I’m Tyler Ridings-a 20 year old hustler from Nashville, TN. I am currently studying International Business with a minor in Chinese at Belmont University in Nashville.
Some people forget where they come from, but as for me, that will never be the case. When I was younger I started off as a freelance consultant-props to my dad for the first hookup with one of his clients- building websites for small companies and non-profits in the Nashville area. (You might find it hard to believe but I only know basic HTML coding, i used iWeb, Pixelmator and Shopify for sites that I made.) I saved the majority of the money I earned and was eventually able to purchase Final Cut Express. After I had that I took lessons on how to use it from the Apple One-to-One program, and began to edit videos for local hunting and fishing TV shows (one of which aired on DirectTV and others on local Nashville stations). That soon led me to be involved with local radio shows in Nashville where I would edit audio for advertisements. That just didn’t cut it though, I was bored and wanting to do something more fulfilling.
When I was 15, I lost hundreds of dollars worth of music when my computer crashed, and I decided to start my own company to solve this problem. As Founder/CEO of TuneVault, I was responsible for raising thousands of dollars from investors and coordinating the site’s development with many individuals all over the world. TuneVault is under Conduit Corporation, which is essentially a venture capital firm/incubation center located in Nashville. I have learned so much from this process, and am very fortunate to be where I am today. TuneVault is currently in a transitional stage, and has been in talks with industry leaders about the future of the product.
Not only am I a business guy, I also love giving back! From the ages of 14-16 I raised over $10,000 for a medical missionary in Mexico by coordinating events, including two annual golf tournaments which raised over $3,500 each. When I was 15 I also started a program similar to Operation Christmas Child, where we would accept donations of shoeboxes packed with toys and necessities to send to children in Mexico. Over the two years that I worked with the Christmas project, we were able to provide christmas gifts to over 500 children in five rural villages in Mexico. I found this very rewarding, and loved doing it. I coordinated and managed all aspects of it from putting informational material and instructions together, managing the money collected, and even hand delivered the boxes to Mexico. After the second year, I was involved with too many projects, so I paired up with a church in Middle Tennessee who took over for me and continued the work.
I also serve on the board of PhilanthroTeach-an organization that aims to prepare the unemployed with job readiness skills-and I am the head of the operations committee.
As I’m sure you can imagine, I’ve lost a lot of sleep over the years. Between school, friends, family, and working- it really takes a toll on me sometimes. There were some days in high school that I literally would not have made it through the day without a nicely chilled Red Bull. Although rough on me, I love what I do, and I will never regret all the sleep I lost. I saw a quote on tumblr one day that said “No one looks back on their life and remembers the nights they got plenty of sleep.”. This is something I think about quite often, and really believe in. I take advantage of every opportunity given to me, and go into every situation with optimism and excitement.
I have been extremely fortunate to have so many incredible things happen in my life (owning a company, free flight to TechCrunch Disrupt NYC from someone I met on twitter, meeting so many people that others only dream of, being written about in a book, being asked to speak to students in high schools and colleges, raising thousands of dollars to fulfill a dream, and so much more!). Luckily I still have many more awesome years to look forward to.
If you haven’t been able to tell, I keep it real. There is no sugar coating with me, and I have very few boundaries. What you see is what you get. I love connecting with others, and am open to all types of opportunities or even just the chance to meet someone new. I live on my iPhone, and have a great understanding of how to connect with people online, and use social networks in a more personal way. I am fascinated by social networking and the way it connects people all over the world. (I’m the guy who goes to a sold out concert and takes a picture of everyone with their cell phones out taking pictures.)
As with anyone, there is more to my story… Feel free to connect with me and get to know me.
