Living The Red Life - They Accidentally Created a Million-Dollar Product!

Episode Date: April 18, 2025

SUMMARYKeith Duke and Mike Patrick, co-founders of Tidal Coating Solutions. With decades of experience in construction and wood preservation, the long-time friends turned business partners have created a revolutionary home maintenance product line. Their flagship offering, a roof coating that significantly extends the life of shingles, has landed them in major retailers like Home Depot and other big box stores across the country.Throughout the episode, Keith and Mike delve into the trials and triumphs of launching a product that challenges industry standards. They share candid stories of early failures, accidental discoveries, and the persistent hustle that fueled their success. The duo offers valuable insights on scaling a product-based business, navigating partnerships, and staying grounded in their mission: creating eco-friendly, high-performance solutions that empower everyday homeowners.CHAPTERS02:03 – Creating a Game-Changing DIY Product04:24 – From Best Friends to Business Partners06:11 – The Accidental Breakthrough That Changed Everything08:02 – Breaking Into Big Box Stores10:03 – Dealing with Doubt and Daily Challenges12:05 – Building an All-American, In-House Brand14:05 – Where to Find Their Life-Changing ProductsConnect with Keith & Mike:Company: Tidal Coating SolutionsWebsite: www.tidalcoat.comFacebook: Tidal CoatInstagram: @tidalcoatConnect with Rudy Mawer:LinkedInInstagramFacebookTwitter

What's up guys, welcome back to another episode of Living the Red Life. Joining me today is Mike and Keith. We're going to chat about how they've taken their product nationwide. They're in big box stores, Home Depot, brands that you probably shop at, and they're always innovating. And I love this story how they've constantly innovated. They've got this new product that is probably going to disrupt the industry. So, yeah, and we're going to talk a lot about the entrepreneur journey too.

My name's Rudy Moore, host of Living the Red Life podcast. I'm here to change the way you see your life in your earpiece every single week. If you're ready to start living the red life, ditch the blue pill, take the red pill, join me in Wonderland and change your life. Guys, welcome to the show. All right, thank you, thank you.

Appreciate it. So let's talk about it. You know, you guys are obviously doing a lot of great things. You're innovating. You've got this new exciting product coming out. Do you wanna just tell everyone a bit about how you got here and what you're up to?

Sure. So we, obviously we started, like we said, with a different technology. And I wouldn't say that it failed. A ton of hurdles to jump and everything works out for a reason, right? So we stumbled across a different type of coding and we eventually started putting it on shingles.

Well, let's just go big picture if someone's listening because you're not the typical maybe supplement business that we might interview, right? So do you wanna explain big picture what your company does and the products too? Oh, well, the big picture is that once we organized to do this, we started making coatings in general for concrete

for most anything that you will have at your home for home maintenance products. The idea was to produce a product that was environmentally friendly, easy to use, but performed at the highest level possible for the least amount of money without having to hire a professional. The typical DIYer, which is what I've always been my entire life. That falls right into our dish right there. So we created a very unique product that we feel performs close to the solvent epoxies without going into the solvent issues that you bring along with that. And so the homeowner,

issues that you bring along with that. And so the homeowner, especially people in areas that are have to deal with air quality standards, this is a perfect solution. And so you took that product, obviously, the latest one is really something you're kind of gung-ho on and you think it's going to change the industry, take off? We actually started it on it in 2010. It was a process to get to there.

We noticed that we could use this to preserve shingles and started it and got it in on to market in 2013. And it's a massive industry, right? It's about like six billion a year. Crazy. It's a new tech. So it's massive industry, right? Six billion a year crazy new tech. So billion Oh, it's catching on. Yeah, a lot of people are joining in on this on this and it's good for everybody actually, but yeah So this this is gonna extend roof life for how many how many years? It depends on the shape of your route to begin with but you can you could count on a good five-year

expansion for people that need it or just don't have the money to, to replace the roof. They can come in and, and extend it, do the maintenance on it, helps protect it along the way so you can, it keeps your roof looking prettier. So, and tell us a little about the entrepreneur journey to get there, right? Because I heard the, you know, started in 2010, right? We're a bit further ahead than that now. Started a little long before that.

