Things are moving smoothly in my 35-day sprint, and Vancouver’s giving us one last taste of summer with sunshine over the next few days.

Today I’m sharing:

• A 2025 Prediction. Insights on recent shifts in consumer behaviour that could inspire some new ideas for your team or business.

• My builder/sprint update (with a quick ask)

• A report on VC funding in Southeast Asia. And dreaming big with the development of a new “Smart Forest City”.

• Insights into global travel trends and the current state of travel.

• A few curated links: a short lesson on sales/marketing, the moleskine story, alcohol stat, and re-invention

Featured

🔸 Prediction for 2025: Offline Experiences

1. Luxury will take a backseat, while offline, personalized services and experiences will surge in demand.

2. AI is revolutionizing digital product creation by making it faster and more affordable, turning ideas into production-ready products in record time - much like how website builders transformed website creation from months into hours.

3. B2B2C opportunities will still exist, but the online space is set to be fiercely competitive.

Making technology predictions right now might seem a bit daft, especially with the uncertainty surrounding AI's impact on the world. But we're on the brink of a digital explosion, where launching mobile apps, SaaS platforms, and other online ventures will soon take a fraction of the time it used to. This moment feels similar to the domain boom: back in 2000, there were about 20 million domains. Today, that number has soared to over 360 million. Last week, I touched on Artifacts, that showcases the power of text-to-product technology. But the domain analogy really sticks with me. We’re about to witness a massive surge in digital products, with creators evolving from content producers to end-to-end innovators. And just like the rise in domain registrations, this wave of digital creation will become accessible to everyone. Think of it like the smartphone camera revolution—suddenly, everyone became a photographer. Now, anyone can become a creator of personal or professional apps. We will see a surge in one person Digital Product Studios.

The rise in cameras or domains didn’t kill their respective industries; instead, it expanded them exponentially. However, the novelty of being a website or camera owner quickly faded, and competition intensified. This led to a superior experience for the end consumer - we’re already spoiled with driverless cars, same day amzn delivery, etc, and it's about to get even better.

If you’re aiming to carve out your own space in this massive wave without getting wiped out, the opportunity might lie in repurposing or applying the technology in new ways.

With less noise and competition offline, this could be the ideal space to build a business with a moat. Focusing on local resources, location, and proximity to people and partnerships might become your biggest advantage. To be blunt, it might be easier to use AI tools for offline businesses rather than competing with offshore AI-driven digital product studios. Consider local offline brick n mortar services or, if you’re thinking big, reinventing the B2B2C franchise model using AI Tooling. (I’ll dig deeper on the future of B2B2C soon, which will need a category design)

Going back to local, governments are increasingly focused on reshoring, building self-sustained economies and reducing reliance on external countries, especially with new taxes and tariffs rising during a recession. Plus, there’s a shift in consumer sentiment toward ‘online escapism’—where content overload and thirsty algorithms trying to grab attention make offline, real-world experiences seem even more appealing. AI content bazookas are great for cranking out online content and boosting sales, but they can’t replicate the personal touch and human connection that offline, authentic interactions provide. And that’s something everyone seems to be craving.

Whether you're interested in building an offline business or not, it could be a fantastic marketing channel that's currently overlooked. Is there really a distinction between online and offline anymore? Prob not.. It’s nuanced. But let’s keep it stupid simple for now. Just brace yourself for a surge of digital product builders.

Two simple questions I’m pondering:

• What are my competitors doing with AI tools today, especially with recent developments like Cursor and Artifacts?

• If I were launching my business now, whether solo or with a small team, and running it from a remote, off-grid island with minimal expenses thanks to Starlink, how would I approach it?

🔸 Chinese Swap Handbags for Trips as ‘Experience Economy’

With China facing market challenges, more people are starting to spend on services and unique experiences, even though issues like slow income growth and falling home prices continue. [Link]

🔸 The State of Travel 2024

If you work in travel or follow the industry, this report is essential reading. It’s by far the most detailed and thorough one I’ve seen in ages. You could easily spend 2-3 hours digging into it, but who has time for that? I’ll share a few key insights and slides that you should be aware of, even if travel isn’t your primary focus.

• Travel is a top splurge category for Millennials and Gen Z

• Generational shift towards spending on travel rather than material goods.

• Folks want to unplug, chill out, and get away from it all. Wellness tourism is set to quadruple by 2027.

• Interest in solo travel is increasing, indicating it’s now a long-term trend in the travel industry.

• Sporting events are big travel motivators.

• The ease of international travel has increased significantly, with more visa-free destinations available than in previous years.

• Notable increase in travel from Middle Eastern and Asian countries to Eastern Europe

• Budget and economy travel segments are growing more slowly, while upscale and luxury segments are experiencing healthy demand.

• Travel brands are leveraging AI for personalized content and targeted advertising to improve traveler experiences and revenue.

• India and China are booming as fastest-growing outbound travel destination.. and this will be humongous

• And lastly, Cruise lines are showing steady growth and they want to start targeting Gen Z and Millennials.

Other Links:

• Cursor is ChatGPT for coding — now anyone can make an app in minutes

• This Barbie 'brick' phone claims to beat device addiction

• Why people have fallen out of love with dating apps

• I went to NYC’s hottest singles run club. Here’s what it’s really like.

• Swiping right in real life: Young singles seek offline dating

Actionable Takeaways:

• Connect The Dots: Whether you're selling B2B, B2C, or B2B2C, knowing your customer, relating with them, and adjusting your product/services/positioning/marketing accordingly.

