Episode #39 | Wes King — Entrepreneurship, Building Tahoe Trail Bar, & Recovery

In Episode 39 of Fourth Street Live, Jacob sits down with Wes King, founder of Tahoe Trail Bar, to unpack what it really takes to build a business from nothing — while staying sober, grounded, and purpose-driven.

Wes shares the raw origin story of Tahoe Trail Bar, which started in 2010 out of a small coffee shop kitchen with no business plan, no roadmap, and no safety net. What began as mixing ingredients by hand evolved into a nationally distributed consumer packaged goods brand found in Whole Foods, Raley’s, outdoor retailers, and e-commerce platforms across the country.

This episode dives deep into entrepreneurship from the trenches:

• ​Self-distribution out of the back of a Subaru
• ​Scaling from hundreds of bars to 50,000-unit production runs
• ​Learning cost of goods, margins, and cash flow the hard way
• ​Taking massive risks before knowing the outcome
• ​The reality of burnout, nervous breakdowns, and rebuilding

Wes also opens up about recovery, getting sober, and why people who’ve walked through addiction often become strong entrepreneurs — high pain tolerance, courage, authenticity, and the ability to keep going when others quit.

The conversation connects recovery principles directly to business: trusting the process, staying consistent, building real relationships, and focusing on action instead of outcomes. It’s an honest look at ownership, discipline, identity, and the long game.

This episode isn’t about hype — it’s about doing the work.

Full episode out now.

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DISCLAIMER: The views, opinions, and statements expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Fourth Street Live, its hosts, producers, or sponsors.

Fourth Street Live is hosted by Jacob Green, a Reno-based author, musician, biker, and storyteller, bringing raw conversations about recovery, motorcycles, and local culture.