In this session of Rising Tides Live, hosted by Dean LaBay, the community focused on the power of storytelling as a tool for connection, growth, and trust. Participants shared how showing up honestly, learning in public, and telling imperfect stories can create real momentum in business and life. From personal experiences to professional lessons, the conversation reinforced a shared belief: when people participate, listen, and support one another, their stories lift the entire community.

• Your Story Matters More Than Production – The session reinforced that meaningful stories do not require polished setups, expensive equipment, or perfect delivery. What resonates most is honesty, specificity, and the willingness to share real experiences as they happen.
• Growth Happens in Public – Progress accelerates when people stop waiting until they have it figured out and start sharing along the way. By learning out loud and showing both successes and failures, creators and operators build trust while gaining clarity through repetition.
• Participation Creates Momentum – Community is not built by watching from the sidelines. Momentum comes from engaging, listening, contributing, and encouraging others. When people participate consistently, individual growth turns into collective progress.

• Cali BBQ Media: https://content.calibbq.media/
• Join Our Next Show: https://betheshow.media/rising-tides/
• Shawn Walchef on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawnpwalchef/
• Dean LaBay on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dean-labay-%F0%9F%A5%94-18584631/

DAVO automates every step of the sales tax process — from collecting to filing to paying...

Marqii is designed to create unforgettable customer experiences...

Runbin Dong built Scale Social from a simple belief shaped in his family’s restaurant: hospitality starts with people, not platforms. After growing up working every job in the house, Runbin saw firsthand how trust, familiarity, and human connection drive real loyalty. Scale Social applies that same mindset to marketing by helping restaurants capture authentic customer content without asking guests to perform or post publicly.

• Hospitality That Starts at Home – Runbin Dong’s approach to Scale Social is rooted in his upbringing in a family restaurant, where hospitality was learned through lived experience, not theory. Growing up around the business shaped his belief that companies grow through human connection first. That philosophy now guides how Scale Social helps operators tell real stories, focusing on authenticity rather than manufactured marketing.
• Marketing That Meets Customers Where They Already Are – Scale Social was built on the insight that customers want to share experiences but do not want the work of posting publicly. Rather than forcing behavior, the platform removes friction by capturing authentic content in the moment and handling the rest. The result is marketing that feels natural, personal, and trusted by the people who see it.
• Local Stories That Drive Real Results – By focusing on hyper local content created by actual customers, Scale Social helps operators market where it matters most. Seeing a familiar face in a video is more powerful than broad reach or influencer scale. For multi location and franchise brands, this approach creates alignment by giving both operators and brand leaders clear visibility into what is truly resonating at the local level.

• Runbin Dong LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/runbindong/
• Runbin Dong Email: runbin@scalesocialai.com
• Scale Social Online: https://www.getsocialscale.com/

DAVO automates every step of the sales tax process — from collecting to filing to paying...

Marqii is designed to create unforgettable customer experiences...

In this episode of Pitch The Tide, Ben Roscillo, Director of Business Solutions at Factura.ai, shares how his background as a restaurant operator led him to tackle one of hospitality’s biggest headaches: accounts payable. From years of managing invoices by hand to building solutions for multi-unit brands, Ben explains why Factura.ai was designed specifically for restaurants at scale. He breaks down how automation and AI-driven invoice processing reduce errors, save time, and help teams grow without adding headcount. At its core, Factura.ai gives operators back the freedom to focus on people, service, and expansion instead of paperwork.

• Operator Built Solutions – Factura.ai was designed by people who lived the problem. Ben’s years as a restaurant manager and consultant shaped a platform built specifically for the realities of multi-unit operations, not generic accounting workflows.
• Scaling Without Burnout – Manual AP breaks teams as companies grow. Factura.ai helps operators process thousands of invoices accurately while keeping headcount flat, protecting work life balance and reducing costly errors.
• Technology That Gives Time Back – By automating invoice coding, approvals, and location detection, Factura.ai removes busywork and lets operators focus on people, service, and strategic growth instead of paperwork.

• Ben Roscillo LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-roscillo-221904130/
• Factura ai LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/factura-ai
• Cali BBQ Media: https://content.calibbq.media/
• Join Our Next Show: https://betheshow.media/rising-tides/
• Shawn Walchef on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawnpwalchef/

DAVO automates every step of the sales tax process — from collecting to filing to paying...

Marqii is designed to create unforgettable customer experiences...

Shawn Walchef spent five years building a media company that made zero dollars while running a restaurant business at the same time. Quitting would have been reasonable. He did not. This story breaks down why consistency, repetition, and belief mattered more than early results. From recording podcasts above a butcher shop to publishing one hundred episodes with almost no audience, Walchef explains how skills, trust, and relationships compound quietly.

• Start Before There Is Proof – The hardest phase is the invisible one. Publishing for years with no revenue, no audience, and no validation builds the skills, discipline, and belief required to last. The work has to come long before the payoff.
• Consistency Creates Credibility – One hundred episodes. Five years. Relentless reps. Trust is not built through one great piece of content but through showing up again and again until people know you are not going anywhere.
• Relationships Unlock the Breakthrough – The first real opportunity did not come from cold outreach. It came from years of collaboration, shared work, and people willing to vouch. Credibility compounds quietly until the right door opens.

