David Elmore

I built a buiness with an idea and bucket of rocks.

I'm 42 now, but growing up, I was a rebel. I got locked up young and was on my own since I was 14, bouncing around in the system. When I got out at 18, I started working entry-level jobs — one of them was at a print shop as a helper. But even then, I was still getting into trouble.

In 2005, during one of those wild phases, I got shot. That moment changed everything. I knew I had to shift my mindset, especially with a kid on the way.

I started an online business out of my friend’s garage that same year. It was wild — I taught myself Google marketing, built a website, and even changed my voice on the phone to sound like a “shipping department” when customers called. I was screen printing corrugated plastic signs and shipping them nationwide.

Things were growing fast, but I made mistakes. I hired friends, partied too much, and spent money like I was rich. Orders fell behind, and it eventually collapsed. I had to shut it all down.

But I didn’t stop. I pivoted and got into the granite business with my old sales guy from the sign days — the one who stuck with me even after the fallout. We started a countertop business together, and we’re still running it to this day.

I still remember having to borrow his credit card to order supplies so we could finish jobs and make money. Our very first customer came from nothing but a website, some business cards, and a bucket of granite samples. He went in and closed the deal for $1,200 without a showroom or even a real business voice. The rest is history.

That success gave me the freedom to chase other ideas. I started a vehicle wrapping and sign business next door — probably because I still missed the printing hustle. I've always loved technology and the power of creating something from nothing.

Everything I've built started as just an idea — with no formal education, no business background — just grit, hustle, and a team of guys crazy enough to believe in the vision and start something in a garage, pretending we were already a big company.

“Nerdy Tag is the future of personal branding and smart identity. It’s a physical tag—like our signature pig-head keychain—embedded with NFC technology, that lets anyone instantly share their digital world with a single tap. But here’s the kicker: it’s powered by our free mobile app on iOS and Android, giving users full control to update, customize, and share whatever they want—on the fly. It’s networking reimagined. It’s contactless. It’s viral. And it’s just getting started.”