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Hey Reader,

I'm sitting at a coffee shop in Phoenix––the first ever specialty shop here––reminiscing about the start of this spot.

Back in the day, it was about pretentious baristas and great coffee. They were the leading local roaster for years, and knew it.

Not only did they know it, but were kind of assholes about it.

The comments and reviews were always about the pretentious vibe and the stuck-up staff, but we all dealt with it. They could afford to be assholes.

And that thinking––that one can earn the right to be mean––is exactly what made space for a competitor.

A new shop focused on uncommon coffee popped up and flipped pretentious coffee culture on its head.

It made way for education and experiments, empowering their baristas to make extraordinary drinks they could tell their friends about and invite people to come try. They didn't just maintain a source of high-quality beans, they sought out new farms and explored small-batch partnerships. They shared their findings with followers who didn't just become raving fans, but all-out ambassadors.

And most importantly, all of this was done with a baseline kindness that, at first, upset the speciality coffee community. Because we're snobs, and how dare ye be nice.

But slowly, that culture began to shift in a positive direction by what felt like slow, brute force.

Today, that first shop is seeking investors to stay afloat. And while respected for the way it paved the way, it's rarely a first choice for specialty coffee drinkers.

That second shop? It's outperforming in every market category.

Because all things being equal, when given the choice, people will choose whoever empowers them, whoever is kind to them, whoever leans into sharing with them.

Let that be you.

BEHIND THE BUSINESS

My Morning Message, Daily Inspire, is Back.

A couple months ago, it felt like my wonderful internet friend, James, was reading my mind.

James, how did you know?!

I'm bringing back Daily Inspire, a tiny newsletter of daily encouragement and emotional wellbeing for entrepreneurs, doers and makers. It's for people who are intentional about what they read, and believe in the power of good words to start their day.

I'm only able to revive this project because I finally got over myself, hired support and built workflows to make execution easier.

The writing part is all me, but now the design, formatting, and optimization of the work is handed off into a custom skill I've built with Claude which lets me do what I do best: think and synthesize.

If you'd like to sponsor an evergreen issue, it's currently priced brilliantly.

LOOK MA, WE'RE ON TELEVISION!

One of my investments, Geared Up Youth, was recently featured in Arizona Family. Austin Walker is bringing essential life skills to underserved youth in a beautiful, accessible way. He's giving teens something to do this summer that pays dividends over their lifetime. Highly recommend checking it out if you've got a teen ages 13-20.

REPLY AND FILL IN THE GAPS (to influence future issues):

• I’m struggling to…
• I’m still trying to figure out…
• I’d love to see how people…

COFFEE THOUGHT Being easy to work with doesn't mean you need to be agreeable. It means people can trust you to tell the truth.

DAILY QUOTE "I realize compared to Creme Brulée, it's Jello. But Creme Brulée can never be Jello." –– Julia Roberts

SHARE THE LOVE Did you like today's newsletter? Forward it to a friend.

Happy weekend friends,

tanya moushi ("moo-shee") ​Say hello 👋🏽 on Instagram or Linkedin 🫱🏼‍🫲🏽

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