As partners or best friends, we've been scrambling since he was 15 and I was 19. So the partnership has always run smooth smooth as you could probably imagine. But that's when it started and we've worked in the construction industries. He worked in wood preservation. I worked in heavy civil and worked with coatings and concrete my whole 30 year career just about. We just, we kind of just bonded our experience, you know? I mean, not only being best friends, but then business partners.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. We just kind of pivoted. Yeah. From our opening. And what was the moment you had this big idea? Like, was there one moment you remember? The dealer, when the other failed, and we had to clean up,

and what we produced was an incredibly beautiful coating on our floor that would not come up. It was a wildest thing. The solution that we put into our other product leaked on the floor. And the car was pulled into the garage, the oil leaked on the concrete. The next day went and wiped the concrete clean.

The oil did not even penetrate. So we were like, Oh, well, we have a concrete sealer now. There you go. That started from there. And then we went straight to some manufacturers and told manufacturers and worked out the chemistry and, and they were impressed. Yeah. So he would, he would call me and say, I have this wild idea and I guess I'm kind of the loose wheel

between the two of us and I would just put it on anything and everything just to see if it would stick. Okay. So, you know, no chemistry background for me, but you know, I was just kind of a trial and error guy. Yeah, yeah. And I put it on a, I had an old 40 year old shingle outside of my barn and I coated half of it.

And I just left it there for like two months and I didn't even tell him. And I came back to it and I just scratched on it with a knife. You know, you touch one side, the granules would come off. And when those come off, that's when your roof starts failing. And the side that I sealed, I couldn't get the,

that was ripping my fingernail off trying to get them off. And this is on a 40 year old jingle. Wow. So here we are. It's like the accidental success, right? Started working to perfect that and make it a viable product. We didn't see there wasn't one then. Yeah. Well, let's talk about that journey.

Cause I mean, entrepreneurship, you know, it's sometimes you fall into the next big idea, right. And then, but then there's a big gap to making it reality and selling it. Right. How's that journey been? It was tough to begin with. When we started doing it, no one really heard of that idea and, and, and thought it was kind of crazy, but we kept pushing it, kept doing it, no one really heard of that idea and thought it was kind of crazy.

But we kept pushing it, kept doing it, showing the results. People started seeing the benefits of it. It started picking up, picking up, and we eventually showcased it in Vegas in 2019, I believe, at the International Builder Show. It created a lot of buzz. And subsequently, we'd already been able to ship through big box stores prior to that, but then introduced that into the big box stores and it's just kind of exploded since then. And how was it getting going with the big box stores?

Like was that when you finally got on there? Were you like, this is a big moment for us? Yeah, that was a big moment for us because it's a lot of exposure and a lot of people would love to have that. And it's a great tool. So if someone's listening, they have a product and they're selling online direct to consumer

and that's most of the audience, most of the entrepreneurs, they just best they maybe get it on Amazon, right? They sell on the website, get it on Amazon, right? Their products. How did you go about like you know even just the mindset of looking differently, looking like hey I can do wholesale, I can do big box stores, right? What would you advise someone looking at that expansion? Well I mean just try to, for us, that was the really the only place that we thought a concrete sealer should be. Yeah.

Or a roof sealer. That's a, is that a hardware stores and that's where we targeted. Um, at the time Amazon really wasn't. They weren't a construction. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And, uh, so we just persisted on it and eventually met all the requirements for that they

needed. So we were able to get in. So great. And what's next for you guys long term next few years, five years, 10 years, what's the vision? Well, we're instead of being a provider for a home for the big bucks suppliers, we're, instead of being a provider for a home, for the big bucks suppliers, we've expanded the product line, trying to work with individual contractors, develop, you know, give opportunities for other roofers, contractors to bring money and add it to their portfolio. It's a great way for them to add money to their. Yeah. Easy upsell. money. Yeah. And add it to their portfolio. It's a great way for them to add money to their portfolio.

Yeah, easy upsell. You can actually help people with this product. It saves people a lot of money. Well, roofs aren't cheap. Roofs are not cheap. Shingles are not cheap. But the crazy thing is, we probably didn't mention this, you can put this down, get your five years, depending on what shape your roof is, and then you can do it again. So you just kind of keep going.

