📜 Honey, I’m buying the US Constitution

PLUS: Glossier gets physical. November 17, 2021 [The Hustle]( The Green Bay Packers are selling shares in the team, offering 300k shares at $300 each. The kicker? The shares don’t hold any value after purchase -- they’re essentially for bragging rights. In 2011, the last time the team did this, they raised $67.4m and used it for stadium renovations. Today’s rundown: - National Treasure: The online group trying to buy the US Constitution. - Shady economics: Why thieves love stealing catalytic converters. - Let’s get physical: Why Glossier opened a marble-ensconced paradise in a pandemic. - Around the web: The 1st computer mouse, an amazing writing handbook, a hilarious metaverse parody, and more internet things. Let’s do it. The Big Idea [US Constitution]( The online group trying to buy the US Constitution, explained Nic Cage once stole the Declaration of Independence and kidnapped the president. Along those lines, tomorrow, the online group [ConstitutionDAO]( will attempt to buy the last privately owned, 1st-edition printed copy of the US Constitution and put it “in the hands of The People.” This specific copy was first [bought]( by a real estate developer, the late S. Howard Goldman, in 1988 for $165k. His wife put it up for sale, and proceeds will go to a charitable foundation. But first, WTF is a DAO? Investor Cooper Turley [likens]( a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) to an “internet community with a shared bank account.” DAOs are blockchain-based, member-owned groups that can quickly and easily raise funds, manage projects, or make investments. To raise funds for ConsitutionDAO… … backers can contribute ether cryptocurrency in exchange for $PEOPLE tokens, which give them the ability to advise on: - Where the copy of the Constitution should be displayed - How it should be exhibited - The mission and values of ConstitutionDAO Of course, memes have played a major role If you’ve been on tech Twitter at all this week, you may have noticed: - Nic Cage - A new icon in many profiles (📜, 📜) - “Wagbtc,” which stands for “we’re all gonna buy the constitution” In his newsletter, Not Boring, Packy McCormick [highlights]( the importance of memes in helping ConstitutionDAO build cohesion and spread the mission to new members. The excitement has fueled $6m+ in funding so far -- but with the text expected to go for $15m-$20m, ConstitutionDAO has a ways to go. Even if it falls short, the project will have shown a glimpse of the utility of blockchain technology, and, more importantly, given us a much-needed dose of Nic Cage from his “National Treasure” glory days. [Share on Facebook]( [Share on Twitter]( [Send as email to a friend](mailto:?subject=The%20Hustle%20wrote%20something%20I%20think%20you%27ll%20like...%0A&body=The+online+group+trying+to+buy+the+US+Constitution%2C+explained%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fthehustle.co%2F11172021-ConstitutionDAO%3Futm_campaign%3DConstitutionDAO%26utm_content%3D11172021-ConstitutionDAO%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_source%3Ddaily%0A%0AYou%20can%20subscribe%20with%20my%20link%20here%20to%20get%20the%20latest%20in%20tech%20and%20business%20daily:%0A [View on our website]( SNIPPETS Yikes: The water crisis in Flint, Michigan, [exposed]( ~20k children to lead, and will cost the state $626m to compensate those affected. Metaverse University: Roblox [announced]( plans to invest $10m in nonprofits to develop educational games on its platform. Big niche: Substack [announced]( it reached 1m paid subscribers across all its newsletters, with the top 10 writers on the platform collectively pulling in $20m+ annually. Time for a thread: Twitter [acquired]( Threader, an app that helps users compile Twitter threads. Unequal Christmas: Sales at retail stores, online, and at restaurants [rose]( by 1.7% in October, pointing toward a strong holiday season. But 11.5% of Americans [don’t]( plan to spend at all this season, the most in 10 years. --------------------------------------------------------------- Hey — enjoy getting quick updates on what you care about? Take [20 seconds]( to personalize your Snippets. Pick your preferences👇 and we’ll send you more of what you love. Boom. [Personalize my Email →]( Car Parts [catalytic converter theft]( Visual: Zachary Crocket Why thieves love to steal catalytic converters In the past few years, theft of this little car part -- which breaks down noxious gases -- has ballooned out of control. Auto shops that used to see 2-3 stolen converters every month are now seeing as many as 6-8 per day. What’s going on? Catalytic converters contain trace amounts of precious metals. And recently, the going rates for these metals have shot up to the moon: - Rhodium went from ~$2k/oz. in 2018 to nearly $30k/oz. in 2021 - Palladium swelled by 3x ($1k to $3k) over the same time period A skilled thief can steal your converter in just 30 seconds and flip it for up to $1k+, depending on make and model. Where do all these things go