✍️ So you’re a Substack blogger-founder-influencer?

Happy Trends Tuesday!

Personal update: I'm flying to Europe tomorrow. Time to get some of that Olympics glow. 

And to partake in a competitive sport myself: 

Swimming in the Seine 

Stuffing my face with a copious amount of Portuguese egg tarts.

In today's email…

• Why the key to solving senior housing isn’t a public coffee shop 
• The Substack founder-influencers want your attention
• What we’re surfin’, from hidden podcast gems to surgical ants

Let's dive in! 

💰 FUND YOUR STARTUP

Secure more cash by nailing the prep, pitch, and due diligence that impresses potential investors. Here’s the kit to help you do it right.

🚀 WHERE TO BUILD NEXT

The key to better senior living isn’t a public coffee shop. But there’s hope. 

We used to equate senior housing to shitty nursing homes with grumpy staff. 

Its image has since evolved into peaceful, near-lux facilities where older folks can relax, get quality care, and socialize with each other. 

Source: Yarn

Now large operators are spinning new tricks — like trying to connect seniors to the broader public, with the goal of fostering vibrant community life through intergenerational mingling. 

In urban neighborhoods, they’re building (and marketing) amenities that blend a senior living community with the public, such as: 

• Coffee shops
• Art galleries
• Theaters
• Community pools/event spaces

Sounds fun? Wait for the caveat. ✋

Quick context

If you feel like there’s something off about a public-facing coffee shop in an old folk’s home… 

That’s because it’s mainly a marketing stunt.

Assisted living facilities built in town centers, where a commercial coffee shop would survive, means that:

• The individual units are tiny and stacked on top of each other
• There’s little to no outdoor space
• The more in-need residents (older, under memory care, etc.) are bundled up with healthier 55+ folks, who do want to be closer to the action

Something for everyone… or is it?  Source: The Watermark at Bellevue

But hey, assisted living and memory care aren’t as lucrative and easy to market as a senior-oriented luxury apartment complex in the heart of a city. 

That’s also why these facilities are charging crazy fees and making it unaffordable for many families in need. 

“We're on the verge of an assisted living housing crisis,” said Kristin Kenzy, founder of Robyn Bridge Senior Living. “We need to add 100k+ units into US inventory by 2030 to accommodate the needs of aging Boomers, and that’s just not gonna happen.” 

So where’s the main solution/opportunity? 

Intergenerational housing, for starters. 

It can be an effective solution to two problems: the loneliness epidemic among seniors, and the housing affordability crisis for Gen Z. 

In the last 50 years, residents of these households have quadrupled. But it’s far from enough. 

Some projects in Canada and The Netherlands are trying to build shared living quarters for students and retirees. 

“We need to re-normalize intergenerational households, and provide products and services to ease US culture back into it,” Kristin said.

Some other opportunities: 

👉  Run events for community venues

A coffee shop where people stop on their way to work might not be the way to integrate different generations. 

But there’s still potential for the galleries, theaters, and other art & leisure venues built within these communities. 

You can start a company that specializes in senior entertainment, like hosting gallery exhibitions, bringing in theater productions, or even running your own take on The Posh Club (a London social club where seniors party, 1940s-style). 

Source: Common Wealth Theatre

Or, build an app for non-residents to book and use community resources, like pools, parks, and event spaces. Work with the site managers to ensure the public enlivens the seniors’ lives, not disturb them. 

👉  On-demand services onsite

There’s no shortage of services in these places, but white space still exists: 

• Companionship: Papa is a platform that connects lonely seniors with “grandkids on demand” or “pals,” who provide companionship and do simple favors. You can build a competitor that targets young people who live close to, or within, these communities. 

Besides, younger generations are drawn to “grandma” hobbies (or just wanna relax in a retirement community), so they might even pay to come hang out with lovely old folks. 

Keep reading for two other on-demand service ideas, and see whether the ~$113B senior housing market is right for you. 

👽 OUR LATEST OBSESSION

The founder-influencers are moving in on Substack

The best part of my job is being surrounded by content-obsessed folks. 

They’re pros at creating great content, but also at sniffing it out.

So when two of them, without coordination, point me to Substack, I pay attention. 👀

Source: Google Trends, six-month rolling average

Apparently, the self-publishing platform is enjoying a fresh boost in popularity — many entrepreneurs are seeing it as a better alternative to social media. 

“Substack is the new Instagram,” Free People’s director of brand marketing, Libby Strachan, told Glossy. 

What’s old is new again

Substack was founded to help content creators, writers, and journalists connect with their readers in a way that wasn’t possible in traditional media. 

They get to be their own publisher, and build up a loyal audience who’s willing to pay them directly for their work. 

Yup, creator economy 101 stuff.

But what’s interesting now is that a wave of D2C founders are rediscovering this platform as their personal branding outlet. 

Melanie Masarin of Ghia (that vintage chic non-alcoholic brand), for instance, has a Substack channel where she shares “founder musings” and other snippets of her life.

Source: Substack

It’s a more curated take on “building in public,” where founders get to connect with potential customers in a more intimate way.

They write like influencers — about what they wear, what they eat, where they travel to — and plug their products when the time is right. 

The writing’s clear: as social media and short videos divide consumer’s attention into a million different pieces, blogging is back in full swing to ensure you, and your brand by extension, get seen. 

Is it working? 

👍 Yes…

Creators own the audience they earn on Substack. These are real email lists (leads) that can be taken with them to any other platform. 

It’s also easier to monetize than social media, even with a way smaller subscriber base. 

Say you charge $50 per annual subscription, 2k fans will get you to 100k ARR. Not too shabby. (That’s <1% of this newsletter’s subscriber count… maybe I should get on Substack??). 

Jumping into Substack like… Source: GIFDB

And if folks fall under your influence, then they’re more likely to buy your products, too. This could work wonders for D2C brands in fashion, beauty, wellness, or food & bev — where people are more prone to follow the advice of a founder-influencer. 

👎 …And no

But where does your personal brand end, and your “brand” brand start? 

Keep reading to see why D2C investors aren't so thrilled about this trend, and other considerations before you jump into Substack stardom.

🗂️ OPEN TABS

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