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By Ted Williams |
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Hello Thursday. Premium tickets for next week’s Savannah Bananas games inside of Bank of America Stadium are going for as high as $874 on the secondary market.
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Here’s the thing: my wife was laser focused on their lottery process and secured 5 tickets for our family behind home plate for just $60 each.
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We could flip the tickets for a $4,070 profit 🤯 — but I need dancing baseball players in my veins! No way I’m selling.
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That said, if my cute 4 year old daughter turns to me at the game and predictably says, “Can we go home, Daddy? I’m kinda bored.” I may lose my mind. Anyways.
💼 Hot Job: Director of Sales at Olde Mecklenburg Brewery ($70K – $110K). Lead growth in the Carolinas. Manage 3 sales reps. Hiring manager is COO Jim Birch. |
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📈 Number: 8.2%. Percentage of 20-24 year olds who are unemployed. For men it’s 9.6%, starting a sad “stay-at-home son” trend this graduation season.
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👨 Shout-out: Philip Marxen, investor and entrepreneur, for chairing Charlotte’s second TIGER 21 Group (max 15 members). $20M in investable assets to apply. $33K annual dues.
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MARKETS: YEAR-TO-DATE
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S&P 500 |
5,889 |
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Nasdaq |
19,101 |
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SIDE HUSTLE DIARIES
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Buddies look to net $1M on spec home build, upfront investment just $525K
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| 4 bed, 4.5 bath, 4,240 square-foot Lake Norman spec home |
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Mortgage executive Jeff Brunner and his lawyer buddy are on their 3rd luxury spec home investment in the Lake Norman area.
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The first two were with Grandfather Homes (both successful). For this one, they hired a local builder in Mooresville.
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To secure the roughly $1.5M loan, their bank required about 25% of total project cost down and a personal guarantee.
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Economics: 2x return on invested capital in 13 months.
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Expenses include $827K to buy the land, $1.1M for construction, and $65K in loan carry costs. So, nearly $2M in total.
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They’ll list the home for around $3M.
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“We hope to net about $1M, on an upfront investment of $525K.”
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Spec advice: “The hardest part is getting a foot in the door, so start with a builder who you trust — and more importantly the lender trusts too. And then always plan on a 10% contingency no matter what.”
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PRESENTED BY HIGHLAND FALLS
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Founders of Winestore debut new line of THC-infused seltzer 4-packs for $19.99
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| Highland Harmony, a popular Highland Falls sipper |
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Early sales: “They’re flying off the shelves,” Winestore owner Matt Hartley told me. “We sold 650 4-packs over Memorial Day Weekend. Amazing feedback so far.”
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Highland Falls is vegan, gluten-free, alcohol-free, and crafted with hemp-derived Delta-9 THC for a clean, gentle lift that brings calm without the crash.
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The THC seltzers market is projected to hit $2 billion by 2030 with a 34% CAGR.
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Availability: You can grab a 4-pack for $19.99 at any of the 9 locally-owned Winestore locations. Go with the Highland Harmony, a margarita-like sipper👌
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HALF BAKED IDEA
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Mama Ricotta’s does “well into 7-figures” in to-go orders as takeout booms
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| Frank Scibelli, owner of 18 restaurants. Sold Bad Daddy’s for $21M in 2015 |
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Including takeout, drive-thru, and delivery — a shocking 75% of total food orders are now to-go, according to the National Restaurant Association. So I texted my friend Frank Scibelli to get his take on this trend.
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“It’s both a challenge and an opportunity,” explained restaurateur Frank Scibelli. “We were already doing takeout well before COVID, so when the pandemic hit, we didn’t have to start from scratch — we just ramped it up.”
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Takeout breakdown: Share of to-go sales by concept from Frank’s 18-restaurant portfolio:
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Midwood Smokehouse: 32%
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Yafo Kitchen: 30%
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Mama Ricotta’s: 30%
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Paco’s Tacos: 25%
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Calle Sol: 22%
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Little Mama’s: 20%
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Design impact: “We now build dedicated expo lines, pickup windows, and reinforce packaging logistics in the back-of-house. It’s also made parking strategy a critical decision.”
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Margins: “Packaging cost for to-go orders can hit 12–14% of the ticket, which surprises people who think it’s “easy money.” It has to hold the food — product by product — at the right quality for at least an hour or two.”
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Half-baked idea: Frank should replicate VC-backed food startup Wonder (now valued at over $7 billion) and build a central ghost kitchen that allows consumers to order from his 6 award-winning concepts in one delivery.
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Over time, I’d add more chef-driven restaurant dishes to the platform.
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You’re welcome, Frank! In exchange for this idea, I’ll only be taking a 5% equity stake.
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MONEY TALKS
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24 year old marketer making $55K saves on rent moving from South End apartment to NoDa house
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| Aria, this guy’s fav spot, but can “only afford it during restaurant week” |
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Money Talks is a weekly series showcasing how real people in Charlotte approach money. Participate.
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Living situation: “Rent. I have a roommate. We each pay $1,250/mo. Just moved from a South End apartment to a house in NoDa. Rent went down and I love the yard.”
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Second job: “I took a second job as a dog park supervisor at a dog bar to make ends meet while building a client base at my current marketing job (now $55K/yr).”
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Favorite expense: “SportsLink Passport membership for $50. I’m always in a kickball or volleyball league.”
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Splurge: “Travel. I don’t want to wait until I’m older to travel. I just got back from Peru. I did the entire trip for under $1,500.”
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Investment strategy: “No financial advisor. I put 10% of my paycheck into a 401k, current balance is $24K. I then put $400 a month into VTSAX (Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund) as my savings/emergency fund. I listen to my brother, who reads a lot of Reddit.”
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Debt: “Borrowed some money from my family to pay rent for a bit. No interest rate and I set up monthly payments over the next couple of years.”
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Rich in Charlotte: “$5M. That would let you live in almost any neighborhood.
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Financial goals: “Max out 401k and Roth every year, earn $100K salary before I’m 25, and buy a house before I’m 28.”
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Full story: Rent renewal money hack and net worth of 24 year old making $55K
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MONEY SNACKS
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5 other financial headlines I’m snacking on
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HOUSEKEEPING
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Historic Lentz Hotel asks $700K in Mount Pleasant
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| Constructed circa 1853, 4 beds, 2 baths, 3,871 square feet |
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How cute is this $700K historic listing? Just a short stroll from downtown Mount Pleasant, which I know absolutely nothing about.
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Random thought: Charlotte is now the 14th largest city in the U.S. We’ll inevitably crack the top 10. Sometimes when I drive through small N.C. towns on the way to the mountains or beaches I envy their simplicity.
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Happy Thursday! I’m going on a last minute trip with my 10 year old son down to my hometown of Vero Beach, FL this weekend to visit my parents and two best friends from high school.
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– Ted
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MONEY POLL
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Are luxury spec homes a good investment idea?
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Last week’s poll results: Will you book a trip using a travel agent/advisor in the next 12 months? (9,221 subscribers)
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