Yeah. Yeah. Love that. That's absolutely time to replace it. Yeah. Or you sell the house. Yeah. Or you sell the house. Yeah. Love it. So let's talk about the entrepreneur journey outside of that. I always like to ask people on this podcast, it's not all sunshine and rainbows. So was there a time where you had a big failure or you doubted yourselves or you struggled that you remember and now you look back on? I think it happens every day. You know, you have to, if you're not getting it done, then

you just have to work harder. Yes. So you have to be able to balance the highs and the lows. Yeah. You know, for me, that's kind of the way I see it. You know, we screamed at each other twice a week, but you know, we always get it done. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Um, but yeah, it's, it's been rough.

You know, you have, we started early as friends right out of high school. We had no idea what we were going to do. And we just started scrambling for anything. We did whatever we want wallpaper for years. Lots of things. I mean, just did anything to make money. Yeah. Yeah. That's kind of how it's always been. I guess it's probably struggling along the way, but it was just life really. And so we didn't let it trouble us.

Well, people say that the only ship that doesn't sail is a partnership, right? But I think when you have a good buddy that you're doing, you've been doing it with forever and you have an understanding, like, you know, I'll have a bat, have a kids, so I'll have a rough day and not get any sleep one day. He's able to kind of pick up the slack. So, you know, if you have a partner, it's good to have somebody in business that can, you know, pick you up when you're-

Well, I was gonna ask that. How's the leadership dynamics with two of you? So, you both have to be leaders. Yeah. So he kind of handles the inside stuff and I handle the operations and deal with the manufacturer inside of everything. I handle everything else and we don't cross the line. So you guys divide and conquer.

Yeah. I mean, he does his thing. I do my thing. And you know, sometimes that switches, you you know if he's on vacation or something, but you know when you're just Getting going in the beginning there were no vacations. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah your vacation was making product You know we put we don't outsource a lot of stuff like we still put the stickers on all the bottles Package everything we do everything ourselves. It's completely made in the USA, in-house business. And that's kind of what we want to keep.

Yeah, yeah, and that's rare these days, right? So last couple of questions, I always like to ask people, you know, you've been doing business a long time, right? You've had ups and downs, you've got this product. Someone's starting out, what tips would you give them? You just have to believe in what you're doing. Believe in yourself. Believe in yourself and believe in what you're doing

and you're gonna make mistakes along the way. Just learn from that mistake, keep going. I know it sounds so typical, but it's the truth. Keep it simple and keep always have a goal to reach at the end of the day, every day, try to come up with something that you can complete. So might breaking it down daily goals. Yeah. That's that. Yeah.

Attainable goals. Daily goals are important. If you try to set a goal too far ahead with not having the steps in between it, you get lost. So just a realistic goals, a realistic daily, realistic get lost. So just a realistic goals. Yeah, realistic. Daily realistic achievable. Yeah, I think the goals people get so focused on the big ones and they don't do the small ones. And I'm always teaching it's the small everyday things

that equal the big ones. Yeah, well they get in their head, they're like, I'm gonna be a millionaire. There's a little bit you gotta do. You gotta lose some sleep before you get to that point. Yeah, I love that. My whole life, whatever I've done, anything always tackled the smaller things first you get to that point. Yeah, love that. My whole life, whatever I've done, anything,

I always tackle the smaller things first to get a few wins. It makes you get the momentum going. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Small things add up all the time, whether it's athletes, they train three, four hours a day, just train, train, train for one moment in a match, or a hundred meter sprint in Olympics every four years. Good, last question.

People, maybe they have a roof and they know how much roofs cost and they don't wanna replace it anytime soon. How do they find the product and learn more about the company? Go ahead. The best way to learn about the product and the company is to look us up on our website

or our Facebook or Instagram account. You can, you see the different product lines. You can find the product that fits what you need. And we have a good portfolio there to handle many different things that you have at your, at your house for protection, for beautification, for, all the way from the roof to your sidewalk and driveway. Love it.

And that's at vitalcoat.com. Vitalcoat.com. Guys, that's a wrap. Awesome duo story here, great partnership. Obviously getting amazing products going in big box retail. Hopefully took a few lessons, not only on the business side, but also the entrepreneurial journey side.

That's what this podcast is all about. As always, keep working hard and living the red life. I'll see you guys soon.