In the boroughs of New York, where spectacle often overshadows structure, the quiet hum of public infrastructure goes largely unnoticed — until something fails. Behind the city’s courthouses, correctional facilities, hospitals, and schools, there exists a complex network of electrical systems that everyone takes for granted, but few know the hard work that goes in. 

For nearly six decades, Sajiun Electric Inc. has been one of the companies steadily wiring the city’s most essential institutions. At the center of it all is Richard Sajiun, a man whose legacy was never designed for headlines, but whose influence runs, quite literally, through the walls of public life.

Building Systems That Cannot Go Dark

Sajiun Electric Inc. was founded in 1965 by Richard’s father, Manuel Sajiun, a master electrician who started it with little more than his tools and reputation. The company back then was a local operation, servicing retail spaces, homes, and small commercial buildings. 

Richard began learning the trade early, during his teenage years, working weekends and summers with his father before earning an electrical engineering degree from Suny State University and a master electrician’s license. When he returned to the company in the late 1990s, he did more than just step into a role, he reimagined the company’s future. He decided to steer away the firm’s focus from the saturated, profit-driven private market and reoriented it toward the world of government contracting. 

The Shift to Public Work

Public work was not for the impatient. In fact, it was a decision that many considered to be counterintuitive. Public contracts are not only high-stakes and competitive but dense with regulatory complexity. They demand legal literacy, financial discipline, and an ability to manage risk with surgical precision. Yet for Richard, this landscape offered something the private sector could not: a framework where integrity mattered as much as execution. 

Sajiun Electric began to specialize in rehabilitation and retrofitting, bringing aging infrastructure up to modern code, reinforcing robust systems in environments that could not afford a moment of failure. Hospitals with no room for downtime, prisons where security systems are mission-critical, schools that cannot close their doors — institutions that make up the foundations of society became the company’s domain.

The Ethics of Compliance

As exciting government contracts may have been for Richard Sajiun, these aren’t jobs for companies chasing fast profits. Government work in the U.S. comes with thousands of pages of documentation and layers of bureaucratic procedures. There are prevailing wage laws that mandate electricians be paid much more than the private sector. There are legally binding requirements to subcontract to minority-, women-, and veteran-owned businesses. There are audits, inspections, delays, and months-long payment cycles. Only, unlike private clients, the government doesn’t forgive mistakes. If you miss a line item or a legal clause, you simply don’t get paid.

“You can’t wing this,” Richard says. “This isn’t a ‘figure it out as you go’ industry. You either know how to navigate it, or you’re done before you begin.”

Richard understood early on that if the company was going to survive here, he had to master the administrative side of the trade as thoroughly as the technical. So he did. Richard made sure to put compliance so deeply into the company ethos that every member looked at it not just as a formal requirement but as ethical infrastructure. 

Advice for Those Who Dare Enter the Field

It’s telling that so few firms remain in the government contracting space long term. The barriers to entry are steep, the overhead high, the patience required immense. For younger or less experienced contractors, the system can be particularly unforgiving.

Surely not every contractor is suited for government work. However, that is not to say, no one is. For those who can navigate its rigor, the rewards are also substantial: structure, fairness, and a certainty often absent in the private sector that work, when done right, will never go unpaid.

For those looking to start out in the public sector of the industry, Richard’s advice are:

• Hire Experience Early: Invest in a consultant or estimator who has successfully navigated government contracts before, don’t try it by yourself the first time.
• Read Everything: Government bid documents can run over a thousand pages, but every line is important. Skimming is not an option here.
• Plan for Delayed Payments: Be financially prepared to wait 60-90 days or longer to receive funds.
• Secure Bonding Insurance: This is non-negotiable. Without it, you won’t even qualify to bid.
• Start with Mentor Programs: Government agencies offer pathways for smaller, newer firms. They’re a good way to gain experience without being overwhelmed on the job.
• Respect the Law: Prevailing wages and diversity requirements aren’t optional. Violations can lead to lawsuits or blacklisting.

For over three decades, Richard Sajiun’s leadership has held the backbone of public life together, dependable and invisible, like he will certainly keep doing for many more years to come. There will probably never be a branding refresh or a viral campaign for Sajiun Electric. But in the quiet pulse of backup generators during a blackout, in the flickerless hum of a school hallway, in the consistent beep of hospital instruments keeping patients alive, in the subtle comfort of knowing a public infrastructure will simply work, Richard’s work will endure.

If there were a manual for selling anything to anyone, chances are Trenton Wisecup already wrote it. Or lived it. The GAF Master Elite Contractor, founder of Arrow Roofing, and co-author of the upcoming book “Flip The Script” doesn’t just understand sales, he reinvented the whole game. With a growing national reputation and a string of 7-figure years to his name, Trenton is a veteran technician of psychology behind a sales pitch who has built his reputation by turning high-stakes negotiations into teachable moments.

This is a deeper look at Wisecup’s practical philosophy  — an insight into what has stood him out in roofing, along with a foundational framework for anyone serious about selling and scaling any business.

Law #1: Sell the Story, Not the Product

Hard selling with aggressive tones and relentless pursuit has been the top technique in sales textbooks for years. However, Trenton suggests the opposite — focusing on something he calls “the buyer’s journey”. As the world gets more and more transactional, people value conversations more than conversion according to him:

“No one wants to be sold, but everyone loves a good story. People don’t buy products, they buy the story they believe about those products.” 

As information about products is readily available now, no one wants to hear about features anymore. What matters is what the product can do for the person and how memorable your pitch is. In post-storm neighborhoods where emotions run high and trust runs low, instead of selling roofs, Trenton sells safety, security, and peace of mind. His advice is to listen before you lead, build a relationship, then reframe the solution through the customer’s own emotional context.

