Field Notes: Community as a Value Proposition✏️

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about community. How to build community, why community matters, and the best types of communication to support strong communities.

I’m thinking a lot about this for some obvious reasons. Social Currency, the podcast, is launching on May 13th. I’m beyond excited about this, and I’m thinking about how to best build a community around the podcast that also feeds into the existing community that I’ve built through my social media content and this newsletter. Community means so much more than the number of followers you have, and is so much more valuable than a high follower count. I believe the definition of community (in a social media context) is the group of people who care enough about your content/product/service to the point where they actively engage. This group goes beyond witnessing the content from the sidelines, since the community members are engaging with the content and are interested in pushing the engine forward.

What's particularly fascinating to me is how community building has transformed from a marketing tactic into a fundamental business model. Companies that place community at their core are discovering untapped sources of innovation, more resilient customer relationships, and powerful network effects that traditional advertising simply cannot replicate. In an age where attention is fragmented and trust is scarce, cultivating community isn't just good practice—it's increasingly becoming the primary differentiator between brands that capture fleeting interest and those that inspire lasting devotion.

I’m really excited to take you all along for the community building ride. I’ve started to cultivate this community through my “close friends” group on Instagram (DM me on IG if you’d like to be a part of it), and this is where I go to bounce ideas off the community and share the most vulnerable parts of building this platform. In my opinion, my community is THE most valuable part of what I’ve built, and my mindset is that this community ultimately powers everything else that I do. Thank you for being a part of this community, the best is yet to come. -Sammi

Business, Economy & Culture🛍️📈💸

🏀 They’re on the Varsity Influencer Team Division I athletes at UNC are being coached both on and off the court. The coaching off the court is not about the sport itself; it’s about how to turn the young athletes into social media stars. (nyt)

🌮 Chipotle Is Opening Up in Mexico in First Foray into Latin America Chipotle is set to open its first restaurant in Mexico by early 2026, marking its debut in Latin America by partnering with Alsea, a prominent restaurant operator. Will the Mexicans turn to this American Chain for the “real thing?” (bloomberg)

🖥️ Another Gates Gets Wired In Phoebe Gates, daughter of Bill & Melinda, branches off on her own to start Phia, a startup that is described as Google Flights meets TheRealReal that allows you to price compare across sites as you’re shopping. (nyt)

🪴Inside Home Depot’s $20 Billion Secret Garden Home Depot’s garden biz now rakes in $20B a year—outpacing appliances and paint—by growing resilient plants and turning newbies into loyal green thumbs 🌱 (wsj)

🛍️ Etsy Launches AI-powered Discovery Experience, Unveiling Six Emerging Trends Etsy launched an AI-powered discovery feature and a new spring/summer trend report to spotlight unique creations from its seller and shopper communities. (wwd)

🚀 Who Will Host the First Fashion Show in Space? Blue Origin's recent spaceflight featured an all-female crew donning custom-designed uniforms by the fashion brand Monse, highlighting the intersection of fashion and space exploration. This event sparks discussions on the future of fashion beyond Earth. (vogue business)

🥩Americans Are Obsessed With Protein and It’s Driving Nutrition Experts Nuts From protein-infused ice cream to cereal and even water, brands are loading up on protein to meet surging demand. But nutrition experts are sounding the alarm—saying this obsession often shifts focus from balanced diets to trendy labels. (wsj)

🎓Yale Will Teach a Course on Bad Bunny’s Cultural Impact Yale is launching a course on Bad Bunny’s cultural and political impact this fall, exploring identity, migration, and Puerto Rican music through his latest album. 🇵🇷🎶 (nyt)

🤝 American Eagle Debuts a New Affiliate Program As it Looks to 'The Next Phase' in Social Shopping American Eagle has introduced the "Live Your Life" affiliate program, enabling influencers and fans to create personalized storefronts. This initiative aims to deepen customer engagement and expand the brand's presence in social shopping. (glossy)

🏭 Chobani Plans to Invest Over $1 Billion in New N.Y. Factory Chobani plans to invest over $1 billion in constructing a new manufacturing facility in New York, aiming to increase production capacity and meet the growing demand for its dairy products. (nyt) 

💄 Bobbi Brown Created a Beauty Juggernaut. Then She Made Another One Bobbi Brown skipped flashy trends, launched lipstick from her kitchen with $10K, and sold her brand to Estée Lauder for $74.5M. She bounced back with Jones Road, now a $155M+ brand and she's having more fun than ever! (wsj) 

