The Best One Yet - 👶 “Birthday stocks” — Trump Acounts’ QR Code. Jersey Mike’s coldcut IPO. Short Boys Beers. +Midyears Resolutions

Episode Date: July 7, 2026

Jersey Mike’s just filed to IPO… because cold cuts are hot commodities.Trump Accounts for Kids just went live with $1K each… We think it will disrupt birthday parties.What’s saving the beer industry?… Not tall boys, short boys (8 oz brews).Plus, forget New Year's Resolutions… July means it’s time for Mid-Year’s Resolutions.$JMKE $HOOD $BUDGrab your Tickets to the IPO Tour: Our In-Person OfferingSan Francisco 9/23: https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/1C0064AFB5F688BDBoston 10/14: https://tickets.citywinery.com/event/tboy-the-ipo-tour-in-person-offering-8cdhupSeattle 11/4 (21+): https://www.axs.com/events/1446394/the-best-one-yet-ticketsNEWSLETTER:https://tboypod.com/newsletter OUR 2ND SHOW:Want more business storytelling from us? Check our weekly deepdive show, The Best Idea Yet: The untold origin story of the products you're obsessed with. Listen for free to The Best Idea Yet: https://wondery.com/links/the-best-idea-yet/NEW LISTENERSFill out our 2 minute survey: https://qualtricsxm88y5r986q.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_dp1FDYiJgt6lHy6GET ON THE POD: Submit a shoutout or fact: https://tboypod.com/shoutouts SOCIALS:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tboypod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tboypodYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tboypod Linkedin (Nick): https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolas-martell/Linkedin (Jack): https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-crivici-kramer/Anything else: https://tboypod.com/ About Us: The daily pop-biz news show making today’s top stories your business. Formerly known as Robinhood Snacks, The Best One Yet is hosted by Jack Crivici-Kramer & Nick Martell. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is Nick. This is Jack. It's Tuesday, Teen Boy, Tuesday, July 7th. And today's pod is the best one here. This is a T-Boy. The top three pop business news stories you need to know today. Oh, besties, thank you. We got so many DMs yesterday from the Yetis who caught our TV appearance on CNN.

Who caught your TV appearance? You looked amazing, Nick. I mean, I felt a little naked up there without you, but the hair and makeup was okay, not too shabby. Apparently, the CNN team liked her story from yesterday about Starbucks paying their brisces to post on TikTok. So the T-Boy team is taken over your TV. By the way, Jack, apparently our CNN ratings were bigger than Team USA soccer ratings last night. That is definitely false. It's unconfirmed.

I like your roundup with the rumors out there. In the meantime, we got three fantastic stories for the coolest show on capitalism, Jack, what we got in the pie? For our first story, Trump accounts for kids just went live. Newborns get $1,000 of free money. But there's one growth hack that no one's talk about, so we will. And here it is. No birthday gifts, please. but here's a link to my kid's Trump account.

Trump accounts replacing toys. For our second story, Jersey Mike's submarine sandwiches just filed to IPO. We jumped into the paperwork. Because running a sandwich shop is apparently a better investment than Apple? And our third and final story is the fastest growing beer in America. What is it, Jack? Beer served in baby cans. Besties, these ain't tall boys.

They're short boys, but they're the future of beer. But besties, before we hit that wonderful mix of stories. Oh, what a mix of stories. I love the mix on today's podcast. Jack. Happy halfway through the year to all those who celebrate. Ah, but awkward question, Jack. Do you remember your New Year's resolution six months ago? You said you'd quit TikTok, but you just ignored your phone's time limit. You said you'd learn Spanish, but no hablo a bit poikito.

You said you'd start Pilates, or did you say you'd stop Pilates? I can't remember, Jack. But get this. Four out of five of us quit our New Year's resolutions within one month of the new year. Your last journal entry was January 19. Come on. So four years ago, Nick and I disrupted the New Year's resolution with our favorite annual tradition, the mid-year's resolution. The mid-year's resolution. It's kind of a resolution revolution revolution.

Same idea as New Year's resolution, but it starts in July. So, Jack, what's our annual pitch? Why don't you whip it up for us? Well, the mid-year's resolution is twice as easy because it's half as long. And it's six times as much fun. Because it starts in the summer. And it's way less pressure. Because nobody really knows about it.

And nobody's asking your life. No, they are. So Jack, what's your mid-year's resolution? What do you got? Every day, I have to do either 10 pull-ups, 30 push-ups, or a 60-second plank. Any one of those three things, and I'm good. Okay, I'm going with something. I'm calling mine the magazine Power Hour.

You know, magazines, they're like many books. I got to appreciate them. They're coming back right now. Are you telling me that you have magazine subscription still? Well, once a week, I'm going to try to hit an economist or a Vanity Fair or a New York mag. Try to knock off one magazine per week. That's the goal.

