Photo by Declan Sun / Unsplash Brand The Rise of the Quirky Collectible: Labubu and the Power of Niche Brands The Signal Labubu, the strange little character from Hong Kong’s Pop Mart universe, has blown up into a cult collectible. By now, you have probably seen it, even if you don't have kids. Limited releases trigger long lines, resale frenzies, and online buzz, turning this oddball figure By Tobias Dahlberg • 1 min read
Entrepreneurship The Age of Small Giants: Why $10M Is the New $1B and "Enough" Is The New Empire. For decades, startup porn glorified unicorns. Blitzscale, raise at insane valuations, burn cash like kindling, pray for an exit. But in 2025, a quiet counter-movement is emerging: the Small Giant. These are founders who stop at $10–20M revenue, run lean, and decide “enough” is the new empire. The paradox? By Tobias Dahlberg • 2 min read
Entrepreneurship Fractional Everything: Talent on Tap, Not on Payroll. Hiring used to mean headcount. Now it means head math. Why pay for a 40-hour executive when you only need 8 hours of brilliance? Entrepreneurs are ditching bloated payrolls for fractional talent — half a CMO, a quarter CFO, and a designer on Slack speed-dial. The signal is clear: work is By Tobias Dahlberg • 1 min read
Entrepreneurship 92% of Founders Have No Regrets — Why Misery Loves Employment Here’s the paradox: entrepreneurship is both the most miserable and most joyful career path in the world. The data backs it up — 92% of founders say they have zero regrets about starting their business. Zero. This despite the fact that half of them admit to chronic anxiety, 72% report By Tobias Dahlberg • 2 min read
Agency Internal Comms Is Becoming As Valuable As External Branding For years, branding meant billboards, Superbowl spots, and social campaigns. External, external, external. The customer was king, and employees were the afterthought. The irony? In 2025, the most powerful brand audience isn’t out there — it’s in here. Internal comms and culture have become as valuable as external branding. By Tobias Dahlberg • 2 min read
Brand The AI Brand Machine: What Happens When Creativity Goes Algorithmic By Tobias Dahlberg • 2 min read
Design Planet-Centric Design: What It Means to Design for Earth, Not Just Users For a decade, “human-centered design” was gospel. Designers stuck Post-its on walls, mapped journeys, and chanted empathy mantras. It worked — for humans. The problem? Humans don’t exist in isolation. They exist on a heating planet, inside fragile ecosystems, and within communities bearing the costs of consumption. In 2025, the By Tobias Dahlberg • 3 min read
Photo by Jimmy Jin / Unsplash Brand Apple’s Quiet Brand Tax: How Cupertino Keeps Raising Prices Without Revolt Apple just raised iPhone prices again, and customers barely blinked. The signal: Apple has built a “brand tax” — a premium people pay without question. The deeper truth? Trust and ecosystem lock-in let Apple defy inflationary gravity. The shift is from product pricing to brand pricing, where identity, status, and switching By Tobias Dahlberg • 2 min read
Brand Has Lululemon Lost Its Stretch? Once the unstoppable force of luxury athleisure, Lululemon is starting to sag. Sales are soft, markdowns are heavy, and the stock has lost nearly 60% of its stretch from the highs. The signal: fatigue is real. The deeper truth? Premium positioning alone can’t carry a brand through shifting consumer By Tobias Dahlberg • 2 min read
Journal The Brief+ Welcome to the tequila shot of business intelligence I'm excited to share an upgrade to The Brief premium subscription. I just made some changes to the original offering that I hope you agree is pretty awesome. I decided to offer all five Daily Briefs for ONE SUBSCRIPTION price. And I am offering it at the intro By Tobias Dahlberg • 2 min read
Entrepreneurship Ideas Are Equity (When It's The Right One For Your Client). By Tobias Dahlberg • 3 min read
