🟢 Molly Bets Big - Tiny Money

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By Ted Williams

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.

“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.”

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.

🧀 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.

👨 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.

MARKETS: YEAR-TO-DATE

S&P 500

7,136

+4.05%

Nasdaq

24,673

+6.19%

BOOTSTRAPPED

Molly Grantham launches $24/mo “Bet On Yourself” online community

Molly at Tuesday’s sold-out summit, courtesy of Corrie Huggins

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.

At the time, she was doing 20 live shows per week.

Career pivot: Molly “bet on herself” to become a speaker, auctioneer, and emcee. She’s crushing it👇

In 2024, she did 79 speaking events. Last year, that total hit 125, often bringing in thousands per talk.
Clients include Google, EY, Wells Fargo, Atrium Health, and Nucor.
As an auctioneer, Molly’s helped raise over $10M for communities over the last 18 months.

Summit: In addition to her speaking career, Molly hosts an annual Bet On Yourself Summit.

Tickets cost $149, and this year’s 420 tickets sold out in 3 minutes (750 on waitlist).
Additional revenue includes 27 sponsors.
This year’s summit took place 2 days ago. I attended. Energy was next level!!

Now live: This week, Molly is launching her biggest bet yet — The Wave, a $24/mo private online community with exclusive content and networking.

“There’s too much potential for impact to limit the Bet On Yourself movement to just one annual event,” Molly told me.
She’s hired a small team and has been developing the app for the past 6 months. It’s like a non-cringy LinkedIn.

On the journey: “No one could pay me enough to return to an inflexible, 50-hour a week job with a single revenue stream.”

PRESENTED BY MOOD HOUSE

Get 20% off Mother’s Day gift cards at Mood House, voted No. 1

My wife and I are both Mood House members – obsessed!

Awards: Voted “No. 1 Best Massage” in Charlotte in back-to-back years.

Skyrocketed onto Yelp’s 2025 Top Local Businesses List 🏆. Only 3 North Carolina businesses made the list.
Surpassed 2,200 massage members ($92/mo) across their Dilworth and Oakhurst locations — but you don’t need to be a member to book.

Mother’s Day: Use code “TINY20” at checkout for 20% off gift cards (code valid for next 24 hours). It’s amazing.

HAPPY HOUR

Leluia Hall debuts new happy hour menu with $55 Seafood Platter under $12K umbrellas

$55 Seafood Platter (normally $79) with an Old Fashioned lurking behind

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.

$2 Blue Point Oysters, $40 Tiny Taco Sampler (8 tacos), $25 Cheeseburger, $34 Lobster Rolls (2 rolls), and $55 Seafood Platter.

Patio analysis: I love the handful of 6-person tables with $12K Tucci Umbrellas overlooking the tree-lined Dilworth street.

The bougie umbrellas include a heater, light, anchors, cantilevers, and a gutter system. Owners Jeff and Jamie purchased 8 of them ($96K).

Burger economics: Leluia Hall’s burger runs $25, but it’s made of prime and Wagyu beef that can cost over $30 per pound.

“It’s based off the former Crêpe Cellar burger, which was our best-selling item for 13 straight years,” Jeff told me.

TINY MONEY JOB BOARD

Who’s hiring in Charlotte? 5 Trending jobs

Director of Marketing at Lucid Bots. Closed $20M Series B. Stock options. 500 robots deployed. CEO Andrew Ashur.
High Net Worth Producer at CAP Insurance Group ($100K+ OTE). New office. Badass leaders Andy Sturge and Charlie Sternberg.
Group Director, Golf Sponsorships at Octagon ($90K – $120K). Hybrid. Lead PGA Tour partnerships. 30% travel.
VP, Growth Investments at American Journalism Project ($175K – $193K). Remote. $240M raised. Hiring manager Darrin Kerr.
Head of Growth Marketing at Bankrate ($175K – $250K, plus equity). Remote. Organic social, PR, SEO, AEO, and comms.

Hiring? Post a job

Hunting? View all 108 open jobs on the Tiny Money Job Board💰

MONEY TALKS

27-year-old management consultant making $180K automates $150/wk into VOO

$26 Prime Tuna roll at Prime Fish, this consultant’s No. 1 restaurant

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

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.”

Job: “Management consultant. $160K base and variable bonus of around $20K.”

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.”

Best expense: “$200/mo CrossFit gym membership. It’s all class-based, which is a great way to make friends and find community.”

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.”

Transparency: “My friends and I share salaries and other money stuff. It’s uncomfortable at first, but a great way to learn and grow.”

Rich in Charlotte: “Whoever is buying those $2M bungalow homes in Dilworth.”

Full story: 27-year-old breaks down $175K net worth and shares $1.49 Taco Tuesday deal

MONEY SNACKS

5 other financial headlines I’m snacking on

The Grove hosts open house. The Myers Park membership club for families charges $3,950 initiation and $250 monthly dues.
Rory McIlroy commits to next week’s Truist Championship at Quail. Tickets start at $81. Green Mile Club sold out.
Calle Sol rolls out new spring menu items. Order the new $12 Nacho Cubano and $21 Chicken Yakitori. Delicious!
Seoul Food for sale asking $6M. 2 locations. Combined revenue of $4.3M. Tasty Korean-style wings and late-night crowd.
Quail Hollow mansion asks $15M. 17,000 square feet with views of hole 14. Full fitness suite. Liza Caminiti has the listing.

HOUSEKEEPING

Sexy $15 Fried Chicken Biscuit trending at Grey’s Diner

$15 Fried Chicken Biscuit with eggs, cheddar, Troy’s Bacon, and hash browns

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👇

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!!

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.

– Ted