Our Story
At High Tide, we believe business should still feel personal.
In a world where human connection is becoming increasingly rare, our goal is to bring it back. Humans are designed to connect, work together, and help one another. We believe that should extend into business as well.
High Tide was created with a simple idea: business owners deserve more than a payment processor; they deserve a relationship.
We help local businesses navigate payment processing with solutions designed around their needs, and we offer what larger companies often lack: a direct relationship with a real person.
When you work with High Tide, you have someone you can reach when you have a question, need help with your payment system, or simply want to know you're getting the right solution for your business.
Our goal isn't just to process payments. It's to build relationships, support local businesses, and help the people behind them succeed.
High Tide — Better Payments. Personal Service. Real Connection.
MISSION
Empowering businesses with transparent payment solutions, exceptional service, and innovative technology. We deliver outstanding value, simplify complex operations, and provide the infrastructure necessary for sustainable, long-term growth.
VISION
To become the most trusted merchant services partner by setting the industry standard for integrity, innovation, and customer success. We strive to lead every relationship with honesty and humility.
Meet the Founder
Hi, I’m Chris.
I was born in Switzerland and moved to California in 2010. I grew up in Poway and have considered this community home ever since.
Baseball was a huge part of my life growing up and allowed me to play for five years at the college level. I spent three and a half years playing at Eckerd College in Florida, where I earned my bachelor’s degree in Marketing and International Business, before spending another year and a half at Wheeling University in West Virginia, where I completed my MBA.
Playing college baseball taught me a lot about discipline, consistency, teamwork, and showing up every day ready to put in the work. Additionally, my Christian faith has also played an important role in shaping who I am and the values I try to live by: integrity, humility, treating people well, and doing things the right way even when no one is watching.
Having grown up in Poway, I've also developed a real appreciation for local businesses and the people behind them. They're the restaurants, shops, contractors, and family-owned companies you see throughout San Diego every day, and I believe they're a big part of what makes a community feel like home.
That appreciation, along with my interest in business and entrepreneurship, ultimately led me to start High Tide Business Solutions. It gave me the opportunity to build something of my own while staying connected to the place I grew up and working alongside other business owners who are building something of their own too.
San Diego has been home for most of my life, and I’m proud to be building High Tide here while getting to know and working with local business owners throughout the communities that make San Diego home.
— Chris Sauer
Let’s Work Together
Have a project in mind or a question to explore? Send us a quick note, and we’ll happily map out the next steps—easy, supportive, and tailored to you.