Working Girl's Guide #40: One night in Vegas, real talk with Vivian Tu, and the trench of your dreams

Today we’re talking Meghan Markle’s new lifestyle brand, the Olipop vs. Poppi rivalry, and angel investing. Let’s get into it.

Delta flight crashes at Toronto’s airport

Let’s start with the good news: EVERYONE WAS FINE. But this has been a spooky year for flying (and we’re only a couple weeks in). There was yet another plane crash on Monday, this one from Delta Airlines: a jet flipped onto its roof while landing in Toronto. Emergency responders reacted within minutes; 18 people were taken to the hospital, and thankfully no one was seriously injured (phew).

Olipop is crushing the game (and giving Poppi a run for its money)

The prebiotic soda brand has achieved a valuation of $1.85 billion, thanks to its recent round of funding — which got the not-soda-soda company another $50 mill to keep growing. Apparently 1 in 4 Gen Zers consume Olipop (for context, Gen Z is a demographic with which traditional soda companies have struggled to gain a foothold). But Coca-Cola is trying: they just announced their foray into the prebiotic soda space with Simply Pop, which is absolutely not calling to me.

Meghan Markle has a new lifestyle braned

The Duchess of Sussex has relaunched her lifestyle brand, which is now called As Ever, and whose website features a picture of Markle with her daughter, Lilibet. Real ones remember that she launched her lifestyle brand a few years ago as American Riviera Orchard, which used to be, like, a jam brand or something? We don’t know what As Ever is. Maybe more jam?

I flew to Vegas in a 70s outfit for one night only — and on a Tuesday, no less. This is me on the plane at 3:30PM looking absolutely crazy eyed and obsessed. Am I insane? Of course! Are these 500 business school kids sitting next to me also insane? Absolutely!

TBH I think this one speaks for itself but catch me in ALL seasons in this incredible trench. It's been rainy in SF (rare) so I've been sporting this baby all week — but I think it will also be the perfect lightweight piece to style over a dress in Spring/Summer for work. LOVE! Bonus: it’s waterproof, which means it’s great for both rain and the inevitable coffee-spill-on-white-outfit during your walk to work (guilty as charged).

Let’s talk about investing. And before you stop reading — trust me, I’m a newbie too. The idea of identifying a unicorn startup and getting your foot in the door early? Sounds incredibly gratifying (ummm hi overnight millionaire?), but also…where the hell do I start? Don’t ask me!

Lucky for you all, I’m a lazy gal myself — which means I’m not doing anything unless it’s EASY.

If you want to get into angel investing (investing in a small business in exchange for equity) but don’t have millions of dollars like the rich dudes who put “Angel Investor” in their LinkedIn bios, then I have just the solution for you! I recently joined the Angel Squad community, whose whole goal is to make startup investing accessible, fun, and high-impact. You can learn about deal structures and hear directly from founders in weekly virtual sessions — start writing checks as low as $1k. AND, since you’re my friend, you can claim 30 days free here!

They also have quarterly in-person events in major cities, so I’ll see all you smarties soon!!

So excited about this one! Ross and I have a super special guest this week: Vivian Tu, aka Your Rich BFF, aka the financial superhero you didn’t know you needed in your life. We dive deep into the world of personal finance, including discussing salaries, how to split rent with your significant other, navigating the stock market, crypto, credit card hacks you should know, and her incredibly wise answer to this challenging listener-submitted question: ‘What income level makes for a happy marriage?’ I’m obsessed with Vivian, and you will be too. Listen here.

Thanks for reading!