• Value Experiences: People are prioritizing experiences over material possessions right now. Align your offerings to meet this demand.

• Stay Authentic: Experiment with AI tooling, but ensure your product and service remain true to your core values and mission. Embrace trends like digital detox and reboot vacations, and always respect people's time and attention.

• Government Focus: Reshoring is underwear in many countries and the service sector is getting attention from the government, which is crucial for keeping the economy flowing.

• Empower Builders: In today’s new landscape, everyone is a builder (digital app product creator). Large budgets or extensive dev/design teams are no longer a necessity, or at least for certain types of apps. Consider how you can leverage or empower individual builders through your brand while exploring offline strategies. For example, there’s a huge opportunity around funding AI video creators right now.

• Investing Heavily into AI Personalization. Dive into that travel report, and you'll see how each generation values different experiences. This means deep personalization is on the way—and without AI, it wouldn't be nearly as cool. We're already getting used to personalized experiences, and things are about to get even better with brands and products being tailored just for us. Exciting times ahead! And lastly, India and China are set to be massive..

What do you think? Have you noticed this trend in your work or personal life? Need help building or refining your product or marketing strategy — lmk!

Hit reply with thoughts 📧

🔸 VC Funding in SE Asia

January Capital released the State of the ASEAN Technology Ecosystem Report, revealing a significant slowdown across Seed through Series C+ stages. Malaysia and the Philippines are experiencing positive growth, while the rest of the region is seeing a decline in deal count.

🇮🇩 Dreaming Big: Nusantara Phase 1 is Almost Complete

Since Jakarta is sinking, Indonesia has undertaken this bold initiative to move its capital, investing 33billion into a new “Smart Forest City” named Nusantara. Think Singapore, but with an Indonesian twist. Project plans stipulate that it will be a “green and walkable”.

With the first phase mostly complete, this effort offers the potential to address many challenges (as outlined by this awesome interactive NYT article, or this YouTube video, or in this Net Zero Strategy by 2045 PDF). However, it has also prompted a fair share of skepticism and critique. But imagine relocating a capital city with a population of 11 million, or a metro population of 34 million, to an entirely new island. Sharing this because it’s soo ambitious and 100% worth following. Are you thinking big enough?

Full Project Website → https://www.ikn.go.id/en/about-ikn

My 35 Day Sprint

🔸 Week 02 Updates

I've been tinkering with a fun side project in the evenings and weekends.🧑‍🍳 🍳 This email is getting a bit lengthy, so I'll try to dig deeper into the details next week. And I would love your feedback via the poll below.

In August, I set out to build a new app with the goal of exploring AI tools and what’s truly possible (today) as a one person digital product studio. The plan for the App was to keep it simple, super rough around the edges, and launch a B2C product within 2-3 weeks, no fancy design — just pure function. No designers, developers, or outside help. However, I hit some roadblocks with third-party API restrictions that I couldn’t work around or get special permissions for, which forced me to scrap a bunch of code and slightly pivot the product. While this isn’t a massive project, this past week I focused on refactoring the backend, building new db schemas, and building a new point scoring system. It’s ultra niche, but who know’s what we’ll discover along the way. Aiming to ship this build before Sept 15th.

(There's also a B2B product I've been cobbling together, which might have potential in the B2B2C space. I’ll share more about these in upcoming updates … This email is already long enough!

Before wrapping this section, can I ask for your help

👇

Curated Linkage

🔸 Moleskine Mania

AI and LLMs will never replace my beloved black moleskine. They’ve been a staple in my life for a decade, but I never knew the backstory or how successful they truly were.

🔸 Alcohol Trend

The attitude towards alcohol is shifting. Get this, new study from Gallup shows 65% of U.S. adults aged 18 to 34 say alcohol consumption negatively affects one’s health. Read the full report for more details.

🔸 H20 - Water Ratings

Do you drink bottled water like Fiji or San Pellegrino? You might want to think twice. Oasis Water is on a mission to bring transparency to the products we use every day, including those that claim to be clean and healthy. They’ve just launched a website and iOS app that reveals the chemicals, preservatives, and additives in your fav water brands. Some of the findings are eye-opening. Especially Fiji, at least for me. Definitely worth checking out! Website and iPhone App

🔸 A Short Lesson on Creativity (and Sales)

A 2008 blog post from Dave Trott's Blog that still holds up.

🔸 Life Is Short. Scare Yourself.

Speaking of Moleskine, are you documenting your journey and really going for it? Are you playing it safe or stuck? It might be time for a change.

Wrap Up

I almost made it through the entire newsletter without referencing Founder Mode. Thanks for the replies and life updates (keep them coming).

Thx for reading — have a great week! And if you have an awesome link or product hit reply.

Kenny

P.S. Whenever you're ready, there are 2 ways I can help you:

1. Ready to grow your startup from 0 to 1 in less time? Let's chat. >> Schedule a call with me.

2. Want an extra pair of eyes on your product or pitch deck?

Newsletter Vibecheck

How'd I do? Slam dunk or airball? Lmk your thoughts on this issue so I can level up future content.

About

Hi there! I help b2b2c startups go from 0 to 1 with resources, consulting, advisory, and writing, spanning product, marketing, team formation, frontier technology, and the good life. Prev helped 50+ startups and launched 20+ digital products. Although my perspective is universal, I mainly cover the frontier of North America and Southeast Asia.

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