🪴 How many houseplants is too many?

PLUS: Business lessons from The Beatles. December 23, 2021 [The Hustle]( We asked our Twitter followers about what they think is the best way to professionally say “idgaf.” Some of our favorite answers include “Let’s put a pin in that,” “Noted,” and “I appreciate you highlighting this issue, but right now it’s beyond the scope of what I’m working on.” Today’s rundown: - Indoor jungles: The houseplant craze, explained. - Web rankings: Which site holds the top spot in 2021? - Come together: What The Beatles can teach us about business. - Around the web: A simple game worth serious coin, cool writing tips, and more internet things. Let’s do it. The big idea [Potted plants]( Source: [Getty Images/Bogdan Kurylo]( The houseplant community is growing like a weed Know what this living space needs? More plants. That’s what thousands of people have told themselves throughout the pandemic -- leading to rapid [growth]( of the online plant community (and a rise of plant-obsessed hoarders), per Input Mag. The houseplant frenzy has been budding all over social media Enthusiasts have been congregating across platforms, including: - Facebook: The House Plant Hobbyist Facebook [group]( has ~500k members - Reddit: The r/houseplants [subreddit]( has 956k members - TikTok: The #plantsoftiktok [hashtag]( reached 4.3B views The craze has gotten so big that, in 2021, “how to move with plants” was [Googled]( more than “how to move with kids” or “how to move with pets.” It’s also minted a very specific type of influencer “Plantfluencers” often have hundreds of plants, and help guide new hobbyists down the rabbit hole, showing them which plants to purchase and how to care for them. But many plantfluencers are quick to point out that the rapid growth of the houseplant community has fostered a trend of overconsumption: - A major focus of online houseplant groups is the sale of plants -- often in auction or “drop” form -- causing ignorant purchasing behavior. - The influx of new buyers also put strain on supply, and prices jumped ~19% this year. - One collector realized things were out of hand when her plant collection prevented her from seeing out her windows. Despite the downsides, plants have proven benefits Some perks of the hobby include improved moods and reduced stress; plants can also clean indoor air by absorbing toxins and producing oxygen. If you’re a budding plantfluencer, just be mindful of your spending habits, or you may find yourself in a jungle of your own making. P.S. Need help caring for your indoor plants? Check out this [guide]( to master the basics. [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+houseplant+community+is+growing+like+a+weed%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fthehustle.co%2F12232021-houseplants%3Futm_campaign%3DHouseplants%26utm_content%3D12232021-houseplants%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 Back for more: Bolt, a 1-click checkout startup that raised $400m in October, [announced]( it is looking to raise another $400m at a $14B valuation. Changing hands: AT&T [announced]( it would sell Xandr, its programmatic advertising unit, to Microsoft for ~$1B. Delivery unicorn: Veho, a next-day delivery service, [raised]( $125m at a $1B valuation. UPDATE: EU regulators [approved]( Microsoft’s $19.7B acquisition of Nuance Communications, which offers AI services for health care companies. --------------------------------------------------------------- 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 →]( Chart [traffic rankings]( TikTok just beat Google at the internet TikTok is popular, everyone knows that. But just how popular is it? This week, cloud infrastructure company Cloudflare [released]( its Year in Review 2021 -- the equivalent of Spotify Wrapped for web traffic data (how exciting). The kicker? Cloudflare’s report had TikTok shoot up from 7th place in 2020 to 1st place in 2021, dethroning Google of the top spot. The list comes with one major caveat, however. Google owns YouTube, but they’re counted separately on this list. Now, just imagine if they were counted together… [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=TikTok+just+beat+Google+at+the+internet%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fthehustle.co%2F12232021-TikTok-traffic%3Futm_campaign%3DHouseplants%26utm_content%3D12232021-TikTok-traffic%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]( Free Resource Step No. 1 to nailing your social media planning: By using a 10/10 fill-in-the-blank [content calendar template](. It’s the stencil you need to manage every social channel like a pro. The one featured in this blog post has pleasing pastel color-coding and thorough tabs to help you track content and stakeholders with ease. Sharpen your 2022 social media cadence with: - The majestic monthly planning calendar - LinkedIn, Twitter, Meta (smh), and Instagram campaign organizers - A content repository for backlog and inspiration Social media branding isn’t all fun and games, this shit is scientific. These spreadsheets will also help you work magic in CMS platforms like HubSpot (AKA the business booster you can thank for this blog post). [Clean social media templates →]( Beatles Business [Beatles artwork]( What can The Beatles teach us about management? “Get Back” is a newly released [documentary]( about The Beatles. The project -- created by “Lord of the Rings” director Peter Jackson -- pulls incredible footage from a 1969 recording session. The legendary group demonstrates… … notable management principles in their creative process, per [The Economist](. First is group psychology: An MIT study shows that group performance is more correlated with sensitivity than intelligence. Ringo Starr -- the coolest mustached musician ever -- is known as the laid-back guy. His chill attitude makes him seem “dispensable” but he “softens conflict and bridges divides” within the group. Two other principles: - Inspiration is everywhere: McKinsey surveyed 5k+ execs and found that learning from others is key to success. The Beatles regularly got creative ideas from other bands. - Deadlines are key: A Google study found its best teams set goals that were “specific, challenging and attainable.” In the documentary, The Beatles have “to write an album’s worth of new songs in just a matter of days and perform them on a TV special.” The Economist concedes its analysis has limits: not every team can have George Harrison, John Lennon, and Paul McCartney. The latter 2 are regarded as all-time geniuses. That’s one management lesson you can [imagine](, but not replicate. [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=What+can+The+Beatles+teach+us+about+management%3F%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fthehustle.co%2F12232021-The-Beatles%3Futm_campaign%3DHouseplants%26utm_content%3D12232021-The-Beatles%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 1888, artist Vincent van Gogh [infamously]( severed his own ear. He would later paint “Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear.” 🪦 Crazy game: The rules of [Tontine]( are simple: pay $10 to join and log in 1x daily to stay alive. The last person “alive” wins the pot. We got you access before the official release, so expect the pot to grow -- a lot. 📓 Useful: The [Purdue Online Writing Lab]( is full of free resources on writing, research, citations, grammar, and more. 🖊 Cure boredom: Decode [this message]( made entirely of scribbles. 🥚 That’s interesting: Researchers [say]( beads made from ostrich eggshells point to an ancient, word-of-mouth social network in Africa. 🐶 Aww: And now, [a dog]( who helps with chores. Tweet of the day [houseplant Tweet] See? It can escalate quickly… (Source: [Twitter/@atkelli_]() 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](. Editing by: Mark “Budding plantfluencer” 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](