Field Notes: Progress over Perfection ✏️

“Progress over perfection” is a statement that I’m ironically saying to myself a lot lately, even though I despised this phrase for the longest time, thanks to a particularly annoying boss of mine who used to say this phrase constantly.

Social Currency, the podcast, officially releases its FIRST episode on Tuesday, May 13th. You can listen and watch wherever you get your normal podcast episodes. I’ll be honest with you: I’m really nervous, exhausted, and have the first-day-of-school giddiness that makes my stomach twirl. As I’ve mentioned many times in this newsletter already- I’ve been working on this launch over the past six months and I’ve poured a lot into this (emotionally, economically, etc) and I am very ready to put this out into the world now. And although I am truly so proud of the work that’s gone into this (and I really think you will LOVE it), it’s still a bit nerve wracking since this is a brand new medium for me.

The first podcast episode is a conversation between Ty Haney and I. Ty represents so much to me; last year, my video covering the downfall of Outdoor Voices was the moment that everything clicked into place for me in terms of my content. I knew that this intersection of business and culture was what I wanted to double down on, and it forever changed the trajectory of my career. I’ll always be thankful to Ty and her story for this, and it felt really full-circle to have my first podcast episode with her.

Ty is also emblematic of many things: the DTC and ZIRP era, female founder girlboss-ification, and the power of visionary community-builders. I was even more impressed with Ty during the course of our conversation that I imagined I would be. We spoke openly about what happened during her time at Outdoor Voices, and even more compelling was how she spoke with such clarity and conviction about what she was building today (tyb, joggy) that I couldn’t help but feel like she has the power to really make just about anything happen.

I’m so excited to hear what you all think of the first episode (by the way, you can subscribe on Spotify here, the Apple Podcast link will be up on Monday). And I want to end with this: thank you for the support and enthusiasm for this next chapter that WE are taking (yes, I’m including you as my partner in this endeavor). If you’re reading this newsletter, please know that I’m so thankful to you for being on this journey with me. I’m already plotting out what the next chapter is for Social Currency Media and how we turn this into a much larger platform over the next few years… and that’s ultimately because of you.

The best is yet to come,

Sammi

Business, Economy & Culture🛍️📈💸

🥚 There’s a National Egg Crisis, and One Company is Making a Lot of Money Cal-Maine’s hens produce nearly one out of every five eggs that are sold in the US. As egg prices have tripled over the past 3 years, their share price has exploded. As you can likely imagine, people are furious at them (the TikToks are rampant). (wsj)

🎄How These Little Elves Turned Into a Global Sensation Pop Mart’s latest blind-box star, Labubus, is fueling a global frenzy—sparking sellouts, collector hype, and resale madness. The success of Pop Mart, the Chinese company behind the brand, seems to be somewhat recession-proof, with its stock and profits rallying despite global economic uncertainty and trade war concerns. I had no idea how big this company was- Pop Mart reported $1.8 billion in revenue in 2024 — a more than 100 percent increase from the previous year. (nyt)

📉 Is Duolingo the Face of An AI Jobs Crisis? Duolingo’s AI efficiency is cutting contractor roles—raising bigger questions about automation and creative work. As AI reshapes translation and content creation, Duolingo may be a glimpse of a broader tech disruption ahead. But also, when will companies realize that they need to stop bragging about AI cutting human jobs?! Even if this is happening and management is stoked about it, try your best to not turn it into a weird brag because people HATE that. (tech crunch)

💼 Want to Start a Business? Maybe Begin by Being a Gig Worker More gig workers are flipping side hustles into real businesses—using flexibility, tech, and grit to go from task-takers to company builders. (wsj)

🛍️ Zara Elevates Its Shopping Experience Zara is redesigning its flagship stores with sleeker layouts, tech integration and luxury-inspired aesthetics. The shift signals Inditex’s intent to blend fast fashion with premium sensibilities and boost brand perception. (wwd)

🎩 Black Dandyism Explained—From Its 18th-Century Roots to Modern-Day Expressions Black dandyism—a bold blend of elegance, resistance, and cultural pride—traces its roots to 18th-century colonialism and lives on through modern-day style icons. As the 2025 Met Gala embraces the theme of “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” dandyism takes center stage—celebrating fashion as defiance, artistry, and identity.(vogue)

🩴 The Controversial Rise of the $690 Flip Flop Luxury labels are charging nearly $700 for flip-flops—sparking debate over value, status, and absurdity. The trend shows how fashion’s “quiet luxury” moment is pushing even basics into high-price territory. (wsj)