Law #2: Empathy Is Your Greatest Asset in Business

Yes, you read that right. In contrast to the recently popular trend of treating empathy as weakness, Trenton Wisecup credits much of his deal-making finesse to what he calls “conflict fluency” — the ability to navigate tension with empathy, not ego. 

“If the clients are pushing back, they’re not rejecting you; they’re protecting themselves from making a bad choice. Your job is to guide them through that fear.”

Trenton’s team regularly role-plays scenarios rooted in real emotion: insurance disputes, post-storm anxiety, and more. In his consulting firm EmpowerMe Consulting, he teaches reps to label feelings, mirror language, and slow the tempo. Pushing people to buy a product is never a good idea, he recommends rather creating a partnership with your client. Instead of — Would you like to proceed? — he advises to ask, What would have to be true for you to feel 100% confident in this decision?

Law #3: Turn Doubt Into An Opportunity for Negotiation

If you want to be a great closer, you need to understand that hesitation isn’t rejection, it’s a request for reassurance. Trenton’s go-to approach is tactical empathy, a method he also discussed in his upcoming book Flip the Script where he collaborated with negotiation expert Chris Voss. 

“If a customer is hesitant, that’s your cue to listen better, build trust, and offer solutions personalized to their concerns,” Trenton says. 

Take the concern of cost. A client might say, “It’s more than I was expecting.” Trenton doesn’t dispute it. He agrees — It should be.  Then he calmly adds: We’re professionals and we’re not doing just a patch job. We’re building something that should outlast your mortgage.

Law #4: Urgency Without Pressure

Creating urgency is essential in sales, but for Trenton, there’s a fine line between momentum and manipulation. “High pressure is a shortcut, and shortcuts kill trust,” he says. Instead, he engineers urgency through relevance. For example, when solar shingles became eligible for a 30% federal tax credit, Wisecup didn’t blast the message. He tailored it: Here’s how your neighbor saved $7,000 last quarter. Here’s how you can too, if you act before Q4. This specificity turns a pitch into a plan, making action feel time-sensitive yet personal. In fact, instead of rushing to fill every pause, Trenton coaches his reps to let the silence breathe: “People talk themselves into decisions when given the space to think.“

Law #5: Scripts Win Sales in the Long-term

While it’s paramount to create a conversation and build a trustful relationship with your client, a certain amount of preparation is a must have for every sales person. Especially when you’re leading a team, to ensure long-term success, you need to create a standard script for everyone, even though your rep might have to modify it on the spot according to the customer’s concerns and needs. 

Having said that, a signature part of Trenton’s training includes conversation templates that don’t sound like templates. Part behavioral psychology, part performance art, his scripts read like dialogues in a play: filled with pauses, reactions, and room for improvisation. 

Here are a few examples:

• Instead of: “What can I do to earn your business today?”
  Try: “What would make you feel fully confident that this is the right choice?”
• Instead of: “Do you want to move forward?”
  Try: “Is there anything that’s holding you back from moving forward today?”

Each script is designed to open emotional space and persuade via participation.

Bottom Line

Don’t chase deals, deals will chase you when you build a relationship with the customer and earn their trust — the mantra Trenton Wisecup lives by. The Arrow Roofing leader is teaching a new generation of entrepreneurs that the future of sales isn’t about polished selling; it’s all about people and the power of a good story.

In a move sending waves across both Wall Street and Silicon Valley, Jensen Huang’s stock sale is making every founder in America pause and pay attention.

The Nvidia CEO, whose $126 billion fortune is almost entirely tied to his company’s meteoric rise, is expected to personally make nearly $1 billion in 2025, not from a bonus, not from speaking gigs, but by gradually selling shares of his own company. At first glance, it’s just another wealthy executive getting richer. But look again, and you’ll see a masterclass in founder strategy, timing, and long-term leverage.

This isn’t just about money. It’s about what kind of entrepreneurial model wins in America’s new economy. Huang, one of the last remaining original founders still running a mega-cap tech company, is showing that it’s possible to stay in control of your business and get liquid, without drama, without stepping down, and without selling your soul to private equity.

His sales are happening through a 10b5-1 plan, a pre-scheduled trading mechanism that allows public company executives to gradually sell stock over time without raising red flags or triggering insider trading concerns. But make no mistake, this plan was designed long before Nvidia overtook Microsoft and Apple to briefly become the world’s most valuable company.

What Jensen Huang’s Stock Sale Teaches Founders

In startup circles, there’s a myth that real entrepreneurs don’t cash out, they ride or die with their company. But Huang is quietly rewriting that script. Over the last two years, he’s sold tens of millions worth of stock, and if this pace continues, he’ll cross the billion-dollar mark this year alone.

The timing is precise. Nvidia’s dominance in the AI chip market has turned it into the beating heart of a global infrastructure shift. From generative AI to self-driving cars, the demand for Nvidia’s hardware is insatiable. Investors are betting on its leadership to continue, and Huang’s moves show confidence, not detachment. Despite the sales, he still owns over 80 million shares of the company.

So what’s the lesson for founders?

First: Liquidity doesn’t mean weakness.
Huang isn’t selling because he’s stepping away. He’s selling because he’s created something so valuable, it’s now smart to take chips off the table. The emotional clarity to do that, without ego or fear, is something most entrepreneurs never reach. They wait for a big exit or acquisition, and sometimes, it never comes.

Second: Control is built in the early days, not at the peak.
Huang never rushed to dilute. He held strong through Nvidia’s early identity crisis, back when it was just a gaming graphics company, not a pillar of global AI. His conviction in deep tech, silicon, and vertical integration wasn’t trendy, it was visionary. And because of that, he still holds enough equity to sell billions and still remain firmly in charge.

