Beginnings are hard. But let's start here.

The world doesn't need another writer on Substack. I'm not even a writer. But if you're into brands, tech, startups or happiness—then Rise Up might be for you.

Rise Up is a weekly newsletter with can’t-miss headlines on consumer brands, marketing, startups, ventures, tech, and happiness.

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Welcome to Rise Up

I’m Jonathan, Co-Founder of And Rising. I live uniquely between brand, marketing, advertising, consumer product and tech startups. I’m also fascinated by how people, new ideas, and markets interact. We are creative souls driven by more than spreadsheets or strategy, making the game of innovation as unique as each of us.

Rise Up was launched as an experimental LinkedIn newsletter on March 22, 2024. It described itself as 'an end-of-week dispatch that cuts through the noise with the can’t-miss stories that matter most.' A pretty garbled statement. Still I knew publishing was more important than perfection, which doesn't come naturally. It's clear now that I didn't fully understand what Rise Up was then. It’s still evolving now.

As the weeks passed, Rise Up gained a vibrant community and following. We’ve become popular amongst those who know about or are inspired by the world of investing, creating, and scaling new consumer brands. I want to give people an insight into the news they’d otherwise miss. Between the team at And Rising and I, we absorb a lot of information and data about what’s popping. Founders and CMOs are busy—maybe this newsletter can help.

So, we’ve landed here at Substack to extend that community and expand my content beyond just a newsletter. As a founder and senior within creative corporations, I’ve spent a long career helping brands. However, as a public communicator, I am just a learner with many ideas.

So, let’s rise together with every issue. 🧡

Why this? Why now?

And Rising wants to build the future’s favourite brands. I could give you a party line on why innovation is so essential (ok then, £1 of investment in innovation has the opportunity to create £7 of value back in the wider economy, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg).

But it’s more than that. It’s human to want to create.

Consumer markets are laden with legacy conglomerates and old-fashioned products. We need revolutions in health, wellness, value, and sustainability. We should probably think of ourselves less as consumers and more as citizens, but that’s another talk show.

I enjoy what’s on the horizon more than what’s gone before. And I believe if we’re only here on Earth for a short time, creating new things is the best way to enjoy that time (if you’re lucky enough to do so).

Brands and technology are colourful and exciting because they surround us for better or worse and power the economy. They can improve all manner of things and create all manner of opportunities. Where creativity and capital intersect, sparks fly.

It’s not all rosy. Innovation is fraught with risk, failure, and burnout. Companies that succeed at scale do so with adverse side effects. Bringing new things into the world is a complex challenge. But the drama of who wins and fails and the twists and turns of the stories along the way make it one of the greatest shows in town.

Rise Up’s mission is simple: Distill the week's most important and fascinating stories in consumer brands, startups, ventures and tech into a 60-second scan of must-see headlines.

That way, we can all rise up.

Our community

We’re for marketers, founders, investors, thought leaders, and the millions of people fascinated by how brands, businesses, and technology affect our everyday lives. Many are founders launching high-contrast consumer innovation. But we welcome CMOs of large brands and agency folk who must stay ahead. Our audience is at a key stage in their career and hungry to stay in touch with the news and each other, seeking inspiration and support about their next step.

To help, I avoid industry stuff or anything reinforcing the usual Boardroom clichés. I want to find the exciting edges of what goes on, the inside track, and the stuff that tingles. And, we walk on the sunny side of life - no doomscrolling.

Rise Up is heliotropic. It searches for positive energy and light.

The cadence

Rise Up drops once a week, on a Friday, before lunch. Of course, the platforms want us to post daily or even hourly, but I need a long enough gap for market events and brand news to unfold. It’s not helpful to manufacture noise just for algorithmic volume.

Of course, Rise Up curates what’s popping up in the media, so it will always reflect what the media is obsessed with. At the same time, I work hard to filter out clickbait and anything sensationalist; instead, I spotlight the articles that offer an alternate take within reputable titles.

The content

The newsletter is grouped into several sections, making it easy to scan. These sections give the reader a clear idea of the different topics that And Rising intersects with.

I like to open with key market vitals and big-picture economic updates, called Market Movements. No more than three links usually.

This is followed by Brand Beat, which covers everything anyone in marketing or creative agency life needs to know. Startup Spotlight, Tech Tidbits, and Venture Vibes cover everything from founder advice to consumer breakthroughs.

Design Driven zooms in on branding with inspirational examples, reflecting my belief in the power of creative design as a major force in business.

Retreat & Rise Up

While the newsletter inevitably focuses on consumerism, creativity and capital, the last section—Hello, Happiness—ensures we stay grounded with stories of wellness in business and achieving joy in life.

Many know that, as a creative ventures company, we run four retreats a year in the spectacular temperate rainforest of Cabilla. This is for key members of our community to get together. We take two nights under the stars in nature, dreaming up wild ideas and finding new partnerships alongside yoga, breathwork, freshwater swimming, sauna and more. Guests stay in luxury log cabins with incredible food to nourish you and your creativity.

You can find out more about Retreat & Rise Up by clicking here.

The “Weekly Exhale”

For now, each newsletter begins with a personal anecdote or reflection. Even Harvard teaches you to overshare if you want to create great partnerships. I’m still figuring out the best way to ‘breathe out’ the week in a way that helps people reflect on their journeys. My emotions live close to the surface, so I start there. The idea is to stimulate a pause, to give you a beat to yourself in a hectic, always-on world.

Afterwards, head straight into the headlines, scanning everything you need to know in just a minute (maybe a tiny bit more). Deep-dive the links across the weekend, or discard them as quickly as newspapers become fish and chip wrappers.

Ideas beyond the newsletter

In bringing Rise Up to the Substack platform, I hope to reach a broader range of people who find our niche interesting. If bandwidth allows and the topics are exciting enough, I’ll post personally written articles and analyses, quick thoughts, recorded interviews and more.

We cover a lot at And Rising, and I aspire to let as many people as possible benefit from our work.

Stay gold. 🙏🏻