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By Ted Williams |
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Hello Thursday. I’m a $20 per month Morris Jenkins Priority Advantage Member. Not sure if it’s a rip-off, but whatever. A technician came to our house last week for the annual cooling inspection.
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“I always try to guess what the customer does for a living, but I can’t figure you out at all,” the technician told me. “I’m confused because you seem genuinely happy and nobody is ever happy.”
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He must not service many homes of underemployed bloggers! Anyways.
💼 Hot job: Chief Revenue Officer at Siftwell ($240K – $260K, plus bonus). Remote. Equity package. Charlotte-based Healthcare AI startup. Talent lead Julia Baun. |
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🧀 Opening hype: Orrman’s Cheese Shop opens Monday across from The Jimmy in Myers Park. Super cute. 150 different cheeses. “Cheese is our love language,” owner Rachel Klebaur told me.
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👨 Shout-out: Teddy Fitzgibbons and Mike Kerr, founders of StreetFair, for selling to Thumbtack. The home services startup raised $6.8M and gained 100,000 users before being acquired. “Happy with the outcome!” said Teddy.
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MARKETS: YEAR-TO-DATE
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S&P 500 |
7,136 |
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Nasdaq |
24,673 |
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BOOTSTRAPPED
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Molly Grantham launches $24/mo “Bet On Yourself” online community
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| Molly at Tuesday’s sold-out summit, courtesy of Corrie Huggins |
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Catch up: 2 years ago, Molly Grantham walked away from her lucrative, 20-year career as our city’s top TV news anchor to become an entrepreneur.
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Career pivot: Molly “bet on herself” to become a speaker, auctioneer, and emcee. She’s crushing it👇
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In 2024, she did 79 speaking events. Last year, that total hit 125, often bringing in thousands per talk.
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Clients include Google, EY, Wells Fargo, Atrium Health, and Nucor.
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As an auctioneer, Molly’s helped raise over $10M for communities over the last 18 months.
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Summit: In addition to her speaking career, Molly hosts an annual Bet On Yourself Summit.
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Tickets cost $149, and this year’s 420 tickets sold out in 3 minutes (750 on waitlist).
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Additional revenue includes 27 sponsors.
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This year’s summit took place 2 days ago. I attended. Energy was next level!!
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Now live: This week, Molly is launching her biggest bet yet — The Wave, a $24/mo private online community with exclusive content and networking.
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“There’s too much potential for impact to limit the Bet On Yourself movement to just one annual event,” Molly told me.
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She’s hired a small team and has been developing the app for the past 6 months. It’s like a non-cringy LinkedIn.
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On the journey: “No one could pay me enough to return to an inflexible, 50-hour a week job with a single revenue stream.”
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PRESENTED BY MOOD HOUSE
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Get 20% off Mother’s Day gift cards at Mood House, voted No. 1
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| My wife and I are both Mood House members – obsessed! |
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Awards: Voted “No. 1 Best Massage” in Charlotte in back-to-back years.
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Skyrocketed onto Yelp’s 2025 Top Local Businesses List 🏆. Only 3 North Carolina businesses made the list.
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Surpassed 2,200 massage members ($92/mo) across their Dilworth and Oakhurst locations — but you don’t need to be a member to book.
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Mother’s Day: Use code “TINY20” at checkout for 20% off gift cards (code valid for next 24 hours). It’s amazing.
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HAPPY HOUR
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Leluia Hall debuts new happy hour menu with $55 Seafood Platter under $12K umbrellas
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| $55 Seafood Platter (normally $79) with an Old Fashioned lurking behind |
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Happy hour: Leluia Hall just dropped a new “Happy Hour on the Patio” menu, available 4:30-6:30pm Tuesday-Thursday and 4-6pm Friday and Saturday.
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$2 Blue Point Oysters, $40 Tiny Taco Sampler (8 tacos), $25 Cheeseburger, $34 Lobster Rolls (2 rolls), and $55 Seafood Platter.
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Patio analysis: I love the handful of 6-person tables with $12K Tucci Umbrellas overlooking the tree-lined Dilworth street.
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The bougie umbrellas include a heater, light, anchors, cantilevers, and a gutter system. Owners Jeff and Jamie purchased 8 of them ($96K).
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Burger economics: Leluia Hall’s burger runs $25, but it’s made of prime and Wagyu beef that can cost over $30 per pound.
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MONEY TALKS
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27-year-old management consultant making $180K automates $150/wk into VOO
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| $26 Prime Tuna roll at Prime Fish, this consultant’s No. 1 restaurant |
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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: “I rent a 1-bedroom South End apartment for $1,650/mo. There are great deals for apartment hoppers. They gave me 2 months free, a $1,000 Visa gift card, AND a pair of AirPods Max.”
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Job: “Management consultant. $160K base and variable bonus of around $20K.”
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Salary journey: “Started as a Big 4 consultant out of college at $72K. Big 4 offered consistent raises—from $72K to $120K over 3 years—but job hopping made the largest difference.”
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Best expense: “$200/mo CrossFit gym membership. It’s all class-based, which is a great way to make friends and find community.”
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Investing: “I started in college. My internship was canceled due to Covid-19, and as consolation, they gave me a $3K check. I set up a Robinhood account with a recurring weekly $25 VOO investment. Now it’s $150.”
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Transparency: “My friends and I share salaries and other money stuff. It’s uncomfortable at first, but a great way to learn and grow.”
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Rich in Charlotte: “Whoever is buying those $2M bungalow homes in Dilworth.”
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Full story: 27-year-old breaks down $175K net worth and shares $1.49 Taco Tuesday deal
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MONEY SNACKS
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5 other financial headlines I’m snacking on
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The Grove hosts open house. The Myers Park membership club for families charges $3,950 initiation and $250 monthly dues.
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Rory McIlroy commits to next week’s Truist Championship at Quail. Tickets start at $81. Green Mile Club sold out.
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Calle Sol rolls out new spring menu items. Order the new $12 Nacho Cubano and $21 Chicken Yakitori. Delicious!
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Seoul Food for sale asking $6M. 2 locations. Combined revenue of $4.3M. Tasty Korean-style wings and late-night crowd.
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Quail Hollow mansion asks $15M. 17,000 square feet with views of hole 14. Full fitness suite. Liza Caminiti has the listing.
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HOUSEKEEPING
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Sexy $15 Fried Chicken Biscuit trending at Grey’s Diner
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| $15 Fried Chicken Biscuit with eggs, cheddar, Troy’s Bacon, and hash browns |
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Now open: I’m officially creating the ”Grey’s Challenge” for all Tiny Money readers, so that you can empathize with bloggers like me who put their body on the line👇
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If in a 24-hour period, you eat their $15 Fried Chicken Biscuit for breakfast, $18 Grey’s Burger for lunch, and $22 Big Sam’s Lasagna for dinner — I’ll send you a limited edition Tiny Money rope hat, t-shirt, and sleeve of Pro V1s!!
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Happy Thursday! I’m teeing it up this afternoon at River Run and may swing by Kindred afterwards to crush their $21 Crispy Oysters with yogurt dill dipping sauce and a Barkeep’s Choice cocktail.
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– Ted
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MONEY POLL
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Are you on a GLP-1?
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Yes
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Not currently, but I have in the past
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No, but I’m curious
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No, and I likely never will
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Last week’s poll results: What’s your budgeting approach? (13,719 subscribers)
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