My Story

Before I built The GRID, I ran my own business — Phoenix Performance — and for a long time, I was doing everything myself.

Spread thin

I wasn't short on customers or orders. I was short on time. I was running my business across a pile of different systems that didn't talk to each other, doing the work myself, and trying to be the person who handled sales, marketing, fulfillment, and everything in between. There were stretches where I'd just stop — take a few days off from building the business entirely, not because I wanted to, but because I was too overwhelmed to keep moving.

The moment that actually changed things wasn't dramatic. I had good orders and good customers. But I looked at how I was spending my time — spread across too many disconnected tools, with none of it actually saving me time — and realized I had nothing left to give. Something had to change, or I was going to hit a ceiling I couldn't work my way past.

What I actually changed

I started consolidating instead of adding more tools. I automated the processes that were eating my time without needing me in the loop — from planning out next steps to following up with people I hadn't gotten back to. I used AI to help with the parts of the job that used to take hours: game-planning, follow-up, the repetitive stuff that doesn't need a human doing it manually every single time. I looked for ways to grow organically instead of just spending more, and I looked for ways to get more value out of the customers I already had instead of only chasing new ones.

It worked — but not right away, and not without real doubt along the way.

It wasn't a straight line

There were a lot of points where I considered walking away. We were spending money without making it back. Other vendors kept winning business we should have had. We'd put together an event and barely anyone would show up. I didn't know how to market what I was building, and it showed. None of that fixed itself overnight — I kept fighting, kept adjusting, and kept moving forward, one system at a time.

Where that got me

Phoenix Performance posted a net loss in 2024. In 2025, it brought in $25,000. As of today, with several months still left in 2026, it's already closing in on $200,000 for the year. That growth didn't come from working more hours — it came from fixing the same kinds of leaks The GRID now helps other businesses fix: too many disconnected systems, no automation, no consistent way to bring in visibility or reviews, and not enough time to do any of it well.

Why The GRID exists

I'm not running a call center or an offshore dev shop cold-emailing local businesses. I built this because I lived the exact problems we now fix for other people — missed opportunities from being spread too thin, visibility nobody could find, systems that didn't talk to each other, and a business that couldn't scale until I got out of my own way. If any of that sounds familiar, that's the point. That's who this is for.

— Tyler Strong, Founder