Deliver a Memorable Moment and Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July, Houston!

Welcome to this special edition of In the Loop Houston, where we bring you all the exciting events, local stories, and important updates happening in our vibrant city. As we celebrate Independence Day, it's a perfect time to reflect on the incredible community we have here in Houston and the many freedoms we cherish.

Whether you're planning to watch the spectacular fireworks, enjoy a barbecue with friends and family, or explore the city’s festive events, we’ve got you covered. In this issue, we’ve highlighted some must-see celebrations, insightful food for thought, and tips on making the most of this holiday.

Thank you for being a part of our growing community. We hope you have a fantastic 4th of July filled with joy, laughter, and unforgettable memories.

Houston-Sized Happenings

• Food for Thought

• Upcoming Events - for business

• Upcoming Events - for pleasure

• Top Picks of The Week

• Stories that Inspire:

• Hot Reads of the Week

Food for Thought

Build a brand, not just a business, in this world filled with massive competition.

As founders, business owners, and entrepreneurs we must find ways to stick in peoples’ minds and create memorable moments. Don’t just be another shiny brand or service that gets overlooked.

The goal: To do something special that positively interrupts someone’s routine on a normal day or week. Or even better make it so remarkable that they share it with others.

Life gets a little repetitive sometimes and having your brand interrupt that routine can leave a lasting impression on all of those who experience it.

We spent the previous week discussing this with a couple of Houston founders and business owners and loved the creativity. The discussion gave us two massive takeaways:

1. Be selfless and generous: In a world where there is always a catch when you sign up for “free”, giving something away is a little surprising and sometimes even hard. A local brand executed this beautifully on a scorching summer day by surprising runners and bikers on the Allen Parkway trails by handing out bright-colored/branded water bottles without asking for anything in return. Each individual handing these out also wore branded onesies and the results were amazing instagramable moments that all of these people on the trails 1. remembered and 2. posted and talked about. Simple but effective because it stuck out.

2. Remember the little things that can’t be repeated: Business comes down to people and people usually have passions and things they love. Another amazing example we discussed was small not scalable gestures to keep what you are trying to achieve or your brand top of mind. For example, one of the founders sent a shirt to a prospect of a no longer active Philadelphia soccer team (unique and hard to find) the client grew up cheering for with a printed QR that had the link to a voice note with a follow-up. This is a champion move on the creativity spectrum as it shows not only how unique you think but how much you care.
   
   Be unique, be spontaneous, and deliver a memorable moment!

Upcoming Events - for business

• June 13th - July 18th - HOU Made Creative Business & Makers Series

• July 9th - Small Business Connections Networking Group

• July 10th - Marketing Your Small Business with Rod Baker

• July 11th - Start-Up Marketing 101

• July 11th - Noontime Networking

• July 12th - SBA Small Business Meet & Greet

• July 12th - Money Smart for Small Business: Building Credit

• July 13th - MarMo Market

• July 14th - Entrepreneurship - An Opportunity to Be Your Own Boss

• July 15th - How to Start A Personal Finance Business

Upcoming Events - for pleasure

• Abstraction after Modernism: Recent Acquisitions

• July 5th - First Friday Fun - Latte Art Basics

• July 6th - Freedom Fest of Old Town Spring

• July 7th - Doggie Day - Fun Day

• July 8th - Latin Restaurant Week in Houston

• July 9th - Death By Natural Causes at HMNS

• July 10th - Cat Cafe Hours

• July 11th - Mind Works: U.S. Premiere

• July 12th - American Masterworks by Houston Symphony

• July 13th - Make & Take: Czech Kolaches

• July 14th - La Centerra Farmers Market

• July 15th - Jurassic World: The Exhibition

Top Picks of The Week

Tweet of the Week: The wild story of a tool universally used by developers and how its founders made it happen. Profitability from day one is possible!

Product of the Week: Nike and Hyperice - Tech Enabled Footwear & Apparel. Built and designed to boost athletes warmup and recovery time!

Foodie Spot of the Week: Check out one of the best pizza spots in town. Pizzana has won multiple awards and even a Michelin star!

Stories that Inspire:

The Fourth of July is the ultimate holiday. Most of us are beach-bound or at picnics with friends and loved ones, indulging in good food and drinks, and soaking up fireworks. It's a holiday with universal appeal across this amazing nation we call home. But beyond the BBQs and sparklers, it holds powerful meaning—marking our liberation and independence.

The very freedom that allows all of us with creative ideas to pursue our dreams, make life better for others, and create abundance for the world around us. This day not only represents our nations independence but our personal freedom that allows us to continue to write our newsletters and build for a better tomorrow. For this we here say Thank You!

We will keep our inspiring story short today and leave with this fact we found interesting.

Two of the great man we all owe a tremendous thank you to, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams both passed on July 4th, 1826 on the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. An ending not even Hollywood could of dreamed of writing. These two presidents and Declaration signees pushed us forward to give us the ability to choose our own way. To follow our passions and our dreams freely.

Today is the Fourth of July. Enjoy your day fellow Houstonians and say a quick thank you to these two incredible men.

Happy Independence day!

Hot Reads of the Week

Check out VolleyBoast LLC, a Houston-based manufacturer of industrial-grade wireless data transmitters that connect sensors to the IIoT. They raised $699,644 of seed funding from undisclosed investors. This is the company’s first invested capital.

Enjoy your freedom and Happy 4th of July!

-Jorge & Aubrie