ABOUT THIS PODCAST 🔗
Behind every brand is a story and First Shift is where those stories get told. Hosted by Graeme Bryks, First Shift digs into the real entrepreneurial journeys behind the brands you see in health, wellness, fitness, and hospitality. No highlight reels. No fluff. Just founders sharing how they actually built it, the first client, the first failure, the marketing moves that worked, and the ones that didn't. Every episode asks the same question: "Tell me about your first shift." From there, we go deep into the origin story that turned an idea into a brand.
Hosts:
Update frequency:
every 5 days
Average audio length:
35 minutes
Guest interviews
English
United States
31 episodes
since Dec. 21, 2025
episodic
LATEST EPISODE 🔗
In Episode 31 of The First Shift, host Graeme Bryks sits down with Dennis Gehman, founder of Gehman Design Remodeling. On this show, we talk a lot about the hustle of starting a business—but today, we’re talking about the finish line. In 1990, Dennis quit his day job as a construction supervisor to…
PREVIOUS EPISODES 🔗
On the newest episode of The First Shift, I sit down with Rommel Sulit, co-founder of Forge Craft Architecture and Design, to drop some massive truth bombs about the state of global construction, corporate culture, and architectural design.
As an immigrant from Manila who grew up in Chicago and tra…
In Episode 29 of Built on Blues, host Graeme Bryks sits down for his first-ever live, in-person podcast with Victoria-based personal trainer Tyler Hupka. Tyler is the founder of Hubs Fit, an online coaching business that he built from scratch. He opens up about his messy beginnings—transitioning fr…
In Episode 28 of The First Shift, host Graeme Bryks sits down with a truly exceptional local connection he made right at his co-working space in Victoria, BC. Janet "Jae" Cripps is a powerhouse entrepreneur and semi-retired sales executive who has done it all. From growing up in a tough, …
In Episode 27 of The First Shift, host Graeme Bryks sits down with Kristofer Potts, the founder of Norseman Construction and Development, one of Toronto's premier custom home and renovation firms. Taking a raw, "How I Built This" approach, Kristofer strips away the polished veneer of his current su…
How do you go from drowning in debt and owing the CRA to winning national home building awards? You embrace the quicksand.
Babak Nikraftar, founder of Forte Projects, builds some of the most stunning custom homes in Vancouver. But the trophies and Georgie Awards hide a gritty beginning. Babak opens…
In Episode 25 of Built on Blues, host Graeme Bryks sits down with Adam Schaffer, a man who took the ultimate war path to entrepreneurial success. Adam started as a humble sales rep in Saskatchewan with nothing but seven color samples, no brochures, and an unwavering belief in a revolutionary buildi…
In Episode 24 of Built on Blues, host Graeme Bryks sits down with Daniel LeSieur, a man who traded the high-stakes world of Fortune 1 logistics for the deeply personal business of custom home building. After a 20-year career at Walmart—managing billion-dollar supply chains and building the Walmart …
In Episode 23 of Built on Blues, host Graeme Bryks sits down with Carl Nelson, founder of Visual PNW. Carl’s journey in construction started at age 14, physically framing houses with his father and grandfather. After a stint in the Army and a decade in residential design, Carl transitioned into the…
In this episode of Built on Blues, host Graeme Bryks sits down with Keegan Burke, the VP and COO of Ground Floor Industries (GFI Inc.). Keegan didn't start his career in the corner office; he earned his respect in the trenches, digging foundations and working 14-hour days in the grueling waterproof…
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Graeme Bryks, which is the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Listen Notes, Inc.
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