Calm tech, customer loyalty and mushroom speakers

Why you should build your business around how you want to spend your time. Friday 14th April 2023 [View in browser]( / [Sign up]( Even in categories that seem to have hit a peak – mushrooms, rug tufting, non-alcoholic drinks – there's always room to get creative. Plus, some unique ways to keep customers coming back. 📝 🥭 Nikita Dawar has always [built her businesses]( around how she likes to spend her time – a mission that led her to launch a ceramics retreat on a mango farm in Andhra Pradesh, India. But her evolution isn't over. Now she's looking to put more classes online so she can travel and work on her own pieces. ‘I'd maybe like to run residencies around the world, but I'm content with what I've got now. I've got freedom,’ she told us. Sounds good. TRY IT. Is your business no longer serving you? No need to throw in the towel – it might just be time to mix up the model. Here are [four alternatives]( to expand your reach. 🏔️ [Quiet Mountain Cafe]( isn't a cafe – yet. It's a community focused on coffee (and the [occasional product]( ‘based on the feeling you get from being outdoors.’ 🍹 Hamburg-based brand [Friekopf]( has formulated its non-alcoholic drinks to taste just like spirits (only without the ensuing hangover). 🐈 Even though interest in cat adoption [is outpacing]( dog adoption, the feline fresh-food market has been quieter. [Smalls]( is out to change that. Keep an eye on [KatKin]( too. 🌿 [Plantd]( cultivates the fastest growing grasses on earth and then transforms the crops into durable building materials. 👃 Remember a few weeks ago when we talked about cool brands making over uncool basics? [Stickys]( makes breathing strips – sticky strips that open your nasal passages – that people might actually wear in public. 🍃 Canadian company [Superette]( was early to realize that better-designed dispensaries could open cannabis up to new audiences: ‘Instead of neutral-toned sterile spaces with everything locked under glass, we wanted a playful approach and a bold aesthetic,’ co-founder Mimi Lam [told us](. These four brands are also finding ways to expand the category's reach. - [Potli]( makes cannabis honey for those who don't want to smoke. - [Halal Hemp]( is the first marketplace for halal-certified hemp products. - [Beed]( is a capsule machine that makes perfectly rolled joints. - [Tulip]( is a neatly designed secure storage box for your stash. 🏷️ Self-taught designer [Saeedah Haque]( pitched a streetwear abaya (a full-length modest-fashion garment) to Nike, but didn't hear back. So, she released it herself – and, after a [viral TikTok]( her stock sold out in a day. 🍫 Malaysian brand [Coffeeboy Club]( defies categorization. It's a cafe and music platform, but it also sells a [peanut butter]( hosts [merch pop-ups]( and puts on [speed-dating events](. Its latest product? A [bottled chocolate drink]( made with Singaporean oat-milk brand [Oatside](. 🛒 What one thing would [Lisa Cheng Smith]( founder of Taiwanese grocery store [Yun Hai]( do differently if she could launch her online shop again? ‘Customer service was good, but we weren't marketing to keep up the momentum.’ LEARN. If you need to focus on a new product, public relations agencies can get the word out about your brand. Here's [our guide]( to working with them. 🪵 Kyoto-based calm technology company [Mui Lab]( makes a wooden touch screen that can control your smart home. 🍄 Mushrooms are [already hot]( but there's still room to grow if you're creative. [MYCOAUDIO]( uses reishi mycelium mushrooms as insulation in its ceramic speakers. 📲 [PostMarket]( launched to help creators license social and digital content. 🥊 [KO Studio]( is a boxing brand focused on [growing female interest]( in the sparring sport. 📩 You can access [Spunge]( designer [Salehe Bembury]( highly sought-after collabs only by subscribing to his email newsletter and getting a password. We've got a [few more ideas]( for creatively boosting customer loyalty. 🎙️ LA-based production company [Maximum Fun]( makes podcasts. But owner Jesse Thorn says the past few years have killed his mental health and work-life balance – and the industry is consolidating. So, he handed control of the company… [to his employees](. DIVE DEEPER. Interest in worker-owned co-operatives has been [on the rise]( for a while, but it's not always a simple process. [Project Equity]( and [Exit To Community]( are two orgs helping businesses make it happen. 🧑🏼‍🍳 [Ouzeri]( a restaurant in Cape Town, makes Cypriot-Greek food using local ingredients from other small businesses – like squash from [Meuse Farm]( and pomegranate juice from [Rooi Juice](. 🧑🏼‍🎨 Rug tufting is everywhere, but we've not seen anything like [Angela Anh Nguyen]( designs. 🍿 Nutritional-yeast-flavored popcorn company [BjornQorn]( needed bigger production facilities, but the standard factories it viewed felt wrong. What felt right? [Buying a local skate rink]( and setting up its popcorn operation in the back. And, yes, Saturday-night roller disco [is still on](. Elsewhere in Courier: 🤳 On TikTok: Why this Aussie biz has a floor [made of candy](. ▶️ On YouTube: How to launch a business [during a recession](. 💻 Online: A new approach to [men's hair loss](. 📰 In print: If you're new here, check [out our first book](. 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