• Shawn Walchef on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawnpwalchef/
• Entrepreneur: https://www.entrepreneur.com/
• Restaurant Influencers: https://open.spotify.com/show/2PvbbY2R1GPRCSPfIMhDqD
• Toast: https://pos.toasttab.com/
• US Foods: https://www.usfoods.com/
• Restaurant365: https://www.restaurant365.com/

DAVO automates every step of the sales tax process — from collecting to filing to paying...

Marqii is designed to create unforgettable customer experiences...

In this session of Rising Tides Live, hosted by Shawn Walchef and Troy Hooper, the community looked back at the wins, lessons, and momentum that shaped 2025 while setting intentions for the year ahead. Operators, creators, technologists, and founders reflected on what it means to grow through consistency, vulnerability, and showing up even when life and business feel chaotic. From launching new ventures to giving back locally, from shifting travel schedules to embracing content creation, each story highlighted a shared theme: progress comes from participation. When people lean into connection, share real experiences, and commit to steady action, the tide rises for everyone.

• Showing Up Is the Foundation of Growth – The episode highlighted that consistency is what moves careers, businesses, and relationships forward. Whether posting your first imperfect video, attending industry events, or joining weekly sessions, momentum begins the moment you decide to be present.
• Small Actions Compound Into Big Wins – From blocking time to think, to recording early podcast episodes, to taking first steps on dream projects, everyone proved that progress doesn’t come from sweeping gestures. It comes from daily effort, tiny experiments, and the willingness to improve one brick at a time.
• Community Makes Ambition Sustainable – The most meaningful 2025 wins came from collaboration: helping a child with a brain tumor live out a dream, supporting new operators, sharing tools, giving honest feedback, and celebrating milestones. When people invest in one another, aspirations feel lighter—and success becomes shared.

• Cali BBQ Media: https://content.calibbq.media/
• Join Our Next Show: https://betheshow.media/rising-tides/
• Shawn Walchef on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawnpwalchef/
• Troy Hooper on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jtroyhooper/

DAVO automates every step of the sales tax process — from collecting to filing to paying...

Marqii is designed to create unforgettable customer experiences...

Kevin Hildebrand is the Chief Operating Office of CRS Hospitality. He has spent his career helping operators cut through the noise and run restaurants with more confidence. In this Digital Hospitality episode, he shares the practical habits and systems that keep teams aligned, reduce stress, and make daily operations smoother. Kevin talks about the small adjustments that create big results, the importance of clear communication, and why consistency matters more than complexity. It is a grounded, real conversation about what is working in restaurants right now and what operators can do this week to make their business easier to manage and easier to grow.

• People First, Systems That Support Them – Kevin Hildebrand believes hospitality starts with the humans running the restaurants. CRS Hospitality has grown to 15 concepts by creating a culture where managers are supported, teams collaborate across locations, and no one is left to struggle alone. Growth happens when people have the tools and structure to thrive, not just when new restaurants open.
• Technology Chosen for Real Operational Impact – CRS adopts technology only when it solves a true problem. Kickfin became essential because it fixed a daily pain point that was draining time and energy from managers. By integrating with Toast and making payouts transparent and instant, Kickfin helped simplify one of the most frustrating parts of restaurant operations.
• Modern Hospitality Requires Adaptation, Not Assumptions – Guest behavior continues to shift, and CRS is reshaping its restaurants accordingly. From redesigning floor plans for more takeout capacity to implementing digital tools that reduce administrative stress, Kevin and his team stay focused on meeting guests where they are. Hospitality today blends people, process, and technology working in sync.

• Kevin Hildebrand: https://www.crshospitality.com/team-member/kevin-hildebrand/
• Kevin Hildebrand LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-hildebrand-95558068/
• CRS Hospitality: https://www.crshospitality.com/
• Kickfin Online: https://kickfin.com/
• Kickfin LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kickfin/
• Kickfin YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@kickfin2618
• Kickfin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kickfin/
• Kickfin Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kickfin/

DAVO automates every step of the sales tax process — from collecting to filing to paying...

Marqii is designed to create unforgettable customer experiences...

has spent years building two things at the same time: a restaurant business and a media brand strong enough to attract the people most podcasters only dream about. Today, his guest list includes Shaquille O’Neal, Dana White, John Taffer and Chef Robert Irvine. None of it came from luck. It came from consistency, community, and the willingness to publish long before anyone was watching.

Shawn Walchef has learned that getting celebrities onto your podcast has nothing to do with luck and everything to do with consistency, community, and proving you can show up long enough to matter. In this episode, he breaks down the real playbook behind landing guests like Shaquille O’Neal, Dana White and John Taffer. From starting local and doubling your reps to partnering with bigger platforms and eventually attracting PR teams through the reverse funnel, Walchef explains how any creator can build a show that earns attention. The formula is simple: keep publishing, keep improving, and stay impossible to ignore.

• Start Local and Build Reps – Celebrity guests come later. The first step is publishing consistently, learning through mistakes, and proving you can run a real show past episode ten.
• Partnerships Expand Your Platform – Bigger guests follow bigger distribution. Aligning with established media partners or brands gives your show reach and credibility.
• Earn the Reverse Funnel – Once your work becomes undeniable, PR teams and high profile guests start coming to you. Consistency is what unlocks that stage.

• Shawn Walchef on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawnpwalchef/
• Entrepreneur: https://www.entrepreneur.com/
• Restaurant Influencers: https://open.spotify.com/show/2PvbbY2R1GPRCSPfIMhDqD

DAVO automates every step of the sales tax process — from collecting to filing to paying...

Marqii is designed to create unforgettable customer experiences...