Third: Public markets aren’t the enemy.
Too many founders today fear IPOs or Wall Street scrutiny. But Huang uses the system to his advantage. While younger CEOs chase viral hype and seed rounds, he’s playing a long game, one where quarterly results and visionary roadmaps can coexist. Nvidia isn’t just profitable. It’s printing cash, expanding aggressively, and reinvesting in research, all while its CEO earns the kind of liquidity that’s usually reserved for post-acquisition windfalls.

His approach also speaks to a quieter truth: Freedom isn’t about stepping down. It’s about having options.
And those options come from ownership.

Most founders raise too much, too early, then give away control. By the time they build something worth owning, it’s not really theirs. Jensen Huang never made that mistake. And now, he’s reaping the rewards of decades of patience.

This $1 billion sale isn’t a farewell tour. It’s a case study in founder discipline. It’s not a cash grab. It’s a playbook.

Huang’s sales are happening through a 10b5-1 trading plan, a regulatory framework that lets public company executives sell stock at pre-set times.

For upcoming entrepreneurs, the biggest flex isn’t a flashy raise or a hype-driven launch. It’s what Huang has: stability, staying power, and silence. He’s not on social media selling courses. He’s not running a VC fund. He’s building chips, and quietly collecting generational wealth.

This moment also speaks to a larger shift in the U.S. startup world. The most respected founders today are the ones staying focused. They’re not selling their companies for quick exits. They’re building legacy infrastructure, niche brands, or enduring platforms, and planning for financial freedom on their terms.

As more entrepreneurs look to emulate that path, Huang’s stock sale becomes a cultural signal. One that says:

You can take care of your future, without abandoning your vision.

It’s the kind of business move that rarely makes TikTok reels but should be required reading in every founder’s playbook. In a world obsessed with raising money, Huang is showing us how to quietly make it, and keep it.

Level Up Insight

Jensen Huang’s $1 billion stock sale isn’t about ego, it’s about execution. It proves that founders who stay focused, build long, and retain control don’t have to wait for exits or handovers to win. Liquidity is no longer a luxury, it’s the reward of vision, discipline, and patience. For entrepreneurs across America, the message is clear: ownership is freedom, and timing is everything.

They came in gowns. They left with a shot at launching a company.

At Georgia Tech’s 2025 commencement ceremony, the surprise wasn’t a celebrity speaker or a viral valedictorian. It was a no-nonsense businessman stepping up to invest in the students, literally. When entrepreneur and keynote speaker Malik Foster took the stage, few expected him to flip the script on what a graduation speech could be.

“I’m not here to just inspire you,” he said. “I’m here to back you. If you’ve got an idea, I’ll cover your startup’s incorporation costs. Go build it.”

Silence. Then a ripple. Then a roar.

In a moment, an entire graduating class became startup-ready. And just like that, the Class of 2025 had something more valuable than a diploma: permission to start building.

The Most Actionable Commencement Speech in Years

Foster, a Georgia Tech alum and fintech founder, didn’t just hand out feel-good mantras. He offered what so many young entrepreneurs crave but rarely get, logistical backing.

Incorporation might seem minor compared to fundraising or scaling, but it’s a real early-stage hurdle. Filing an LLC, covering state fees, setting up legal infrastructure, it all costs money. And most fresh graduates are already staring down student loans, not startup costs.

So when Foster told students he’d personally cover incorporation costs for any graduate with a startup idea, it wasn’t just generous. It was strategic.

He’s betting that one of them will hit.

This isn’t a flashy PR stunt from a VC firm or a polished incubator giveaway. It’s a founder betting on founders, in the room, in real time. It felt radical because it was immediate. Students didn’t need to apply. They didn’t need to prove traction. They just needed a real idea, and the courage to say yes.

When the Cost Barrier Disappears, What Happens Next?

For a generation of college graduates more entrepreneurial than ever, but burdened with debt, stagnant wages, and a volatile job market, Foster’s pledge struck a nerve.

It turns out incorporation costs, ranging from $300 to $1,200 depending on the state and structure, are often one of the first reasons young builders hesitate. Not because they can’t pay eventually, but because starting requires momentum. And this generation is no stranger to friction.

They’ve grown up watching peers monetize YouTube channels, launch Shopify brands, build AI tools in dorm rooms. Yet they’re told to play it safe. This announcement didn’t just remove red tape. It legitimized a mindset: you are the company.

And when someone removes the first financial barrier, it creates a domino effect. It’s easier to pitch, easier to recruit co-founders, easier to ask for mentorship.

Once you’re incorporated, you’re not “aspiring.” You’re in business.

Georgia Tech’s Growing Reputation as a Builder’s Playground

This isn’t the first time Georgia Tech has made waves for nurturing entrepreneurs, but this moment takes its ecosystem to a new level.

Over the past few years, Tech Square has become a proving ground for founders. Programs like CREATE-X and the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC) have already launched dozens of startups from the classroom to real-world markets.

But this, this direct pledge, is an accelerant.

Foster’s move echoes a broader shift happening in American universities: a move away from purely academic laurels toward founder-first thinking. As more students choose entrepreneurship over employment, commencement itself is evolving, from a final exam to a launchpad.

Not Just Symbolic: A Shift in Entrepreneurial Capital

This isn’t just a nice gesture. It reflects a change in who gets to start.

Traditionally, capital waits for traction. But pre-seed access, especially for students of color, first-gen graduates, and international students, is nearly nonexistent. Foster’s pledge doesn’t just offer cash. It flips the timeline. Instead of “build first, fund later,” it’s “get legit now, then go build.”

What he’s done is more than cover a fee. He’s democratized day one.

