D&D's Updates and Dumb Luck
This week, Nathan Graber-Lipperman sheds his normal newsletter format for an update on what we're doing and a throwback to writing of yesteryear
Every week features new newsletters from Nathan Graber-Lipperman examining media, business, and pop culture through a Gen Z lens, as well as telling stories from his personal entrepreneurial journey. You can read his last letter here, as well as follow along with our work on Instagram and Twitter.
Hey all!
Two weeks ago, I promised loud and clear that this newsletter would proceed to come out every Tuesday night at 8 p.m. CT…and then I proceeded to send the next one out at 9:30 p.m., and skip out last night.
There’s a slew of reasons for the inconsistency. For starters, along with a full-time internship with an awesome startup called Sifter right now, I’ve also been hard at work making, marketing, and selling the D&D’s x Unplugg’d collab for the last several weeks. On Sunday — the day when I normally put these essays together — I opted instead to clean my room, which had become piled with boxes from all the materials I was using to screen-print our products.
The trade-off was a necessary one — in the past, I’ve often prioritized working more over things like taking time for organization and clarity. Which, well, brings me to my next explanation: the topic of this week’s newsletter was a heavy one that dealt with a conversation on mental health as it relates to the idea of productivity. It was a twist of cruel irony, the fact that I didn’t have to time to finish something the way I wanted to because I was actually taking time for my mental health.
In the end, you can expect that topic and more for next week. For now, I’m writing this to provide an update on our D&D’s project, as we’ve sold about 33% of our inventory so far and are still going! If you are interested in buying some, what are you waiting for?
Along with the hoodie, longsleeve, and mask available to purchase on our website, we’ve also teamed up with the shop to sell a special sandwich called “The Unplugg’d”. So far, here are some reviews I’ve received on the honey-mustard-clad club:
“NGL solid sandwich!!!!!! So yummy 😋”
“it was so tasty”
“the shirt/hoodie is dope as is the sammy”
“The NGL sando > The Travis Scott meal”
The critics have spoken. Cactus Jack ain’t got nothin’ on Stormy and Co.
We’ll be back in the store selling products from the collab this evening until the deli counter closes at 7:30, as well as on Friday. We’ll have free stickers both days for anyone who purchases a sandwich, too.
Finally, even if you’re not planning on buying anything from us, stop by and say hi! And if you’re not in Evanston — or have never stepped foot in this place D&D’s I keep writing about — you can still celebrate the spirit behind the story by shopping at small businesses near you and writing positive reviews online.
Past that, I wanted to reformat an essay from this time last year, as there’s a lot of new faces around here and I wholeheartedly still believe in the message behind it, particularly after the success of our current collaboration. Here’s to all of the dumb luck we stumble into from time to time.
Creating Your Own Luck: The Whole Foods Story
In the past, I’ve written about how grateful I am for the opportunity to work with Jeremy Larkin, Jake Saunders, and Jared Thomas on 'Whistles,' an inside look at the student-athlete lifestyle. These guys have been putting in serious work, and in turn, they've created a thoroughly entertaining and thoughtful show.
Yes, this whole idea fell into my lap, but when you really explore the stories of some of the most prominent entrepreneurs, time and time again, there's a specific, defining moment or decision that defies all logic and ends up being the difference between succeeding and failing. Personally, I point to the story of John Mackey, the creator of Whole Foods, who went on 'How I Built This' three years ago.
Mackey touched on his company's turbulent time during the late '70s, when he was running a vegetarian natural foods store in Austin called SaferWay (and living in it, too). With a slew of interested investors hesitant to pull the trigger — losing half of his money the first year certainly didn't help — he was running out of options.
One day, though, at his local pickup basketball game, Mackey noticed a fellow regular named Jay drive off in a BMW. Turns out that Jay, a 26-year-old at the time, had inherited a nest egg in the millions and didn't work...but he was looking into investing, and had started shopping more often at SaferWay due to his own "food consciousness awakening." After Jay wrote a $50k check, Mackey's board decided to invest more, and the rest is history.
To sum, two things. One: if you're not listening to 'How I Built This,' you owe it to yourself to go check out NPR's podcast on "innovators, entrepreneurs, idealists, and the stories behind the movements they built."
And two: wherever life takes you, whatever venture you pursue...none of it is easy. No one can ever truly comprehend the grind, the lump sum of passion you pour into your endeavors.
But every once in a while, take a step back and look at everything you've done, everything you've created. And when the time comes, all you can do is prepare for that next life-changing moment.
Oh, and one more thing if you’ve made it this far: Whistles SZN2 is dropping soon 👀.
Thanks for reading this edition of ‘The G-L Review.’ If you liked it, consider sharing it with a friend or supporting us here. If you want to keep the conversation going, send me a reply at ngl@powderbluemedia.com and remember to follow on Twitter and Instagram!