🚀 Entrepreneurs of the year

Plus: Mechanical engineering for kids, fountain pens keep kicking, and more. 

Share The Hustle: https://thehustle.co/join?ref=7598767985 Check your referral progress & prizes here 👋  Good morning. You know who's awesome? You. Seriously — we're not just sucking up here. Our readers are entrepreneurs, inventors, and businesspeople who are dreaming up some of the future's most promising ideas. It's almost a new year, but we couldn't go forward without turning the spotlight on you all one last time.  P.S. We're stepping away to pop some champagne and watch the ball drop (from bed). Happy New Year and we'll see you back here Jan. 2.   A YEAR OF HUSTLING Your bright ideas: How you hustled in 2025  All year long, you've been building, creating, and inventing.  We've already featured 30+ of your amazing businesses, and now we're taking a look back at 10 Hustlers who really caught our eye in 2025: Chris Brewer — Best Retreats Created the "Better Business Bureau for ayahuasca." The platform verifies spiritual retreats so seekers can make empowered decisions. Entrepreneurship advice that's BS: "Courses. All of them. You can't learn to swim by reading. The same applies to building something." Dr. Destini Copp — HobbyScool Built a place for creative hobbyists to learn, grow, and connect, through virtual summits and workshops. Advice to a fellow entrepreneur: "You don't have to do everything at once. Focus on one key offer, get it right, and then expand. Simplicity scales." Julie Cushen — Lilaque Created the first and only soy-based, odor-free, DIY gel nail polish on the market. One truly innovative thing: "We've developed the first and only soy-based gel nail polish and just launched 3D-printed, plant-based press-on nails!" Ray Ghorbani — JamWith Built the "LinkedIn for the music community," helping independent artists find collaborators and gigs. Advice to a fellow entrepreneur: "While looking for cofounders in an early stage startup, try to do everything yourself for at least a month so you really understand what you don't know…"  Christian Ross — HappyTalks Connected seniors with conversation — no voicemail required. Big win: "Talking to a 95-year-old member for nearly 912 days straight, and having his family share how much we make a difference in his world." Tom Sayer — Ello Developed an AI reading coach for kids ages 5-9 that listens as they read aloud and offers real-time feedback and encouragement. Advice to a fellow entrepreneur: "Talk to your users constantly — especially when it's uncomfortable. The most valuable insights often come from hearing what's not working..." Vat Tann — Nyam Nyam Superfoods Made healthy snacks crave-worthy with functional chocolates. One innovative thing: "We have a white chocolate with blue spirulina and toasted hemp seed bar that looks like the blue sea on a tropical vacation and tastes like a nostalgic Nestlé Crunch bar but healthy." Jennifer Whitchurch — The Literary Escape Transformed books into story-inspired getaways for women craving connection, conversation, and indulgence. Entrepreneurship advice that's BS: "That you have to hustle 24/7 to succeed. Hard pass. That kind of advice glorifies burnout and ignores the fact that rest, boundaries, and joy are just as essential to success as spreadsheets and strategy." Alan Wieder — Crappily Drawn Pets Drew hilarious, heart-filled portraits of people's pets. Origin story: "During a depressive episode, I pivoted and decided to spread joy by compelling people to see their cats and birds and lizards in a way they never have. It lifted me out of my haze and also brought me much closer to my own cat — and my turtle!" Aaron Zar — SLNT Empowers people to disconnect with Faraday backpacks and sleeves that block wireless signals. Big win: "Five SBIR US Air Force R&D contracts for the development of next generation backpacks and carrying equipment." Want to see your name here in 2026? Tell us how you're hustling. CHECK THESE IDEAS The business idea rabbit hole you've been waiting for Whenever you get serious about starting a business, make this your very first pit stop.   Chris Koerner's startup database highlights ~200 creative startup ideas with pre-built business plans, including:  Epic Weddings LLC Protein vending machine  Aeroponics vertical farming Pet pocket gate installation  Upcycled engine block coffee tables Scaling from resale to sustainable Luxury ice (cubes)  Rent-a-chicken-right-now Airbnb wall mural design Coffee in waffle cones  With such ridiculous creative range at your disposal, there can be no more loafing. Go haul around a bouncy house or charcuterie cart or something. 197 wild ideas THE BIG IDEA In a digital world, people still love a good fountain pen Did you get a fountain pen for Christmas? Was it from a fountain pen enthusiast trying to get you into the hobby? Because we know a guy… There's something very satisfying about writing with a fountain pen, but they can be expensive. A Montblanc pen could set you back $1k+. But there are several companies, largely in China, that produce knockoff versions of pricier models, per The Wall Street Journal, despite the ire of the pen makers they're accused of copying. Jinhao offers pens starting at ~$12. Majohn Wancai pens start as low as $5. What's so great about fountain pens? They use a metal nib and refillable liquid ink, whereas the more common ballpoint pen uses a rolling ball and an oil-based ink. Fountain pens, thus, require less pressure to use and allow for a smoother, easier writing experience that many find more enjoyable.  They're also customizable, with many different sizes and kinds of nibs, not to mention refillable inks. Some enthusiasts boast vast — and expensive — collections.    These enthusiasts…   … have mixed feelings about the knockoffs. While some find them repugnant, others note that they've provided an entry point for new enthusiasts and collectors. A Reddit group for enthusiasts has doubled to ~368k users over the past five years. Artist and enthusiast Irv Tepper, who boasts a collection of 200+ pens, told WSJ he actually prefers the cheaper Chinese-made pens for everyday use and to gift to people he hopes to introduce to his hobby. Are there similar trends?  As our lives have become increasingly digitized, there's been a rising interest in physical media (vinyl records, cassette tapes, board games, etc.) and hobbies that involve using your hands or getting outdoors.  There's also been a growing demand for stationery, a global market that's grown since the pandemic, when people took up journaling and calligraphy as hobbies, per Forbes. Consumers shop for high-quality, beautifully designed cards, notebooks, planners, and other paper items, so it makes sense they'd want the pens to match. And if a $12 pen feels just as lovely as a $200 splurge, well… who can blame them? 🔗   NEWSWORTHY NUMBER How much Simple Machines Made Simple, a picture book on mechanical engineering for kids, exceeded its Kickstarter goal by, thanks to 6.8k+ backers who've pledged $357k+. The guide, which pairs interactive models like spinning wheels and levers with real-world examples, was created by computer engineer Chase Roberts, who also authored the viral book Computer Engineering for Babies in 2021.    If you're wondering what kind of child would reach for such books, the answer is probably none. Roberts told Fast Company his target audience aren't tykes themselves, but engineers who want to teach their kids about the work they do in a fun way.    Oh, to imagine all the sterile things that'll eventually induce childhood nostalgia in those youngins.  SHOWER THOUGHT Out of all the eras to be born into, I'm glad it's one with toilet paper. SOURCE Today's email was brought to you by Juliet Bennett Rylah and Singdhi Sokpo. Editing by: Sara "Wantrepreneur" Friedman.   Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here. Working on something big? We've got a whole library of business-building resources for you. 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