In other words, try to make your magazine subscription, not a complete financial waste. Yeah, I'm trying to optimize on this one. Besties, so to kick off the 2026 most middle month of the year, we want to hear your mid-year's resolution. Drop it in the comments. Por favor. That's Spanish for, please. And remember the best part about your mid-year's resolution.

Oh, this is so good. What is it, Jack? No one cares if you quit because we literally made this up. 15 years before this song, two boys from the Northeast met in the dorm. They had an idea to cause a cultural storm. It's the best one yet. But the best is a norm. Jack Nick, that's it.

I don't even think they need to practice. 50% that's a fat tip. Tea Boy City on your at list. If you know, you know, because we're ready to go. We can't wait no more. So just start the show. Start the show. First, a quick word from our sponsor.

For our first story, Trump accounts are live and just hit number five in the app store. Your kid might get free SpaceX stock. But the bigger story here, we think Trump accounts will replace birthday toys. But besties, this story goes back one year ago when Congress passed the one big, beautiful bill act. The most interesting part of that bill by far was Trump accounts. Trump accounts. We jumped in T-boy style. It's one of the few things that actually got double-branded by President Trump, right, Jack? Yeah, because not only did the president put his name on these new baby brokerage accounts, it's called Trump accounts.

But the IRS code is 45-47, so he branded it after his presidential term. as well. The rare double branding. And one year later, besties, this past Saturday, 4th of July, babies born and Trump's second term were given $1,000. $1,000 of free money from the U.S. Treasury. And to mark the launch of the Trump accounts, the White House co-hosted an opening bell ceremony with NASDAQ and the New York Stock Exchange and a whole bunch of kiddos. But promotion of Trump accounts was completely not necessary, in my opinion. And why is that, Jack? We checked the charts. The Trump accounts app has been in the top 10 of all apps, for seven straight days.

Went viral. It was number two app in all of finance. We're talking Trump account app. It's the new TikTok. And that's not a shocker. Again, the U.S. government is giving $1,000 of free money to your kid if your kid was born between 2025 and 2028.

Who does not want free money in any economy, Jack? But, Nick, this isn't just good news for Americans with a bunch of pacifiers in every couch cushion in their house. No, because any kid under 18 could be getting free money when you hear what we're about to tell you. Because Trump account. donations are the new philanthropic flex of this economy. And it all started with Michael and Susan Dell, who donated $250 to all kids under 10 in America's zip codes where the median income is

under $150,000. Then financier Ray Dalio pledged $250 to the same kids, but only in the state of Connecticut. On Monday, SpaceX's president joined the philanthropic fest. What does SpaceX out, Jack? The SpaceX president is donating one SpaceX share to 2 million kids, age 11 to 17, and 3,000. emphasizing Texans. But Jack, we should point out a little bit of fine print here in the Trump accounts, please. The money must be invested in low-fee index funds. So it's unclear if those SpaceX shares she's donating will have to be liquidated into cash or not since single stocks aren't allowed. But fine print aside, Jack, bring your kid to workday, just got a whole lot more lucrative. Did it not, my friend? It really did. Because MasterCard, BlackRock, Uber, Comcast, Chipotle,

Robin Hood, 87 companies. They've pledged $1,000 each for the children of their U.S. employees. With most of those 87 companies matching another $1,000 if the parents contribute to their kids' Trump accounts. And that's why besties in between burgers at the grill, Jack and I spent 15 minutes over the weekend opening up these Trump accounts. We actually did it to jump in D-Boy style. But for all our kids, not just the ones who are babies, who are eligible for the $1,000

of free money. That's the other funny detail we should point out. It's the sibling rivalry issue, right, Jack? Link and I both have kids that qualify for the $1,000 of money from the Treasury, but we also have kids who are too old for that $1,000. So Nick put $1,000 of his own money into his older son's account so that his older son isn't jealous of his younger sister. I felt guilty when Selena had $1,000 from the government,

and Max, he didn't have it because he's three years old, not one. Although full disclosure, Brooks and Wilder, their accounts have $0 right now, and Oakley's is 1,000. The Podson is listening. your behalf, buddy. But there is an interesting stock market winner here, is there not, Jack? Already, one winner is Robin Hood, because they designed the Trump account's app, which is working really nicely based on our experience. Robin Hood's CEO, Vlad Tenaf, said on Monday that Robin Hood is being paid by the government for this, and that is one profit puppy of a deal as a government

