ICYMI ⋆˚✿˖°

Hello hi HSR!

I’m currently at Disneyland enjoying time with family, so this one is short and sweet after burning the candle at both ends the past few weeks, but not without some serious consumer news this week. Despite most offices now being closed, I still think there are some big moves being made by our fav brands and creators heading into 2026.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve done a lot of reflecting on the journey to get to where we are today with HSR and personally, and I couldn’t help but put together a compilation on IG and TikTok about what we tend to forget when we see a headline: the years of doubt, failure, embarrassment, sacrifice, determination, practice, ridicule, and hard work.

It’s so easy to compare our chapter 1 to someone else’s chapter 10, but there were so many moments I wanted to quit and just kept going. This is your sign to do the same in 2026.

We’ll be off next Sunday, but back in your inboxes January 4th, after two incredible episodes that will leave you motivated and inspired to take everything that is yours to claim in 2026.

This is the most valuable lesson I learned in the early days of building HSR: I needed a platform I actually owned. That’s why I chose beehiiv and why I’m still here.

beehiiv isn’t just a newsletter tool. It’s an ecosystem that keeps evolving with creators. From digital products and paid subscriptions to an AI website builder, automations, dynamic content, and real analytics that actually matter.

They’re constantly shipping new features with one goal: helping creators grow faster and monetize smarter without chasing the algorithm. If you’re looking for a platform that is 100% focused on your needs, beehiiv is where you build.

Use code HSR30 for 30% off your first three months.

If you’ve ever made a mistake and wondered how you were going to get through it, last week’s episode of Hot Smart Rich was for you. Set Active founder Lindsey Carter joined the show for the conversation everyone has been waiting for, sharing how she built a cult-like activewear brand for Gen Z and millennial women and what it really took to hit $1 million in sales in a single hour through an authentic, founder-led brand. Lindsey spoke candidly about the controversies that followed the brand’s rise, including TikTok backlash in 2023 and a recent breast cancer donation misstep, and shared hard-earned lessons on accountability, the female founder mindset, and why building a company with friends can cost more than it’s worth. From navigating the emotional toll of building a brand in public to breaking down the drop model, public criticism, and the childhood hustles that shaped her entrepreneurial instincts, Lindsey offered an unfiltered look at leadership, resilience, and growth in the spotlight. 💕

♡ the brands, people, places, things that have captured my attention ♡

♡ Women’s Health & Beauty ♡

♡ Media, Entertainment & Creator ♡

♡ E-Commerce, Retail & Social ♡

♡ Tech, Business & Investing ♡

When an influencer launches a collection, the internet immediately asks one question: did it sell out? But that’s the wrong question.

Sell-outs are easy to engineer. Limited inventory, heavy promotion, a tight launch window. What’s much harder to manufacture is longevity and longevity is what actually tells you whether a collaboration worked as a business. Not just as content.

That’s why Emma Rose Léger releasing a third collection with Revolve matters. Volume 3 doesn’t signal hype. It signals that the partnership survived internal scrutiny, operational friction, and the moment when novelty wears off. By the time a collaboration reaches this stage, no one is chasing virality anymore. They’re looking at numbers.