One.
On new beginnings, the "Space Economy," and smoking slippers.
Welcome to the inaugural entry of Le Cinq!
Let’s get the elephant in the room handled right off the bat: So, why another newsletter??
Throughout the various press pieces I’ve done and stories I’ve written over the years, I’ve been segmenting them into specific areas (the consumer world, venture capital, startups, private equity, mental health, etc.). These days, because a lot of topics and things I’m thinking about and working on intersect so many areas, I’ve decided to bring them all into a new writing project entitled Le Cinq (“The Five” in French).
I’ve been enjoying various friends using Substack as a platform for their newsletters, and after some playing around with it, I’ve decided to launch Le Cinq here!
Expect a combination of entries from myself and from colleagues and friends of mine across the startup, venture capital, tech, and corporate worlds. Please send me all feedback, both good and bad, and if you are interested in contributing an entry, send me an email at sumeetshahwork@gmail.com!
Finally, if you’re curious for some reason) you can find a little more about my background here and more things I’m reading here.
What are you currently working on?
I’m officially making my way back this year into the early-stage consumer venture world alongside a vaunted team that has started, built, scaled, invested in, and sold some of the most successful consumer startups and companies. Stay tuned on things but it’s been an exciting project to be building over the past few months.
What are you currently excited about?
The Space Economy. More and more “spaces” are existing across the personal and professional ecosystems. From Uber/Lyft/Via cars to Blade helicopters, from Breather work spaces to Airbnb rooms and houses, users of these various services are guaranteed a certain period of time where other brands can jockey for their undivided attention. You’re seeing brands do partnerships within the area, such as Uber partnering with Cargo to provide necessary and gift-worthy products for sale, or even amenity brands being provided within Airbnb spaces with opportunities to purchase later. It’s really where the world of hospitality is evolving next, but it all really becomes successful if the customer builds and maintains his/her own profile (likes, needs, payment options, etc.). Attraction to a product, using it, sharing it, and ultimately buying it needs to be as natural and unforced as possible.
What’s a story or article that you're currently thinking about?
In the latest season of David Letterman’s show “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction,” Tiffany Hadish has a powerful episode in which one of the topics she discusses is growing up in foster care. This part really struck a nerve with me:
Haddish described the feeling of moving to foster care as "the worst feeling in the world." At that young age, she resolved to do everything in her power to make sure kids don't feel like "garbage" during those confusing transitions. "You're dropped in these strangers' houses, you don't know these people, these people don't know you, you don't know if they're gonna hurt you, if they're gonna be kind, you don't have a clue what's going on."
She described having all of her belongings in a trash bag, which meant that her first suitcase was an important belonging. "I remember when I got my first suitcase, I felt like I was a traveler, like I had a purpose, like I'm a person, like I'm not garbage, I got this — it's mine, and my things are in here, and wherever I go I can take this with me and I'm going somewhere."
How on Earth is this happening?? These poor kids have no ultimate say on where or when they go, and the fact that they’re figuratively and literally thrown out with the trash is beyond disturbing to me. I’d love to see Tiffany partner with a bag company and a foster care organization to fix this.
What’s a product you’re currently obsessed with?
I’ve followed the footwear brand Soludos over the past few years (and even had the opportunity to invest in a round during the Brand Foundry days), and while they’ve slowly grown over time, they’re arguably one of the best footwear brands that make effortless-focused products for women and men. I’ve been wearing their Blue Camo Dalis a lot this summer, which provides a great dressed-up and dress-down style to outfits. With dozens of brands like Sabah, Singh & Sons, and Mohinder’s and stalwarts like Vans and Toms crowding the space, human-like touches matter, and Soludos is doing a pretty good job with loyal customer outreaches (to help choose new future products) and fun experiences in their stores.
(It’s also nice to have a pair of effortless slip-ons that basically go with everything.)
Wild Card: What’s an item you can’t shake your mind off of?
I’ve been obsessed by the stories of two chains: Trader Joe’s and Costco. They have very different business models, but both are laser-focused on providing the best products, best strategies, and best environments for their employees and customers.
On Trader Joe’s, I’ve been listening to their podcast, “Inside Trader Joe’s.” It’s a great window into how the business runs inside and out. (Bonus: They also have a killer YouTube channel!)
On Costco, I loved this story from The Hustle on its rise. (Also, The Hustle has been doing some great longform pieces including this one on the janitor behind the brilliant creation that is Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and this one on Shake Shack’s Innovation Kitchen. Immigrants, they get the job done, amirite?)
~ C O L O P H O N ~
Please send all feedback, both positive and negative, to sumeetshahwork@gmail.com as this project continues to evolve.
Interested in contributing an edition? Email me at sumeetshahwork@gmail.com!
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