Twenty Nine. / Contributor Twenty Three: Sam Nebel, Goodwipes
On Being Calm and Centered, Skill-Stacking, and the Wild West of Sparkling Water.
Hey, everybody. This week’s contributor, like the previous one with Julia Blanter, is with a colleague that I met relatively recently. He’s an incredible founder who’s makes products that will bring a smile on your face and have become so important especially during this pandemic.
This is a great edition if you’re having trouble staying present in these crazy times.
Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Sam Nebel.
Enjoy!
Sam Nebel is the co-founder of Goodwipes, a taboo-smashing, eco-friendly hygiene company empowering people to do more, feel good, and live clean. Prior to starting Goodwipes, Sam was a franchisee of Complete Nutrition, the fastest growing health and wellness franchise in the U.S. at the time. He also launched Party Degree, a nightlife agency bringing the biggest EDM DJ’s and hip-hop artists to colleges in the Southeast. He holds Bachelors’ in Finance and Entrepreneurship from Florida State University.
A fun fact: In junior & senior year of high school, I stumbled into ceramics class as a joke -- after all, I was class-clown. I eventually blossomed into a multi-award winning ceramic artist. Nowadays, I dabble in painting and drawing. I fantasize about returning to clay and molding 3D sculptures. There are only a few feelings that can compare to expressing the universe through your mind and hands.
(Editor’s Note: How can you mention this and not have any photos to share?? That’s incredible!)
What are you currently working on?
There’s a concept that I listened to on a podcast recently. A periscope, rather. The concept is about channeling your energy into who you want to become at that very moment.
The host referenced a trick he picked up from a Mel Gibson interview. Mel said he will take a few deep breaths, and literally get into the mood of “the character.” The energy state of the character. The podcast host applied this to his real life. I tried it myself.
Would I like to be calm?
Could I be more “centered?”
I’m doing things that calm people might do: meditate, stretch, going on walks, yoga. I focus my attention on being calm. Being centered. Feeding my mind with the subject.
Not only do I feel more calm and centered - almost on command - but my energy has never felt better. I feel like my soul is on fire….In a good way, because “soul on fire” could be misinterpreted as someone who belongs in hell.
What are you currently excited about?
On my walk this morning I came up with a philanthropy I would like to start one day. In fact, I’ll share it with you all here because I would prefer that 5-100 people try to start iterations of this concept rather than waiting for me to do it. The main thesis of the program is to teach at-risk youth the concept of skill-stacking.
Skill-stacking is getting good enough at multiple skills and combining them together to create a super-power of a person.
Could each new skill they learn double their odds at success?
What’s a story or article that you're currently thinking about?
Two books I’m surfing at the moment are Tao te Ching by Lao Tzu, and Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn. I parlay my findings between the books off of each other, rather than compartmentalize them into learning this or that. This is something I’m trying for the first time.
What’s a product you’re currently obsessed with?
I’m going to refer to an entire space here: the water category.
Being in the consumer space for a few years now, I’m pretty much a junkie. Studying grocery shelves and gas station layouts. I’ve always had this bizarre affinity for gas stations and the convenience space. I’ll save that for another time. One day I want to write a book on the subject, or create a documentary about gas stations across the nation, who visits them, and why.
Back to water. Specifically, I am drawn to sparkling water as a sub-category. I love sub-categories like this because they feel like the wild, wild west. Colors. Brand. Flavors. Merchandising. Cans in the cooler - stacks on the floor - multiple points of purchase throughout the store.
I’m big on brands, so Ugly Drinks got my attention FAST. You could study every minutiae of their brand and be so impressed by what they’ve done. There’s a specific tao about them (can you tell that I’m basically Buddha at this point?)--- they aren’t trying overly hard, they just ARE. They exist. I DM the founder (Hugh Thomas) constantly because I’m a big fan…..an UGLY Stan!
I also love Montane Sparkling Water -- they are native to Atlanta. Delicious, crisp water and flavors that you can SMELL the difference. Spindrift too.
What if there were index funds for private co’s where you could invest in categories or sub-categories? (Editor’s Note: I can imagine some secondary funds would definitely be interested in building that.)
Wild Card: What’s an item you can’t shake your mind off of?
This crappy computer monitor that I’m writing this on.
~ 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.
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