By removing one of the first bureaucratic steps, he’s said: You’re worth the paperwork.

And that has ripple effects far beyond Georgia Tech.

What happens when other institutions see this? When Stanford grads ask for the same backing? When state schools decide to fund their builders, not just boast about them? Foster may have just started a new race, not for jobs, but for first customers.

The Rise of Commencement Capital

This moment might mark the beginning of a broader trend: Commencement Capital, where graduation becomes not just a milestone but a launch event.

We’ve seen billionaire donors pay off student loans or build innovation centers, but few have offered transactional tools that immediately spark entrepreneurial motion. Incorporation costs are small, but the psychological impact is massive.

It tells young people that entrepreneurship isn’t a privilege, it’s a path. And it starts today, not “someday.”

In an age where Gen Z is already ditching 9-to-5s, stacking revenue streams, and building brand-first businesses, this kind of activation isn’t just nice, it’s necessary.

Level Up Insight

Entrepreneurship isn’t about waiting. It’s about starting, and most dreams die before step one. Malik Foster’s bold promise to cover incorporation costs at Georgia Tech doesn’t just empower a class, it sets a precedent. As more institutions begin to realize the power of direct, actionable support, we could see a future where every graduation comes with capital. This isn’t just a win for the students, it’s a call to all universities: stop preaching startup culture and start funding it.

In a quiet corner of Alabama, a startup-minded medical alliance is quietly flipping the script on trauma care. Huntsville, better known for its space heritage, is now emerging as an unexpected epicenter for a new kind of healthcare disruption, one that treats trauma not just as an emotional or psychological condition, but as a biological injury that can be identified, targeted, and healed.

At the heart of this movement is a groundbreaking partnership between trauma researchers, bioengineers, and entrepreneurial clinicians, blending neuroscience with biotech to challenge a deeply entrenched belief: that trauma is invisible, subjective, and largely untreatable. They’re betting on the opposite. And they’re turning that bet into one of the most quietly ambitious trauma interventions the U.S. has seen in years.

The core premise is as revolutionary as it is practical, that trauma, like a sprained ankle or a broken arm, leaves measurable biological traces. Changes in cortisol, inflammation markers, brainwave activity, and nervous system function can all be tracked, decoded, and eventually rebalanced. This isn’t therapy in the traditional sense. It’s trauma treatment as diagnostics plus repair.

Huntsville’s new wave of practitioners are building systems that lean heavily on hardware: wearable tech that reads nervous system strain, brain imaging tools that map real-time neural trauma signatures, and biofeedback platforms designed to reset the body’s stress response. But what makes this more than just a wellness trend is the entrepreneurial model underneath. These aren’t nonprofit research pilots. They’re for-profit ventures, agile, scalable, and deeply focused on data.

Founders behind these tools are building with the mindset of biomedical startups, not just health providers. They want to prove outcomes, file patents, get FDA clearance, and license tech to larger systems. The goal isn’t just healing. It’s creating a new category of care that lives between psychiatry and neurology, and becomes a national export from Huntsville.

In many ways, the movement echoes what Silicon Valley did to wellness. But this time, it’s not meditation apps or mood tracking. It’s about treating PTSD the way you treat a concussion — with real-time scans, objective metrics, and a clinical roadmap. And for the 50 million Americans currently navigating unresolved trauma, that could mean an entirely new healthcare path.

The science is backing them up. Studies from institutions around the country have shown how trauma reshapes the brain, shrinking the hippocampus, altering the amygdala, and throwing the prefrontal cortex off balance. These are not abstract experiences. They are physical imprints. And that’s where the Huntsville model starts: trauma is not just a feeling. It’s a wound.

The big innovation? Local startups are using that idea to build diagnostics that quantify trauma, not just through self-reporting or behavioral observation, but through bio-signals and brainwaves. One approach uses EEGs to scan for trauma-related brainwave patterns. Another links galvanic skin response with emotional triggers to measure how the body “remembers” stress. The data isn’t just for show. It informs personalized repair protocols that use neurostimulation, vagus nerve training, and targeted cognitive rebalancing to speed up recovery.

For entrepreneurs in this space, the opportunity is massive. Mental health tech has already crossed $16 billion in funding globally. But trauma-specific treatment remains a wide-open frontier. Insurance providers are eager for scalable solutions with measurable outcomes. Veterans groups, school systems, and law enforcement agencies are all exploring partnerships for trauma support that goes beyond therapy and into physical re-regulation.

What makes Huntsville unique is its ecosystem, a mix of defense tech, biosciences, and a growing number of ex-military founders who understand trauma not as theory, but as lived experience. These are entrepreneurs building products they wish existed for their comrades, children, or even themselves.

And while Silicon Valley builds for clicks, Huntsville is quietly building for clinical validation. This gives the city an edge. Startups here aren’t optimizing for dopamine loops or engagement metrics. They’re going after FDA-backed solutions that could plug directly into hospital networks, veteran affairs programs, and first responder systems. In short, they’re building not for hype,  but for healthcare infrastructure.

Still, there are hurdles. Trauma’s deeply individual nature means one-size-fits-all solutions won’t cut it. And the ethics of monetizing trauma treatment raise serious questions. But the founders here argue that cost shouldn’t deter innovation. In fact, without scalable solutions, trauma care will remain stuck in elite clinics and underfunded nonprofits. Their pitch is simple: treating trauma as a biological injury makes healing measurable, and therefore, fundable.

Already, whispers from investors are getting louder. Angel networks from Texas and Tennessee are scouting Huntsville’s new neuro-health ventures. A few stealth-mode startups are reportedly nearing Series A rounds. And biofeedback hardware companies from the coasts are eyeing joint ventures to access Huntsville’s unique trauma-informed datasets.

