🟢 Office Kegs

Hello Thursday. I love Halloween. I’ll be sipping NoDa’s new Hop Drop Lights (only 4.7% ABV) chit-chatting with neighborhood dads as my kids go nuts.

My 10-year-old is dressing up as a Minion. 8-year-old is a blue M&M. 5-year-old is cotton candy. The homemade cotton candy costume could easily be confused for a cloud, but don’t tell her that.

Also, my son was born on Halloween! I didn’t grow up with video games, but we’re getting him a PlayStation 5. I had no idea these cost $500. WTF. And now I’ve got to figure out how much to let him play. Anyways.

💼 Hot job: AI Strategy Consultant at Hightouch ($170K – $200K). Raised a Series C at a $1.2B valuation. New Charlotte office led by Alec Haase.

🐔 For sale: Dalton Espaillat lists MaBí Cocina Tropical in NoDa for $650K. Dalton invested $1.2M in the space, but sales struggled. He’ll focus on his 17-location Sabor empire, where sales are up 10%.

👨 Shout-out: Trace Smith, 38-year-old CEO of Next Glass, for acquiring Ekos. 120 combined employees at this beverage tech startup. Trace is a Woodberry Forest and Wake Forest grad.

MARKETS: YEAR-TO-DATE

NEW BRUNCH

$12 Monkey Bread emerges as a must-order at Leluia Hall’s new weekend brunch

Brunch menu: Last weekend, Leluia Hall debuted weekend brunch. Surprisingly, 8 dishes tied in popularity!

Diversification: “Just like in a financial portfolio, variety works in our favor — if one ingredient’s price spikes on a dish, we have flexibility to remove that item and focus elsewhere,” co-owner Jeff Tonidandel told me.

Fun fact: Leluia Hall’s $16 Bloody Mary made up 25% of its brunch cocktail sales. I told you basic people like me love a full shrimp garnish!

Tiny take: As an investigative journalist, I sampled nearly a dozen brunch dishes.

PRESENTED BY THE COLLECTION

Move-in-ready NoDa townhomes start at $2,490/mo

New: The Collection at Charles makes luxury living in NoDa more attainable than ever for young professionals and families.

Pricing: Rates start at $2,490, with up to two months free for a limited time.

BOOTSTRAPPED

31-year-old's office beer delivery startup growing 50% YoY, on pace for $700K

Idea: "I knew there was a need for office beverage delivery and service," Brandon told me. "I thought offices here would shift more to what I saw in San Francisco."

Revenue: “$441K in 2024 and on pace for $700K this year. We should hit $1M in 2026," explained Brandon.

Insight: "It’s a service business; we all have access to the same products."

TINY MONEY JOB BOARD

Who’s hiring in Charlotte? 5 Trending jobs

Hiring? Post a job

Hunting? View all 97 open jobs on the Tiny Money Job Board 💰

MONEY TALKS

42-year-old construction exec’s parents went bankrupt, now he has $4.5M

Money Talks is a weekly series showcasing how real people in Charlotte approach money. Participate.

Job: "I do sales in the construction industry. I make $350K – $400K, mostly commission. I started off making $45K out of college."

Rentals: "We own 2. They net about $30K/year. Charlotte real estate is exploding, own something!"

Knowledge: “My parents went bankrupt when I was a kid. I learned a lot about what not to do. I recommend having a money mentor. It's important."

Budgeting: “I budget savings, not expenses. It's a little backwards, but it works for me. I've also used the Debt Snowball Method.”

Net worth: “$4.5M. We started investing early and let time do its work. The S&P 500 has averaged 10.9% over the last 20 years!”

Financial goals: “Generate $100K in passive income from rentals, hit $10M net worth, and be able to give away money as we’d like.”

Rich in Charlotte: “Anybody with a net worth over $1M.”

Full story: 42-year-old construction worker says "don't do annuities or whole life insurance"

MONEY SNACKS

5 other financial headlines I’m snacking on

HOT START

NADC Burger sells nearly 1,000 burgers — forced to "pause" operations to keep up

Now open: NADC Burger sold nearly 1,000 burgers on opening weekend, forcing the cult-favorite burger joint to pause operations yesterday.

Signature burger: Double Wagyu beef patties, American cheese, onions, secret sauce, tamed jalapeños, and pickles on a toasted potato bun. It’s a whopping $16.

Tiny take: It’s a top 5 Charlotte burger.

Happy Thursday! On Halloween night, I’m grilling premium Reid’s steakburgers, drinking 2 (okay, maybe 4) Hop Drop Lights, and then eating my kids’ candy after they go to sleep.

Programming note: No newsletter next week 😢! I’m heading to Spartanburg, SC to tee it up with a few college buddies at The Country Club of Spartanburg.

– Ted

MONEY POLL

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