MAKE YOUR DAY

I love food. And martinis.

And I love creating really cool brands for my clients.

I decided to create my own line of products using my new “MAKE YOUR DAY” brand.

The first product? Happy Hot Sauce.

Why? Because so many hot sauce bros and brands want to “make you sweat” or “melt your face” for hours. That shit is silly.

My goal is to Make Your Day. Get a little heat. Get a little flavor.

Because, isn’t that what products should do? I am focused on making your day.

Here’s the label. Hit me up and you get a free bottle.


Lucano Ladder

Created by design lab Metaphys and Hasegawa Kogyo Co., the top manufacturer of ladders and scaffolding in Japan since 1956, this ladder has received dozens of design accolades.

They transformed an ordinary household item into a work of art. 

Constructed of both aluminum and steel, the ladder is durable without being heavy and is coated in a chip-resistant matte paint finish.

Each step is grooved for grip, and the ladder stands upright on its own.

Canoo

Canoo is an EV company purpose-built to deliver maximum vehicle interior space customizable to support a wide range of vehicle applications for businesses—particularly those focused on “last-mile” delivery solutions.

Clients include USPS, NASA, WalMart, and more.

I like it. Because why sell one EV at a time when you can sell an entire fleet at a time?

A Flying Car

Have you ever looked at something and thought, "Wow, that's genius."?

That's the magic of innovative design.

It's not just about making things look good (though that’s incredibly important); it’s about creating solutions that make life better, easier, and enjoyable.

Enter Archer. A flying car.

Archer is an evTOL which stands for electric vertical take-off and landing, and refers to a type of aircraft that can take off, land, and hover vertically using electric power.

Archer is making the dream of a flying car a reality, we’re excited about the future of this project.

Catch you later.

Logic + Emotion: Commercial Real Estate Edition

90% of all consumer purchase decisions are made based on emotion.

We’re all guilty of putting emotion before logic.

Think about it…

- The car you (or cars) drive was likely purchased based on emotion.
- The clothes you’re wearing right now… are the same.
- The art on your walls… same again.

It is why we have homes filled with memories of family, friends, furniture, fixtures, and more.

Simply put, emotion can tell a story logic can never tell.

When was the last time you bought anything based on a spreadsheet?

And when it comes to real estate, the same is truer than any other purchase. The home you grew up in, or bought, or currently live in, was likely based on a compelling emotion.

The challenge for real estate designers and developers is “how do we balance logic + emotion” when designing/developing a new project?

I’ve been learning how to balance logic + emotion within the real estate space daily for the past few years. 

I look forward to continuing our logic + emotion journey with Garden Park.

You can learn more about Garden Park here.

Nicole McLaughlin

Nicole developed a non-profit organization to help provide much-needed design resources to young people, connecting large companies – especially those with deadstock and overstock materials – to schools and universities in need. She is working towards leading a regular series of workshops with a continued focus on sustainability, and eventually, a summer program concentrating on education and skill-based growth. The curriculum will teach you that design is more than just drawing and making, but an understanding of 'how' and 'why' and what we can do to change the future.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2023-03-28/idea-generation-nicole-mclaughlin

Commercial Real Estate.

As a long-time entrepreneur, I’ve signed a half-dozen or so leases throughout my professional life. Every lease has a price per square foot and minimum 3 year term. One was actually a five year term. Two required a personal guarantee. All memorialized in an overwhelming and incredibly "over-legaled" lease document. 

That approach is not supportive to the small business community.

As a result, I can honestly say that I have a real disdain for the real estate industry.

Signing a long-term lease for property is an incredibly antiquated, anxiety-filled, relic of a process that puts all the control in the hands of the property owner.

Ask any small business owner and they’ll likely say the same about their experience with commercial real estate. It’s exactly what a small business startup doesn’t need.

The industry is ripe for disruption and although leaders like WeWork and Industrious are making some interesting moves for tech and creative startups, they unfortunately still don’t solve the problem of how we support storefront, retail startups.

I’d like to help solve this problem.