: when she asked recruitment candidates what they wanted, they all said "I want to make an impact," but few could explain what that actually looked like. Petra turned that insight into a challenge: how do you turn something so abstract into a process anyone can follow? The result was her impaCCCt framework, built around three pillars—Clarify, Communicate, and Commercialize. Petra also shares why foundation work is essential, how she condensed her program into an intensive full-day immersion, and why working out loud with experiments beats playing it safe.  Key Takeaways: Your Beliefs Plus Your Behavior Build Your Brand. If you don't believe you're good enough, you won't take the actions to reshape how you're seen. Get Reps In Before Seeking Perfection. Start with small experiments rather than waiting for the perfect business model. The Three O's of Credibility Matter.  Build your own credibility. Tap into other people's credibility through association. Create on-the-go credibility by working out loud. Foundation Work Is Unsexy But Essential. Positioning yourself takes time and isn't visible, but without it, your marketing assets mean nothing. Speed Creates Better Results. The faster you get assets out there, the quicker you get feedback to refine what works. Work Out Loud With Stretch Goals. Set ambitious experiments and document the journey publicly so people can help you. Listen to the full conversation here: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@risingtidestartups Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rising-tide-startups/id1330525474 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2eq7unl70TRPsBhjLEsNZR Connect with Petra: LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/petrazink impaCCCt: https://www.impaccct.com/ Trusted Authority™ Podcast: https://www.impaccct.com/trusted-authority-the-podcast Closing thought: "People often think they have to have the perfect idea or the perfect business model to get started. You’ll never start perfect, because there’s always something new to learn." Please leave us an honest rating on Spotify, YouTube, or Apple Podcasts. Shoutout to our Great Sponsors: Naviqus Virtual Services - Hassle-free administrative support services that are efficient, affordable, and tailored to your needs. Check out https://naviqus.com now to jumpstart your business for 2025! Podbrand Media - Every company or brand needs its own podcast? Podbrandmedia.com can help. Affordable and effective in content creation and lead generation!

    32 min

  5. 10/10/2025

    9.13 – Agnė Marija Mokrikaitė – Linkedin Expert

    What if one random podcast episode on a Tuesday completely changed your career trajectory? Agne Maria Moa is a content strategist at Notus, one of Europe's leading personal branding agencies, where she helps founders build their LinkedIn presence. Her journey started when she accidentally listened to a podcast by Rory Vaden about how personal brands impact sales. The next day, she posted her first piece of content. While still a university student in Lithuania, Agne worked unpaid for six months at an early-stage agency while her peers worked as baristas. Agne takes a different approach that goes beyond chasing virality. She's learned that breakthrough comes from pushing through when you have zero engagement and nobody's responding. She starts with deep interviews to understand clients' backgrounds and goals before creating anything. Rather than copying what works for others, she helps founders figure out what makes them unique and builds strategies around their personal experiences. This conversation gets into building a personal brand from scratch. Agne shares how she dealt with impostor syndrome as a student with no experience, why she did things differently when everyone questioned her, and how focusing on value attracted opportunities.  Key Takeaways: Do Something Different to Build Success. Building an extraordinary life means doing what others aren't doing, even when it feels uncomfortable. Push Through the Uncomfortable Period. Breakthrough happens after you gain momentum, but you have to keep posting when nobody's engaging. Strategy Before Content. Understand your goals, target audience, and what makes you unique before creating posts or chasing engagement. Personal Stories Beat Tactical Advice. Content that ties personal experience to insights performs significantly better than generic how-to posts. Don't Chase Virality at the Expense of Positioning. High engagement doesn't matter if it positions you wrong or attracts people who won't become clients. Test Different Content Pillars. Mix tactical advice, personal stories, industry insights, and aspirational content to find what resonates. Listen to the full conversation here: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@risingtidestartups Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rising-tide-startups/id1330525474 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2eq7unl70TRPsBhjLEsNZR   Connect with Agne: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/agnemokrikaite/ Calendly: https://calendly.com/agne-mokrikaite/30min   Closing thought: "In order to be successful in life, you need to do something completely different to what other people are doing." Please leave us an honest rating on Spotify, YouTube, or Apple Podcasts. Shoutout to our Great Sponsors: Naviqus Virtual Services - Hassle-free administrative support services that are efficient, affordable, and tailored to your needs. Check out https://naviqus.com now to jumpstart your business for 2026! Podbrand Media - Have you ever considered starting your own podcast for your company or brand? Podbrandmedia.com can help. Affordable and effective content creation and lead generation!

