Sheldon Grizzle
co-founder of various companies
Sheldon is passionate about creating communities that apply entrepreneurial principles to all aspects of business and civic life. He has played an important role in Chattanooga's meteoric rise as an internationally recognized entrepreneurial community. He's had the opportunity to write for the Wall Street Journal as a "Startup Guru" and his work has been featured in media outlets including New York Times, Washington Post, CBS News, PBS News Hour, CNBC, Forbes, FastCompany, TechCrunch, Inc, Fox Sports, and NBC Sports.
Sheldon co-founded several companies across multiple industries, including Very, Chattanooga Football Club, Blank Slate Ventures, ReadyCart, CO.LAB, and GIGTANK. He currently serves on the boards of Chattanooga Football Club, CO.LAB, Tennessee Aquarium, and Chattanooga Visitors Bureau.
If you hang around Sheldon long enough, you’ll likely hear him rattle off one of his entrepreneurial and motivational mantras: "If at first you don't fail, you're not trying hard enough" and/or “Why not Chattanooga?”
He and his wife, Kelly, have three kids: Naomi (9), Micah (6), and Jude (3). They are members at Northshore Fellowship in Chattanooga. He loves coaching soccer and exploring the mountains around Chattanooga with his family on foot and bike and sometimes even underground.
I need to begin my post with a major disclaimer- I don’t have life figured out. I love my wife and my kids yet I sometimes fail to lead my home in the way I've been called. I am passionate about creating new products and services while creating community around them yet not everything I touch turns to gold. I love Jesus and still I find new ways to show how desperately I need him. I could go on but I’ll spare you.
If you are looking for guidance from entrepreneurs who have already figured some of these things out, I’m not your guy because that’s not my story. My story is more about the struggle and the joy in the seeking and growing.