It’s early, but not experimental. The metrics are real. The tools are already being piloted in schools, trauma recovery clinics, and even court diversion programs. And unlike vague mental health platforms that rely on self-reporting and loose engagement metrics, this model is tightly linked to quantitative change: nervous system downregulation, brainwave balance, cortisol normalization. That’s not just mental health. That’s biology.

And biology is the most scalable product there is.

Level Up Insight

Huntsville’s trauma tech movement isn’t just redefining how we treat pain, it’s creating a new category of entrepreneurial healthcare. One that blends deep science, real metrics, and startup agility to tackle one of society’s oldest wounds with the precision of modern medicine. As founders across America hunt for the next breakout sector, this quiet revolution in Alabama might just be the next billion-dollar idea, not because it promises comfort, but because it promises cure.

For years, the skincare industry promised that clean meant foamy, bubbly, and fragrant. But for millions of Americans with sensitive skin, that promise backfired, leaving behind redness, rashes, and long-term irritation. What if the solution wasn’t adding more chemicals, but removing the very thing we all assumed was essential?

That’s the bet a wave of new American skincare founders are making. Their approach is radical in its simplicity: ditch the soap entirely. These entrepreneurs believe that removing harsh surfactants, the core cleansing agents in most soaps, can unlock healthier skin, and maybe even reshape the $160 billion global skincare market.

Let’s dive into the five standout brands leading the soap-free skincare revolution, and the business models behind their breakout success.

1. Nura Skin: The $10M Disruptor Born From Eczema

Founded in 2021 by a former nurse who suffered from chronic eczema, Nura Skin didn’t begin in a lab. It began in a kitchen, mixing colloidal oats and fermented rice water in small batches. Her goal was personal: find something gentle enough for her own hypersensitive skin.

By 2024, Nura Skin had become a $10 million brand with a cult following and a product line that proudly excludes soap, sulfates, and synthetic fragrances. Their signature cleansing milk, made from oil-in-water emulsions, cleanses without disrupting the skin barrier. No foam, no burn, no compromise.

Their growth came not from influencers, but from glowing reviews in online forums and dermatology communities. The company credits its success to word-of-mouth marketing and transparency, refusing venture capital and instead focusing on slow, steady scale.

2. Bare Method: The Tech-Backed Cleanser Startup

Started by two MIT grads with backgrounds in chemical engineering, Bare Method’s soap-free innovation uses bio-compatible cleansing agents designed to mimic the skin’s natural lipid balance. The result? A cleansing bar that looks like soap but acts like a moisturizer in disguise.

Bare Method recently closed a $3.2M seed round and is now partnering with dermatologists to study how their formulations perform against traditional soap-based cleansers in clinical trials. Their goal is to position soap-free as not just a lifestyle choice, but a science-backed standard for those with reactive skin.

They’ve also adopted a direct-to-consumer model with subscription options that include skin health tracking via their mobile app, bringing tech into the clean beauty world in a way that feels deeply personal.

3. Plūma Organics: The Minimalist’s Answer to Over-Cleansing

Plūma’s rise began on TikTok, but it’s their philosophy, not their marketing, that’s gained them a devoted following: “Skin is smart. Let it breathe.”

Their hero product, a soap-free micro-emulsion cleanser, contains fewer than eight ingredients and focuses on preservation of the skin’s natural pH. While other brands chase complexity, Plūma strips skincare down to its essentials. Their minimal branding, eco-friendly packaging, and refillable pouches have attracted Gen Z consumers looking for both skin safety and environmental responsibility.

The brand currently ships to over 20,000 subscribers monthly and recently launched an in-store pilot with a national wellness retailer.

4. DermaFiend: The Dermatologist-Driven Alternative

Created by a board-certified dermatologist in California, DermaFiend was born out of frustration with existing sensitive-skin solutions that were either too weak or too harsh. Their patented “Soap-Free Complex” is a blend of amino acid cleansers and fermented botanicals, specifically formulated for post-treatment skin recovery (think microneedling, laser, or peels).

It’s not just consumers flocking to DermaFiend. Med spas and clinics are adopting it as their post-procedure cleanser of choice. That medical credibility is turning into commercial success, with B2B contracts making up 40% of the brand’s revenue. It’s a different route to market, but one that’s working.

5. Quiet Water Co.: The Boutique Brand Winning at Word-of-Mouth

With zero paid advertising and only one product, Quiet Water Co. might seem like the underdog, but their soap-free gel cleanser has become a low-key favorite in niche skincare circles.

Launched by a mother-daughter duo out of Portland, this brand emphasizes simplicity and ritual. Each product comes with a handwritten note and small-batch batch number, emphasizing craftsmanship over scale. Their customer retention rate is over 80%, unheard of in the skincare world.

They credit their growth to two things: community and trust. Their story reminds us that you don’t need flashy branding to build something meaningful, just something that works, especially when no one else is doing it.

Why Soap-Free Is More Than a Trend

What all these brands have in common isn’t just formulation, it’s philosophy. Each one views sensitive skin not as a niche, but as a neglected majority. They’re rejecting the one-size-fits-all approach of mainstream skincare and instead focusing on personalized, science-backed, barrier-friendly solutions.

They’re also bootstrapping, slow scaling, and putting education before virality. In a world obsessed with TikTok hacks and overnight results, soap-free skincare is choosing to be boring, and it’s working.

And with more Americans reporting sensitive or sensitized skin than ever before (a trend linked to pollution, over-exfoliation, and stress), the timing couldn’t be better.