💔 Kohl’s Fires CEO for Directing Millions to Romantic Partner Kohl’s ousts its CEO for funneling millions to a romantic partner—triggering backlash over yet again another case of work romances gone awry. (bof)

👠 Why a Youthquake is Roiling Europe's Fashion Houses Young creative directors are taking over heritage houses—and shaking up tradition in the process. As Gen Z shapes luxury, brands are torn between reinvention and legacy preservation. (wwd)

🍽️ Doordash Announces $1.2 Billion SevenRooms Deal, Misses Revenue Expectations DoorDash expands into restaurant tech with a $1.2B acquisition—even as it misses revenue targets. The deal aims to diversify revenue streams and deepen DoorDash’s footprint in hospitality solutions. (cnbc)

💍 How Ozempic Is Shaping Weddings From dress fittings to makeup artists, weight-loss drugs like Ozempic are quietly influencing the bridal industry. Vendors are navigating new norms around body image, timelines, and client expectations. (nyt)

🎙️Podcast Industry Is Twice as Large as Previously Estimated The podcast industry is now valued at twice earlier estimates—reflecting booming ad revenue and listener growth. Consolidation, creator deals and branded content are turning podcasts into a major media force. (bloomberg)

👟 A Consistent Market-Share Taker': How Skechers Became a Coveted Acquisition Target Even Amid a Global Trade War Skechers was bought for $9.4 billion by private equity firm 3G. (modern retail)  

🚿How Far Can Body Care Go? From “Buttface” cream to Megababe’s underarm serums, body care is breaking taboos—and scaling fast. Once overlooked, body-specific products are now booming thanks to wellness marketing, skin-grade formulas, and bold branding that’s redefining personal care. (bof)

Idea of the Week: Curation as a Leadership Superpower👁️

The concept of leadership, especially within organizations, is changing pretty rapidly. We’re now all capable of finding the answers to complex problems with a few clicks of our fingers. This new age of leadership depends on much more than understanding the answers to questions and having access to data (as this is being increasingly democratized); the new age of leadership is about curating the best insights, talent, and ideas.

Curation requires an ability to see trends amongst the data and information, and it requires of a point of view, a strategy, and a connection to the bigger picture. In a world where we are all consuming more data than ever before, the individuals who are able to see the trends and bigger picture beyond the data will be the most powerful players in business.

Venture Capital, Innovation & Entrepreneurship💰🌍💼

📞 Skype is Shutting Down — These Are The Best Alternatives Skype is officially shutting down. Once a pioneer in video calls, Skype now makes way for sleeker, more integrated tools like Zoom and Slack. (tech crunch)

Swedish Podcast Conglomerate PodX Acquires Lemonada Media for Around $30 Million Swedish podcast giant PodX just is acquiring Lemonada Media, the network behind podcasts like Confessions by Meghan Markle for $30M, expanding its global audio empire. The deal strengthens PodX’s U.S. footprint and signals growing consolidation in the podcast space. (bloomberg)

🎬 Netflix is Getting into Short Vidoes with a New Vertical Feed for Mobile Netflix is testing a TikTok-style vertical feed for short-form videos on a mobile app—snackable content is here to stay. (tech crunch)

💊 Wegovy Deal Makes Cofounder Of Hair Loss Pill Seller Hims A Billionaire A Wegovy supply deal just turned Hims & Hers cofounder Andrew Dudum into a billionaire. The partnership taps into the booming weight-loss drug market—boosting Hims’ stock and broadening its wellness reach.(forbes)

✈️ Rove, Founded By a 22-Year-Old, is Helping Gen Z Earn Airline Miles Without Credit Cards | 22-year-old founder's startup Rove lets Gen Z earn airline miles without a credit card. Loyalty meets innovation. (tech crunch)

Resources/Links 🌶️🧥

☕️ This gorgeous Cafe Leon Dore x La Marzocco espresso machine is on the top of my must-have list if I had a spare $11,000 to throw around

🖥️ These free lessons on becoming a super IC by leveraging AI

🖱️ This AI chatbot for helping parents and caregivers access and apply for state paid family leave benefits

 📜 "Lorem Ipsum" Is Everywhere — So What Does It Mean?

📉This Chart on Consumer Confidence Has Never Looked Like This in Its Entire History

🛒 ChatGPT Goes Shopping While DeepSeek Hires Product People

🎓 Best Scholarship Websites for Finding Financial Aid in 2025

🎯 The Small Actions That Become Your Legacy 

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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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