Chad Wade’s Journey from the Streets to Business Success

By Robert White, Editor-In-Chief

Chad Wade is not your typical entrepreneur. His journey from small-town Kentucky to becoming a successful business owner and author is anything but conventional. As the CEO of UNS Wholesale, one of the leading wholesale distributors for smoke shop owners in the U.S., and the owner of three retail smoke shops in Louisville, Wade has built an empire from the ground up. But his path to success was shaped by lessons learned not in a classroom, but in the real world—a journey he shares in his book Street Smart: How to Start a Million Dollar Business and Run it Like a Weed Empire.

Growing up in a lower-middle-class household, Wade quickly understood the value of hard work. “We had everything we needed, but it never seemed like enough,” he recalls. His life took a defining turn when his father’s business went bankrupt, an event that left a lasting impression. “I remember exactly what my parents were wearing when they told me. I told myself that day—I swear this will never happen to me.” That promise became the driving force behind his relentless pursuit of financial independence.

Before he became a legitimate business mogul, Wade was deeply involved in an underground industry—selling marijuana at a scale most wouldn’t believe. “At my height, I was moving about 3,500 pounds a week,” he admits. But the success was short-lived. He was eventually caught and sentenced to federal prison, a turning point in his life that would ultimately redefine his future.

Unlike the chaotic and violent depictions of prison life in movies, Wade’s experience was different. It became an unexpected classroom where he met some of the most brilliant financial minds—people convicted of white-collar crimes who had built empires of their own. “I wasn’t learning crime; I was learning money. Stocks, real estate, logistics—these guys were teaching me things I could never have learned anywhere else,” Wade explains. When he was released, he was determined never to return, using the knowledge he gained to build a legal business from the ground up.

Wade’s entry into the legitimate business world began with retail smoke shops, which he scaled to six locations. But the real game-changer came when he tapped into wholesale distribution. What started as selling overstock in Facebook groups quickly turned into a full-fledged business. “We didn’t even have a website at first. We were just posting in groups and moving product. Next thing you know, it felt like we had another store running 24/7.” Eventually, he expanded into a 25,000-square-foot facility, manufacturing his own detox product line and dominating an industry that had once been on the fringes of legality.

His book Street Smart is a testament to everything he learned along the way. It breaks down the principles of running a successful business by using the same strategies that built his underground empire—understanding markets, knowing your customers, and creating a system that keeps people coming back. “It’s really a product-based book,” Wade says. “Whether you’re selling TVs, cars, or clothing, the fundamentals remain the same.”

One of his core philosophies in business is taking care of people. “Employees need to feel valued. A paycheck isn’t enough. A kind word, some food—it goes a long way,” he explains. He also emphasizes the importance of customer connection. “People buy from people they like. You have to greet every customer, know their buying habits, and really listen to what they want.”

Today, in addition to running his businesses, Wade offers coaching, masterclasses, and one-on-one mentorship to aspiring entrepreneurs. “People were reaching out, asking for help. So I developed coaching programs, just like the mentorship I got in prison. If someone needs guidance, I’ll even fly out and work with them personally.”

For Wade, success is about more than just making money—it’s about breaking cycles, proving that transformation is possible, and sharing the knowledge that helped him turn his life around. “The guys I learned from in prison told me, ‘Never come back.’ I made that promise, and I’ve kept it to the letter.”

Chad Wade’s story is proof that with the right mindset, street smarts can take you just as far—if not further—than traditional education. His book Street Smart is a must-read for anyone looking to turn their hustle into a thriving business. For more on his story, coaching programs, or to grab a copy of his book, visit ChadWadeTV.com.