Level Up Insight:

Sometimes disruption doesn’t mean adding something new, it means taking something away. The founders behind these soap-free skincare brands didn’t reinvent the wheel. They just removed the suds. And in doing so, they tapped into a growing movement of health-conscious, ingredient-aware, and irritation-weary consumers who were tired of being overlooked. In the process, they’ve shown that softness, both in skin and in business, is a strength, not a weakness.

It’s 7:30 PM. Laptop opens. Ring light flickers on. Door shuts quietly behind. And just like that, another American creator goes to work, after work.

This is the new era of entrepreneurship in America, where the day job pays the bills, but the night job builds the dream. From solo podcasters to Notion template sellers, a quiet but explosive shift is underway: the 5-9 hustle is no longer a side story, it’s the main event.

Unlike the traditional startup fantasy of quitting your job and raising capital, this generation is building real brands with zero investors, zero employees, and zero permission. They’re armed with audience-first strategies, automation tools, and clarity of purpose. The grind hasn’t disappeared, it’s just been repackaged with freedom.

The Rise of the After-Hours Entrepreneur

For decades, the American dream centered on climbing a ladder. But Gen Z and Millennials are choosing to build elevators instead. Why wait for a promotion when you can sell a digital product tonight and make more than your monthly bonus?

These aren’t hobbyists. They’re founders, operating with intent, creativity, and a clear exit strategy: ownership. What starts as a passion project on Instagram quickly becomes a coaching funnel, a newsletter, or a full-fledged product ecosystem.

The beauty of the 5-9 hustle? It’s low-risk, high-reward. You don’t need to burn bridges to start. You need consistency, curiosity, and the courage to create publicly.

From Content to Capital

Attention is the new currency. And these creators know how to mint it.

A former teacher sells parenting guides. A runner shares fitness programs. A gamer drops digital collectibles. In every case, content is the top of the funnel, and authenticity is the conversion mechanism.

These aren’t just creators, they’re businesses. They learn analytics. Test offers. Build in public. The line between side hustle and scalable business is getting thinner every night.

And while the 9-5 paycheck pays rent, the 5-9 hustle builds wealth. For many, it’s not about quitting the job, it’s about giving themselves the option to quit.

When Side Hustles Outgrow the 9-5

For some, the goal isn’t to quit the job. It’s to redefine its place in life. The 9, 5 becomes the investor, funding ads, tools, and experiments. The 5, 9 becomes the incubator, where purpose, passion, and ownership collide.

But here’s the twist: what starts as “just a side thing” often gains traction quickly. Within months, creators are making more from their digital product or community than their salary. The shift happens quietly. First, it’s gas money. Then rent. Then it replaces the job.

The creator doesn’t announce their resignation. They simply stop showing up, online, they’ve already arrived.

The Tools Behind the Movement

One reason this revolution is possible: the rise of no-code tools and AI automation. You no longer need a team to build. You need a template and a clear offer.

• Canva replaces a designer.

• ConvertKit replaces a full marketing team.

• Gumroad becomes your e-commerce backend.

• ChatGPT becomes your assistant, strategist, and copywriter, all in one.

With these tools, creators can do in two hours what startups used to take weeks to achieve. It’s not just about working harder, it’s about working sharper.

Why This Is More Than Just a Trend

The 5-9 hustle isn’t a Gen Z gimmick or a post-pandemic phase. It’s a foundational shift in how Americans view income, identity, and opportunity.

Where older generations saw side hustles as backups, today’s creators see them as launchpads. Building something of your own is no longer a rebellion, it’s a rite of passage.

This isn’t hustle culture. It’s ownership culture. And the creators who show up after dark aren’t just chasing dollars, they’re building digital legacies.

Level Up Insight

In 2025, America’s most important businesses aren’t being born in incubators, they’re being born at night, by creators who understand one truth: the future doesn’t belong to the loudest, the richest, or the fastest, it belongs to those who keep building quietly until they can’t be ignored.

The 5-9 hustle isn’t the side show anymore. It’s the main event, and it’s time the world took it seriously.

Scaling a startup is a thrilling but often chaotic journey. The rapid pace of growth, pressure to deliver, and juggling countless priorities can quickly spiral into disarray. Nathalie El Barche Antonios, a seasoned entrepreneur and startup advisor, has seen it all, and she believes there’s a way to scale sustainably without losing control.

Her message to founders is clear: scaling startups doesn’t have to mean chaos. Instead, it’s about building the right systems, culture, and mindset from day one to handle growth gracefully.

The Scaling Struggle

Most startups start small and nimble. But as they grow, complexity grows exponentially. New hires, expanding markets, evolving products, and increasing customer demands create tangled webs of communication and processes. This often results in missed deadlines, burnout, and quality dips.

Nathalie points out that many startups fall into the trap of “growth at all costs,” sacrificing clarity and organization in favor of speed. “It’s like trying to drive a car faster and faster without ever upgrading the engine or brakes,” she says.

Systems Over Hustle

One of Nathalie’s core principles is that systems and processes aren’t bureaucracy, they’re enablers of growth. She encourages startups to invest early in scalable workflows and automation tools that reduce manual tasks and human error.

For example, customer support teams should use ticketing systems that prioritize issues and track response times rather than relying on ad hoc emails or Slack messages. Sales teams need CRM tools that not only capture leads but analyze patterns and forecast pipeline.

Culture Is the Glue

No system can replace a strong culture, says Nathalie. Culture is what keeps teams aligned and motivated during periods of rapid change. She advises founders to foster transparency, psychological safety, and clear communication channels.

“A culture where people feel safe to speak up, ask for help, and challenge ideas creates a self-correcting system,” she explains. This reduces chaos by catching problems early and encouraging collaborative solutions.

Prioritization and Focus

Startups often get pulled in too many directions, new features, new markets, fundraising, hiring, and more. Nathalie stresses the importance of prioritization to prevent overload.