👠What Happened to the High Heel? High heel sales have dropped by 12% in 2024 as consumers increasingly favor comfort, leading to a rise in popularity for flats and other more practical and functional footwear options. (bof)

👕 A Simple Slogan Creates a Shirt and a Sensation Designer Conner Ives' "Protect the Dolls" T-shirt, advocating for transgender rights, has become a viral sensation, worn by celebrities and sparking widespread conversation about fashion's role in social activism. (nyt)

🏠 Airbnb Will Now Show Total Prices by Default Airbnb will now show total prices upfront, including fees and taxes, to boost transparency and affordability. This shift comes ahead of new U.S. regulations banning hidden "junk fees." (cnn)

📨 What Brands Should Know Before Jumping Into Substack Brands like Rare Beauty are exploring Substack as a platform to connect directly with audiences through newsletters, though they are advised to approach this channel thoughtfully to maintain authenticity. (modern retail)

🌿 Does Your Plant Need a Nanny? A new service trend offers "plant nannies-" to care for houseplants while owners are away, reflecting the increasing value people place on their green companions and the desire to maintain plant health during absences. (nyt)

Concept of the Week: The Popcorn Principle 🍿

Despite being exposed to the same heat and oil, not every kernel pops at the same time- and neither do people. The Popcorn Principle is a leadership mindset reminding us that growth happens at different paces. Just like popcorn in a pan, every team member and leader develops in their own time, even under the same conditions.

💡 Great leaders nurture individual growth journeys instead of rushing uniform results.
🧭 Growth isn’t one-size-fits-all. Embrace your own pace and pop when you're ready.

Venture Capital, Innovation & Entrepreneurship💰🌍💼

🧠 Musk’s Neuralink Eyes Fundraise at $8.5 Billion Valuation Elon Musk's Neuralink is seeking to raise approximately $500 million, aiming for a pre-money valuation of $8.5 billion. The brain-implant company has initiated preliminary discussions with potential investors, though terms are not yet finalized. (bloomberg)

🍓 Inside the $1 Billion Berry Startup Backed by Ray Dalio’s Family Office A berry-focused startup Fruitist, has reached a valuation of $1 billion. The company aims to revolutionize the berry industry through innovative agricultural practices and technology integration and positioning its berries as “snackable.” (cnbc) 

🏘️ Report: Adam Neumann’s Flow raises $100M+, More Than Doubles Valuation to $2.5B Former WeWork CEO Adam Neumann has secured over $100 million for his proptech startup, Flow, in a funding round that more than doubles the company's valuation to approximately $2.5 billion. (tech crunch)

🎙️ Andreessen Horowitz Names Erik Torenberg General Partner, Acquires His Podcast Startup, Turpentine Venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz has acquired the tech podcast network Turpentine and named its founder, Erik Torenberg, as the firm's newest general partner, enhancing its media and content strategy. (pitchbook)

💼 OpenAI Wants to Go For-Profit. Experts Say Regulators Should Step In OpenAI’s move to become a for-profit is drawing heat, as experts urge state regulators to block it, warning it strays from its founding promise: building AI for public good—not private gain. (time)

Resources/Links 🌶️🧥

🧠 Why Emotional Connection Drives Successful Products: (Google, Spotify, Microsoft) Nesrine Changuel, a product leader with experience at Google, Spotify, and Microsoft, emphasizes that products fostering emotional connections—like delight and trust—see higher user loyalty and engagement. ​

 🚀 UX Is Failing Neo Businesses Traditional UX is too slow for fast-moving, tech-native businesses. Neo brands need real-time, outcome-driven experiences to keep up.

🎉 YouTube Turns 20: From ‘Lazy Sunday’ to ‘Hot Ones’ Celebrating its 20th anniversary, YouTube has evolved from hosting viral videos like "Lazy Sunday" to becoming a dominant platform featuring diverse content, including popular series like "Hot Ones." (nyt)

☕ How Morning Brew ‘Owns’ An Emoji Morning Brew effectively "owns" the coffee cup emoji (☕), using it consistently across communications to reinforce brand identity and enhance recognition among its audience.

📺 Can Netflix Become a Trillion-Dollar Company? (puck podcast)

📈The Betterment Metric

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P.S. - If you see any typos in this newsletter, know that I did it on purpose just like The New Yorker does via their style guide.

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