Rugby, then marriage
He and Kabe met on the rugby pitch. They lost a lot of games and have won a lot more since.
About the founder
Cody Reynolds, PhD
Scientist, founder, mentor, podcast co-host, husband, and dad. Building financial structures he wishes he knew about before.
"Help the small business community thrive. Empower families with the knowledge and the tools to build their own financial sovereignty."
Cody's mission for Riffle Strategies
A professional evolution
Every chapter pointed here.
Riffle Strategies isn't a career change. It's where fourteen years of building companies was always heading.
- San Luis Obispo, CA
Raised on grit
Son of two physical therapists. Drum major, bassoonist, swimmer, and water polo player. He skipped his own high school graduation to perform at the Sydney Opera House.
- Pacific Northwest
Chemistry and rugby
Studied chemistry at a small liberal arts college, played rugby, and met Kabe on the rugby pitch.
- Clemson University
A doctorate, and a fresh start
Earned a PhD in Materials Science & Engineering. On the move east, every belonging the couple owned was stolen from the moving truck. They rebuilt from nothing and married a year later.
Lesson: things are only things. - First company
The startup that failed
He founded a company to bring his doctoral research, an antimicrobial technology, out of the lab. It didn't make it. The relationships he built did.
Lesson: failure is graduate school. - Licensing medical patents
Inside a 30,000-person health system
Ran technology transfer: patents, two incubators, and licensing deals with academic medical centers. He learned how good ideas get funded, and how they stall without structure.
- Startups & accelerators
Building other people's companies
Led business development for startups and mentored founders through regional programs. He kept meeting brilliant people with no financial plan underneath them.
Lesson: systems beat talent alone. - Today
Riffle Strategies
The practice he couldn't find: education first, philosophy before products, and a real seat at the table for business owners and families.
The roles he plays
More than one hat.
Founder
Riffle Strategies
Designs plans for business owners and families across the US from Greenville, SC.
Mentor
Founders and new professionals
Coaches entrepreneurs through regional programs and has helped judge South Carolina innovation awards.
Podcast co-host
Net Work
A free show spotlighting Upstate businesses and the people behind them, co-hosted with Michael Fishman.
Educator
Free monthly seminars
Teaches how money works in plain English, open to anyone who wants to learn. Details
Team builder
Growing a team
Developing new professionals who reflect the families and owners we serve. Join us
Husband & dad
Home base
Married to Kabe since 2009. Two young kids. Plenty of motivation to get this right.
Life outside the office
The person behind the plan.
Sydney Opera House
Bassoonist, drum major, and once a no-show at his own graduation, for a very good reason.
From the lab
A materials scientist who still thinks in load paths and margins of safety.
What he believes
Four lessons, earned the hard way.
01
Things are only things.
What matters is who you're with and what you build together.
02
Failure is graduate school.
Every setback taught something no degree could.
03
Money isn't that complicated.
Risk, taxes, and compounding can be explained to anyone. Clarity beats mystery.
04
Relationship first.
People decide with trust. Understanding follows, then the plan.
Start here
Talk with Cody.
Thirty minutes, one on one. Bring your questions.