Fresh Idea #18

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Topgolf revolutionized golf by turning it into a social, tech-driven game for anyone. And they’ve made billions in annual revenue doing it. Surf Lakes is applying that same model to surfing, and investors can still join them until 10/30 at 11:59 PM PT.

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In many new developments, the builder installs basic wood fencing and leaves it bare. Within a year, the boards fade to dull gray, mildew shows up, and entire streets look tired. Most homeowners notice the eyesore but do not own a sprayer, do not want to mask a neighbor’s plants, and do not have a spare Saturday to smell stain.

Offer a block-based restaining service that restores color and seals the wood in a single visit. Focus on subdivisions that are three to six years old with mostly wood privacy fences. Arrive with two HOA-approved colors, handle a light wash, spot sand, then a clean spray and brush.

Prices are quoted by linear foot. Offer street run pricing when four or more adjacent homes schedule the same day. That lifts your margin because setup and masking time get shared. Add small upsells that feel helpful rather than pushy, such as new gate hardware, post caps, or an annual touch-up plan in spring.

Keep costs predictable with two approved colors bought in bulk, an airless sprayer or pump sprayers for tight spots, and a lightweight wash setup.

Gross margin ≈ $200–$270/lot; 3 adjacent lots/day = $600–$800/day.

Spend one hour driving through the nearby subdivisions and count fences that have gone gray. Jot street names and note corners and shared lot lines that make scheduling easy. That same afternoon, leave a simple flyer that shows a before and after photo, pricing, and a text number that replies with an instant quote form.

Message the HOA or property manager with a short note offering group rates using their approved colors. Over the next day or two, do free color swatches on a handful of panels and book a first street run of three to five homes.

🏡 Everyone loves a nice, clean-looking neighborhood. Be that person!

Co-founders Ismail Salhi and Johanna Hartzheim launched Wildgrain in 2020 after struggling to find clean-ingredient bread and pastry that tasted like a neighborhood bakery without the errand. Their answer was to shift the “fresh bake” to the customer’s oven: par-baked, flash-frozen loaves, pasta, and pastries that arrive on dry ice and finish at home in minutes. The model promised bakery-level texture and flavor with pantry-like convenience.

Instead of owning plants, Wildgrain assembled a partner network of independent bakeries. This allowed for a small team to serve a national customer base because freezing solved freshness, waste, and shipping damage.

Wildgrain generated $31 million in 2023 revenue and reached profitability three years after launch; sales grew significantly in 2024, according to Salhi. In early 2025 the company raised a $10 million Series A to widen its selection and pursue the mantle of “America’s online bakery,” including diet-inclusive lines.

Wildgrain now operates nationwide with a brand anchored in slow fermentation and short ingredient lists, while the “delivered frozen, served warm” promise remains the customer moment worth paying for.

💡 Pick a logistics constraint and make it the product. Wildgrain didn’t fight perishability; it froze it, then designed every choice—partners, SKUs, messaging—around that constraint.

Michael Scott’s Motivational Hustle is a high-energy keynote plus a weekly “feel-good” newsletter for companies that want morale without spreadsheets. Think humble-brag wisdom, accidental leadership lessons, office games, and quotable lines your HR team will side-eye and then secretly forward.

What companies get

Subject Line: Negotiation is just karaoke with spreadsheets.

Today’s story: I negotiated a discount by singing the price I wanted. The manager laughed and matched my number. Confidence has a melody.

This week’s challenge: Practice asking aloud three times before the call. Smile between reps.

Poster of the week: “Pitch with your face, not just your mouth.”

Calendar Power Moves: Meetings are just parties with agendas.

Whiteboard Psychology: Writing goals in 72-point font increases success by 5x.

👆🏻 This is fake, not real. Don’t sue us NBC.

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