after they’re stolen? For our latest visual explainer, we dove into the shady underground economy of catalytic converter theft. [Read the full story →]( Podcast A sit-down with HubSpot founder Brian Halligan Two weeks after HubSpot bought The Hustle in February, Brian and his son almost died on a snowmobile in Vermont. Sam and Shaan dive into Brian’s post-accident volta and HubSpot’s journey to $1B annual recurring revenue. Highlights from My First Million: - [The snowmobile accident]( - [Brian’s new role at HubSpot]( - [Businesses to build on top of HubSpot’s CRM]( - [How to manage creatives]( - [Sales lessons from the Grateful Dead]( [Our first billion (in ARR) →]( Hybrid Beauty [Glossier stores]( Why D2C brand Glossier is returning to in-person retail Glossier’s new Los Angeles store is a millennial pink, marble-ensconced paradise made for Instagram and TikTok. But why, after closing all its in-person outposts amid the pandemic, is the D2C beauty brand returning to physical retail? It’s all about the experience Online sales increased 32.4% YoY in 2020 and were up 39% in Q1 2021, [per]( Digital Commerce 360. But several digital-first brands, including Allbirds and [Warby Parker](, think they can get shoppers back off their couches. “Consumers aren’t looking to visit stores simply to transact -- they’re hungry for meaningful and memorable experiences that can’t be recreated online,” Kristy Maynes, Glossier’s SVP of retail, told The Hustle. Glossier’s new Seattle location saw 35k+ visitors in its 1st 2 months. It also [features]( a mossy mushroom sculpture that Instagammers [love](. Its LA store, which opens Thursday, is a hangout spot with: - Seating around a chrome globe fountain - WiFi and AC - An alleyway with a 2nd fountain and coffee shop Why bother? Because consumers are also hybrid shoppers Many customers now use and [expect]( multiple channels, online and off, to make a purchase. For Glossier, that might mean customers sample products in-store, make purchase decisions online, then return for a pickup and a coffee. Or maybe they research products online, then test and buy them in store. It worked for Allbirds, which [found]( its hybrid customers spent 1.5x more. Also pink: The LA store is a half-mile from the Pink Wall, an inexplicable tourist attraction that, as of 2019, cost fashion brand Paul Smith [$60k]( a year in upkeep. [Share on Facebook]( [Share on Twitter]( [Send as email to a friend](mailto:?subject=The%20Hustle%20wrote%20something%20I%20think%20you%27ll%20like...%0A&body=Why+D2C+brand+Glossier+is+returning+to+in-person+retail%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fthehustle.co%2F11172021-Glossier-stores%3Futm_campaign%3DConstitutionDAO%26utm_content%3D11172021-Glossier-stores%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_source%3Ddaily%0A%0AYou%20can%20subscribe%20with%20my%20link%20here%20to%20get%20the%20latest%20in%20tech%20and%20business%20daily:%0A [View on our website]( AROUND THE WEB 🐭 On this day: In 1970, Douglas Engelbert [patented]( the 1st computer mouse. It was a wooden shell with 2 wheels underneath and a cord coming out 1 end. And yeah, it kinda looked like a mouse! 🖊️ How to: This [free online handbook]( from writer Julian Shapiro helps you write concise, clear, and all-around better nonfiction. 😊 Chill out: Stacking rocks in nature is [actually bad]( for the environment. But you can try it online [here]( harm-free. 🤘 Huh: A metal guitarist thought “Doomscroll” would be a great name for his music project. Now he’s in [a tiff]( with the video game company behind the “Doom” franchise. 📚 Useful: [LibriVox]( is a collection of free, public domain audiobooks read by volunteers. (You can volunteer, too, if you want!) 🇮🇸 Haha: ICYMI, Iceland made [an A+ tourism video]( that parodies Zuck’s metaverse announcement. Tweet of the day [Declaration tweet] The future is all about owning the past (Source: [Twitter]() [decorative question marks] ask the hustle 🧑‍💻 How can I overcome imposter syndrome? -- Lee from New York City 🧙 Howdy, Lee. We recommend you start a Google Doc, name it “Confidence Boost,” and drop in every piece of praise/positive feedback you ever get from your boss or teammates. When you’re questioning yourself, have a read. Also, know that if you act like you belong somewhere for long enough, people start to believe you do -- including yourself. (Need some advice? Ask The Hustle [here](.) How did you like today’s email? Refer friends. Help us grow. Get cool stuff 🤠Share The Hustle with your custom referral link: [ Your referral count: 0 Today's email was brought to you by [Trung Phan](, [Jacob Cohen](, [Juliet Bennett Rylah](, [Rob Litterst](, [Sara Cravatts](. Editing by: Mark “Fractional owner of the US Constitution” Dent. [PODCAST]( [JOBS]( [CONTACT US](mailto:news@thehustle.co) [Facebook]( [Youtube]( [Instagram]( [Trends]( 25 FIRST ST. 2ND FLOOR, CAMBRIDGE, MA 02141, UNITED STATES  +1 888 482 7768 Never want to hear from us again? Break our hearts and [unsubscribe](list=thehustle). [The Hustle](