She recommends using frameworks like the Eisenhower Matrix to separate urgent tasks from important ones, ensuring teams focus on what truly drives progress. “Chaos thrives when everything feels urgent. Leaders need to decide what actually matters,” she says.

Leadership Mindset

Scaling without chaos also requires a shift in leadership. Founders must transition from doing everything themselves to empowering others. This means delegating effectively and trusting managers to own parts of the business.

Nathalie emphasizes that leadership is about enabling people, not controlling every detail. “When you trust your team and give them clarity, you create a force multiplier that handles complexity better than any founder could alone.”

Real-World Example

Nathalie shares a story from her own experience working with a SaaS startup that grew from 10 to 100 employees in under two years. Early on, the company ignored process in the rush to hire and ship features.

As a result, internal confusion grew: product teams duplicated work, customer support was overwhelmed, and morale dipped. When Nathalie stepped in, she helped implement simple systems, weekly cross-team syncs, project management tools, and clear role definitions.

Within six months, the startup regained control and accelerated growth without the usual burnout or chaos. The key was building infrastructure alongside scaling headcount and revenue.

The Role of Technology

Technology plays a vital role in scaling efficiently. Nathalie encourages startups to embrace tools that automate routine tasks, track key metrics, and provide data-driven insights.

But she warns against over-reliance on technology as a silver bullet. “Tools are only as good as the processes and people behind them. The right tech amplifies good habits, it doesn’t replace them.”

Scaling for the Long Term

Nathalie stresses that sustainable scaling is a marathon, not a sprint. Quick growth might feel good initially but can create lasting damage if not managed properly.

Her advice? Build with intention, invest in people, and constantly revisit systems and culture. “Chaos is a symptom of mismatch, between ambition and capacity, vision and reality. Fix those, and scaling becomes an exciting, manageable journey.”

Level Up Insight

Scaling a startup without chaos isn’t luck, it’s strategy. By focusing on strong systems, a healthy culture, disciplined prioritization, and empowered leadership, startups can grow fast and smart. As Nathalie El Barche Antonios shows, scaling is less about speed and more about control.

A quiet but powerful land deal is unfolding on the lush island of Kaua‘i, and it could redefine Hawaii’s agricultural future. A tech billionaire is offering to sell nearly 1,000 acres of prime farmland for $39 million. The potential buyer? Not a luxury developer or commercial giant, but the state of Hawaii itself.

This isn’t just a property transaction, it’s a pivotal moment for an island state grappling with generational questions about land, food, and identity. Hawaii, long romanticized as a tropical paradise, has also become a battleground between native stewardship and external ownership. Now, the Agribusiness Development Corporation (ADC), a state agency, is stepping up with a plan that could reclaim not just acreage, but autonomy.

The land, part of the historic Grove Farm estate, holds deep significance. For generations, it sustained sugarcane, diversified agriculture, and local livelihoods. But like much of Hawaii, this farmland has been under threat from luxury developers, foreign buyers, and rising land costs that leave local farmers priced out. This state bid offers a rare alternative, one where the government intervenes not to exploit, but to protect.

At $39,000 per acre, the deal is steep. But in Hawaii’s fractured food economy, it may be a necessary investment. The state currently imports roughly 85% of its food, leaving it vulnerable to global disruptions and supply shocks. Buying this land could mark a turning point: moving from imported dependence to local abundance.

Farmers see the land’s value beyond numbers. “This isn’t just about crops,” one local said. “It’s about feeding our own people. It’s about land security, about passing something down that can’t be outsourced.” In Hawaii, where farming has historically been linked with cultural roots, this deal hits deeper than economics, it speaks to dignity, heritage, and homegrown resilience.

What makes this opportunity even more compelling is the seller’s apparent willingness to prioritize the public good over profit maximization. The billionaire behind the offer isn’t pushing the land into the hands of developers or turning it into a private estate. Instead, there seems to be a quiet alignment: a recognition that this land, this history, this soil, should stay rooted in the hands of those who will nurture it.

And Hawaii is listening.

The ADC has already started evaluating the land’s long-term potential. Early reviews point to its high-quality soil, access to irrigation, and adaptability for a variety of crops, from traditional taro and sweet potatoes to more scalable outputs like tropical fruit and livestock feed. But the true test lies ahead: public feedback, budget approvals, and navigating the state’s typically slow acquisition process.

There’s urgency in the air. Land politics in Hawaii rarely favor patience. Developers move quickly. And when prime land goes up for sale, the window to protect it is fleeting. The fear is simple: delay too long, and the deal disappears. In its place comes another resort, another row of condos, another lost chance to nourish local futures.

What’s at stake isn’t just farmland, it’s a vision.

Hawaii has long struggled with the paradox of being agriculturally rich and food-insecure. The islands produce coffee, macadamia nuts, and sugarcane for export, yet rely on imports for basic staples. Reviving local agriculture isn’t just about growing food; it’s about realigning priorities. Giving young farmers access to land. Reducing dependency. Rebuilding trust between people and place.

On Kaua‘i, community organizations, farming cooperatives, and environmental advocates are coalescing in support. Their message is clear: this land needs to remain in farming, not for nostalgia, but for necessity. The state’s economy may be fueled by tourism, but its future may rest on the soil, literally.

“This isn’t just a land deal,” said one community organizer. “It’s a chance to course-correct. To say: our land is not a commodity. It’s our compass.”

Still, the proposal isn’t without challenges. The state budget is tight. Political consensus is fragile. And competing interests, especially in real estate, are always circling. But for once, momentum appears to favor conservation over commercialization. And that, in Hawaii, is rare.

If this deal is completed, it could set a precedent for how states, not just in Hawaii but across the U.S., can reclaim land for public interest. Not through condemnation, but through commitment. Not as charity, but as strategy.

