The Weekly Bev - 24th Edition

📈 CEO of Hydrant

I’ve had a couple requests for more info on the rest of the Hydrant team, so today we’re going to kick things off with a conversation with the CEO of Hydrant…Thomas!

Jack: How did you come up with the idea for Hydrant?

Thomas: It’s kind of a funny story…I had already partnered with the bank on another business in the machining/manufacturing industry. I was walking through the living room one day and overheard a TikTok on my now wife’s phone that was an influencer complaining about net 45 day payment terms. I called my partner that day and told him I thought there was another industry we should look into…

Why did you initially reach out to me about Hydrant?

Initially, I was just a fan of the vlog and had been watching for a while before I realized this (Hydrant) was a need. On top of the vlogs being well edited and fun to watch, I realized you were also an Auburn grad (War Eagle), we had been at Auburn for at least a year or two at the same time, and we even had a couple of mutual friends. Small world! After my conversation with our other partner, Sam, I needed to learn about the creator economy and I knew immediately who I was going to reach out to.

Do you plan pursue venture funding or will Hydrant be mostly bootstrapped?

As of now, we don’t plan to pursue any venture capital.

Where do you expect Hydrant to be in 12 months?

As we get close to the official launch, it’s exciting to think about the next 12 months. I believe we will have processed thousands of payments and not only helped creators with individual contracts, but also partnered with brands and agencies to help them manage their campaigns.

Have you started businesses in the past?

I have! Hydrant is technically my 4th. I’ve always known I wanted to be an entrepreneur and started my first business, a clothing company, in high school. When I was at Auburn I started my second, a software company where we were building a food delivery app for students that accepted their dining dollar cards. My third business I put on pause when we started building Hydrant, but we just brought on a CEO in the aerospace manufacturing space and are gearing up to launch that business as well.

What are your thoughts on Hydrant’s progress thus far? From both a product and a user base perspective?

I’ve been really encouraged by our progress. In our beta test, we saw some great traction and it was perfect for us to refine our process behind the scenes as well as the actual interface. We will be pushing a few updates to the site this week and at that point we will be ready to rollout officially. From there it will be fun to watch it spread and to see how we help creators of all sizes!

As a freelancer, finding a project that offers a true and long term sense of challenge and ownership can be a game-changer. Although it’s not necessarily an extension of my normal freelancing gigs as a filmmaker, Hydrant is that project for me.

We’ve mentioned the Minted NY crew in the Bev before (when we spotlighted the homie Sam Snowden), but I love the relationship they have between their business and content. There’s a video that includes a shot of Marcus’ workspace, and “2:59” is scrawled on a whiteboard behind his desk. It refers to his goal of running a sub-three hour marathon. I admire the simplicity of the goal and how symbiotic it is to the business and his lifestyle. They’re embodying their customer. Other companies and founders have this similar kind of relationship with their content like George Heaton, and others outside of the fitness space like John Hu and Eric Wei.

I have personally yearned for a project that can have that level of staying power. A project that’s not just about fleeting, one-off deals but rather something I have equity in that will persist beyond momentary trends. I want that sense of overarching clarity and narrative—a guiding vision and long term goal that fuels not just a single project, but a decades-long effort. Enter: Hydrant.

At a more macro level, I firmly believe the most influential brands of tomorrow will be started, owned, and/or operated by individuals who genuinely embody the ethos of their audience. Creators are uniquely positioned to tap into this dynamic. By leveraging our deep understanding of our audience and infusing our personal values into our work, we can build brands that resonate on a profound level, just like Minted, Represent, Stan, and Karat.

🥐 My Croissant Journey

My recent surgery led me to a soft foods diet for about two weeks. During this time, I developed quite the craving for certain foods - especially crunchy ones…namely a nice, flakey croissant. The constant cravings got me thinking about the times I tried to make them myself, so I thought we could dive into that a little bit.

Undoubtably, croissants are the most challenging baking task I have ever attempted. Each bake takes 48-72 hours and yields ~8 croissants, and the process requires pretty consistent attention. If you ever feel like making an attempt, I recommend following this recipe from Claire Saffitz.

My overall learning from my four different attempts is to be patient. The butter and dough both have to be at the right temperature while you work it, and I got a bit antsy a few times with the steps.

My first attempt turned out like a scone more so than a croissant, probably because they were under proofed. My second attempt was close to the same with a burnt bottom, likely because the butter was too cold and split. My third attempt was probably the worst, a hard biscuit due to me over proofing. Finally, I got it right on my fourth attempt and made a bakery-quality croissant (according to an objective third party analysis).

I am honestly not sure the next time I will make them. It was rewarding to have finally made a good batch, but a good bakery is always going to be a level above mine. I may stick to bagels and sourdough…

What should I attempt to make next? I am looking for a good baking challenge, but maybe not croissant level challenging.

🏙️ NYC

I’m going to NYC next week for my birthday / US Open, and I’m looking to play pickleball! If you’re down for the challenge let me know - I am not sure what the spots are but I heard central park has some courts? Hit reply my large apple friends.