    39 min

  6. 09/27/2025

    9.12 – Lauren Gibson – Letter Launched

    What if getting laid off was actually the push you needed to build the life you wanted? Lauren Gibson is a writer and email marketing strategist who helps founders, agency owners, and coaches grow through newsletters and community-building. She's worked across human rights, tech, and entrepreneurship, including the co-founder of Ethereum on a DeFi project. After traveling to 44 countries, earning her MBA at Georgetown, and getting laid off from the NFT market in 2023, Lauren turned what could have been devastating into the catalyst she needed to build her own business. This episode is packed with unique insights on the psychological challenges of transitioning from employee to entrepreneur, especially for highly educated professionals. She's discovered that people with advanced degrees often struggle more because they've been trained to value their worth through employer validation. Her journey from relief at being laid off to building a profitable business in under a year shows that sometimes the scariest moments become the biggest opportunities. Lauren also shares how she overcame analysis paralysis, dropped her ego to take on pro bono work, and built her business through organic marketing. Her insights on the future of work, email lists versus social media, and why consistency beats passion offer practical wisdom for anyone considering the entrepreneurial leap   Key Takeaways: Higher Education Can Make Entrepreneurship Harder. Advanced degree holders often struggle more because they're conditioned to seek employer validation. You Can't Connect the Dots Looking Forward. Planning everything perfectly leads to paralysis; start doing and figure it out as you go. Drop Your Ego and Do Free Work Initially. Pro bono clients help you build testimonials and transition from employee to business owner mindset. Consistency Beats Passion in Business. Passion fades regularly, but consistent daily actions keep you moving through tough times. Email Lists Are 42x More Valuable Than Social Media. Focus on building your email list since subscribers are more likely to convert. Connections Drive the Future of Work. As AI automates tasks, human connections become the primary differentiator and value creator. Structure Your Day Like a Company Would. Without a boss setting your schedule, create your own daily routines and stick to them.   Listen to the full conversation here: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@risingtidestartups Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rising-tide-startups/id1330525474 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2eq7unl70TRPsBhjLEsNZR Connect with Lauren: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/linkwithlauren/ Letter Launched: https://letterlaunched.com/ Website: https://laurenrosegibson.com/   Closing thought: You can't connect the dots looking forward. You can only connect them looking backwards."  Steve Jobs Please leave us an honest rating on Spotify, YouTube, or Apple Podcasts. Shoutout to our Great Sponsors:  Naviqus Virtual Services - Hassle-free administrative support services that are efficient, affordable, and tailored to your needs. Check out https://naviqus.com now to jumpstart your business for 2025! Podbrand Media - Have you ever considered starting your own podcast for your company or brand?  Podbrandmedia.com can help.  Affordable and effective in content creation and lead generation!