In a time when billionaire land grabs dominate headlines, this story flips the narrative. A billionaire wants to sell, and the state, on behalf of its people, wants to buy. That reversal isn’t just symbolic. It’s seismic.

And it’s not just Kaua‘i watching. Across the islands, and even beyond, policymakers and land activists are asking: What if this works? What if Hawaii buys the land, supports small farmers, restores ecosystems, and grows its own food? What if a legacy of exploitation turns into a legacy of renewal?

That’s the bet. One worth taking.

Level Up Insight

Hawaii’s opportunity to acquire nearly 1,000 acres of farmland on Kaua‘i isn’t merely a strategic land purchase, it’s a cultural and economic inflection point. In a state haunted by land loss and rising costs, this deal offers something radical: a future rooted in sustainability, sovereignty, and self-reliance. In a world of fleeting investments, this is one Hawaii can’t afford to miss.

Before the world wakes up, Emma Grede is already on her second victory. The British-born entrepreneur and CEO of Skims, the billion-dollar shapewear brand co-founded with Kim Kardashian, doesn’t just lead a company, she runs it like a military operation. And that includes her household.

“I run my house like a military operation,” Grede recently said, with the kind of no-nonsense tone that makes it clear she’s not exaggerating. She’s not trying to sound dramatic, just disciplined. In a world of messy hustle and aesthetic chaos, Grede’s rise is proof that precision still wins.

What does it actually look like when a billion-dollar brand is being built by someone who plans her day to the minute? It looks like early alarms, structured parenting, tightly managed meetings, and a relentless rhythm that’s anything but chaotic. Her personal life isn’t a reaction to her business, it’s a reflection of it. Clean. Efficient. Effective.

The 5:30 A.M. Rule: Discipline Before Sunrise

Emma Grede doesn’t hit snooze. She wakes up at 5:30 a.m. every single day. And it’s not for a wellness flex. It’s because, according to her, this is the only time the day truly belongs to her. Before the Slack messages, before the meetings, before the brand demands her leadership, she wins back a slice of stillness. That discipline gives her clarity. That clarity powers strategy.

It’s not about fitting into a mold of “morning routine success,” but about owning her energy before it gets fragmented. When she hits her desk, she’s not waking up. She’s already activated.

From Home to HQ: Systems, Not Chaos

Grede’s home, like her boardroom, is a place of structure. School runs? Timed. Meals? Prepped. Kids? Briefed. There’s no guessing game on what happens when. It’s all pre-programmed like a mission briefing. And she likes it that way.

She doesn’t believe in winging it. That’s for people who don’t have a billion-dollar valuation on the line. Every decision, from how her kids’ uniforms are handled to how investor calls are sequenced, flows from one core value: operational clarity.

That’s not cold. It’s freeing. When decisions are pre-made, energy is saved for what matters. That’s the game Grede is really playing.

The Skims Formula: Creative + Combat-Ready

What makes Grede different from the cliché “girlboss” founder archetype is her duality. She’s not just creative, she’s combat-ready. Skims isn’t just a brand with cultural clout; it’s a logistics beast. Selling stretchable shapewear at mass scale takes brutal attention to detail: inventory, sizing, restocks, customer service, celebrity collaborations, every piece needs to lock into place.

And Grede doesn’t just float on top of that structure, she built it.

Her meetings aren’t loose brainstorms. They’re laser sessions. Her team isn’t just talented, they’re trained. She expects rigor, not randomness. The reason Skims can drop a collection, sell out in minutes, and then restock without imploding? That’s Emma. That’s the system.

Family Is Not a Side Project — It’s a Parallel Operation

Grede’s “military mindset” doesn’t stop at the company door. It extends into how she parents. But not in a boot-camp way, in a proactive one. Her kids know what’s coming. The schedule is predictable. Expectations are set early. And above all, she’s present, not frazzled.

This is the opposite of hustle-parenting, where success is built at the cost of family. Grede doesn’t believe in trade-offs. She believes in systems that allow for both. The same clarity she demands from her team, she builds into her home life. That’s how she scales both roles: CEO and mom.

She doesn’t collapse under the weight of it all. She just runs it like an operation.

No Time for Chaos: Why Structure Is a Feminist Power Move

Let’s talk about what Grede is actually modeling here, not just a CEO routine, but a woman who’s using structure as a form of power.

In a world that expects women to either nurture or dominate, Grede does both, strategically. She doesn’t leave things to chance. She doesn’t glamorize burnout. She doesn’t pretend to “do it all” through chaos. She engineers her life like a mission: with targets, timelines, and tactical flexibility.

This isn’t hustle culture. This is high-performance feminism.

Grede’s discipline isn’t a reaction to pressure. It’s a rejection of mess. It’s her way of taking full ownership of the outcomes in both her company and her household.

And it’s working.

From London Streets to L.A. Power Moves

Emma Grede grew up in East London, and she didn’t come from luxury. That makes her rise even more precise. Her hunger wasn’t born in boardrooms, it was born in survival, ambition, and a deep belief that if she created structure, she could rewrite her reality.

Fast-forward to today, and she’s not just building Skims. She’s shaping a new kind of archetype: the operationally obsessed, emotionally grounded founder who scales empires and doesn’t lose her soul.

Grede is clear: her daily routine isn’t about being robotic. It’s about being ready.

Level Up Insight

Emma Grede’s secret isn’t luck, celebrity access, or chaos. It’s operations. She doesn’t live by vibes, she lives by mission. In a world drunk on spontaneity, Grede proves that structured living is still the sharpest tool in the success toolbox. She doesn’t chase balance. She builds systems that make balance inevitable.