    36 min

  7. 09/19/2025

    9.11 – Nick Petros – Freely

    What if the problem isn't finding talent, but that we're all looking for it in the wrong places? Nick Petros is a serial entrepreneur who's appeared on Rising Tide Startups three times now, and for good reason. He's got that restless entrepreneurial itch that sees better ways to do things everywhere he looks, even when it's been "extremely expensive to operate this way." Nick's latest venture is Freely, a platform that's trying to replace the resume and revolutionize how companies find fractional talent. But this isn't his first rodeo. He previously built MyDash, a data integration service, and PinchForth, which started as a growth marketing agency before evolving into something much larger. What sets Nick apart is his experience watching the agency space become "toxic really fast." He's seen how the race to the bottom pricing and endless competition for the same clients create a system where nobody really wins. His experience building Pinchforth taught him that founders don't need agencies to just "do it for them," they need specific expertise delivered by people who are genuinely skilled at what they do. This insight led him to realize that the real problem isn't a lack of talent, it's that we're stuck in outdated hiring models that focus on resumes instead of actual skills. Key Takeaways: Skills Matter More Than Resumes. The most successful professionals are evaluated on performance and abilities, not educational backgrounds or credentials. Fractional Work Is the Future. Remote work is creating opportunities for people to build careers serving multiple clients instead of one employer. Marketplaces Create Race-to-the-Bottom Pricing. Traditional platforms like Fiverr commoditize services and force providers to compete on price rather than value. Pre-Qualified Leads Change Everything. When providers pay to connect with businesses, both sides are more serious about creating value. Most Agencies Got Lucky, Not Smart. The biggest agencies succeeded by riding the wave with amazing brands rather than driving their growth. Businesses Want Line of Sight, Not Options. Companies prefer choosing from three qualified providers over sorting through 600 random applicants. Community-Driven Expertise Builds Trust. Platforms work better when users establish expertise by helping others rather than just promoting themselves.   Listen to the full conversation here: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@risingtidestartups Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rising-tide-startups/id1330525474 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2eq7unl70TRPsBhjLEsNZR Connect with Nick: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickpetros/ My Dash: https://www.mydash.ai/ HireFreely: https://www.hirefreely.co/ Closing thought: "Work the way you want to work." Please leave us an honest rating on Spotify, YouTube, or Apple Podcasts. Shoutout to our Great Sponsors:  Naviqus Virtual Services - Hassle-free administrative support services that are efficient, affordable, and tailored to your needs. Check out https://naviqus.com now to jumpstart your business for 2025! Podbrand Media - Have you ever considered starting your own podcast for your company or brand?  Podbrandmedia.com can help.  Affordable and effective in content creation and lead generation!

    26 min

  8. 07/25/2025

    9.10 – Kevin Prewett – Solo Episode – Podbrand Media and Rising Tide Startups

    Sometimes the best lessons come from someone who's just one step ahead. After 300+ episodes and founders from over 30 countries, Kevin Prewett is hitting the reset button on Rising Tide Startups. Not starting over, just getting refocused on what matters most: that leap from cubicle to startup. In this episode, Kevin explains why he's shifting direction. He's learned that while successful founders have amazing stories, sometimes their lessons are harder to apply when you're just starting. Instead, he wants to focus on people just slightly ahead in the journey. Still working day jobs, still building nights and weekends, still figuring it out. Kevin embodies this approach. He keeps his full-time job while building side ventures that all trace back to his original podcast - Rising Tide Startups. His story proves you don't need to quit everything to start building something meaningful. This reset focuses on the transition moment that most people can actually relate to. Here are the key takeaways from the episode: Find mentors who are just slightly ahead of you. Learning from someone 10 steps ahead is inspiring, but someone 2-3 steps ahead gives you a roadmap you can actually follow. You don't have to choose between stability and building something. Kevin has monetized multiple side ventures while keeping his day job, proving you can have both. Free content builds everything else. Start by giving value, and everything else follows. Narrowing your focus creates deeper connections. After featuring all types of founders, Kevin is zeroing in on the cubicle-to-startup transition because that's where people need the most help. Consistency wins over intensity. Two episodes per month keeps the momentum without burning out. The leap is the story that matters most. That moment when someone stops dreaming and starts building is where real inspiration lives.   Listen to the full conversation here: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@risingtidestartups Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rising-tide-startups/id1330525474 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2eq7unl70TRPsBhjLEsNZR Connect with Kevin: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-prewett/  Website: https://www.podbrandmedia.com/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/podbrandmedia/    Closing thought:"Sometimes the most powerful move isn't jumping off the cliff—it's building your wings while you're still on solid ground." Please leave us an honest rating on Spotify, YouTube, or Apple Podcasts. Shoutout to our Great Sponsors:  Naviqus Virtual Services - Hassle-free administrative support services that are efficient, affordable, and tailored to your needs. Check out https://naviqus.com now to jumpstart your business for 2024! Have you ever considered starting your own podcast for your company or brand?  Podbrandmedia.com can help.  Affordable and effective in content creation and lead generation.  Let Podbrand create a podcast that “makes you money!”

    6 min
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About

Rising Tide Startups is a unique, bi-weekly Business interview podcast, hosting some of today’s most exciting solopreneurs, startups founders and side hustlers from all over the globe.

Information

  • Creator
    Rising Tide
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2025
  • Episodes
    300
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2023. All Rights Reserved
  • Show Website
    Rising Tide Startups