contractor. But the real opportunity is when the kids turn 18 years old. That's when their Trump account becomes an IRA. And why is that Robin Hood's big opportunity, Jack? Robin Hood has that kind of retirement account available on their platform. So a whole generation of America's kids could graduate to becoming Robin Hood customers. And we think that is why Robin Hood Stock searched 5% to start the week. So Robin Hood is the clear stock market winner of Trump accounts so far. But the second winner, who is it, Jack? Birthday parties, Nick. If you're going to a bouncy house birthday party this weekend, that's the next winner. So Jack, what's the takeaway for all our buddies looking at the Trump accounts? No birthday gifts, please. But we are

accepting Trump account investments instead. Yeties, the surprise feature of the Trump accounts that no one's talking about, it's a QR code and a link for easy donations. Before this podcast episode, Nick shared a link with me to donate to Maxi's Trump account. It was a simple one-click link. And Nick, three clicks later, I had donated $100. Did you see? Did the app notify him?

I actually didn't see it because we were recording the show. I told you not to buy Nike stock with it. This was a belated birthday present for Maxi's third birthday. Thank you. My $100 goes into a tax-deferred stock fund for Max's future. So you can invest in seconds with this QR code as easily and quickly as a GoFundMe, a political nation, or a Venmo to a buddy over brunch. It's like one or two more clicks than a Venmo. Okay, but our prediction besties is that the Trump account QR codes will start appearing on invites to kids' birthday parties. Because as fathers of multiple children, we can attest to the fact that every house with kids has way too many toys.

I mean, we love the love every monthly toy box weekend, but we kind of hate that one, too. Because the Hot Wheels in my living room, it's made it a skating rink that's highly dangerous. So, besties, instead of buying a made-in-china plastic thing for Charlotte's birthday party this weekend, you can invest in her future with $100 that becomes $600 by the time she's 18. That's why we're thinking the next kid's birthday party that you get invited to, we'll have this written in the Evite. Or it'll have this stuck on the pinata, Jack. No birthday gifts, please.

But we are accepting Trump account investments. here's Charlotte's link. For our second story, the best way to invest $515,000 right now, it might be to open a Jersey Mikes. Jersey Mikes just filed to IPO because their business model is financially delicious.

You're going to want to pickle with this one. But first, besties, let's start unnaturally with some rage bait. What do you say, Jack? You got some rage bait for us. We want to whip some up? We serve it up right here. What do you got?

The only good thing, I salvage from that X I used to have is discovering the beach at Point Pleasant, New Jersey. The water is so clean. It defies the reputation of the Jersey Shore. Nothing like an old lover introducing you to a new beach, Jack.

Point Pleasant, New Jersey. It is indisputably, however, the sandwich capital of America. And why is that? Because that's where Jersey Mikes was born. Jersey Mikes, one of the first sandwich shops to call it a submarine. Not a grinder. Not a hoagie. Okay. Not a hero.

Maybe. hero, but not the other tip. A submarine. Exactly. In 1975, a 17-year-old kid learned that the Jersey Mike wanted to sell his submarine shop. Like the Jersey Mike. So, this kid bought it from the Jersey Mike. Wild detail, he bought the shop using a loan from his youth football coach to make it happen. And that 17-year-old wasn't another Mike. His name was Peter Cancrow. And he scaled Jersey Mike's to 3,000 locations across 50 states. The way we see it, if Happy Gilmore was filmed today, he'd be getting a Jersey Mike's deal, not a subway sandwich deal.

But then in 2024, Cancro sold his chain to Wall Street. Blackstone, they acquired a majority of Jersey mics at an $8 billion dollar valuation. That's more than a lift. But here we are, less than two years later, and Blackstone is flipping Jersey mics trying to IPO it on the stock market. And they're seeking a $12 billion valuation, which would be two lifts. Now, the reason that Jersey mics are scaling so fast, it's that the ingredients needed to open a restaurant are simple, cheap, and delicious. So, Bessie's Jack and I cut up the numbers like a turkey club. Mikes, they got 3,500 locations, 1,600 more in development.

Because the only one who loves Jersey Mikes more than your uncle is your local small business owner. Which leads to our hero stat. What is it, Jack? It only costs $515,000 on average to build a new Jersey Mikes location. Jack, could you sprinkle on some contacts, please? That's tiny compared to other franchised restaurant chains. It's like 70% less than a McDees to start one of these, Jack. So let's Zillow the reasons why.

First, you only need 1,200 square feet to open a Jersey mics, and you don't need to do a drive-thru either. They don't do drive-thrus. So, the land can be as small as a simple slice of salami. Okay, low real estate costs. How about equipment costs? Ah, well, Jack, to open a Jersey mics, you would need just a meat slicer, an oven to bake the bread, a fridge, like maybe some knives, like that's kind of it, man. That is super asset light. But opening a Taco Bell or Burger King, the startup costs are much bigger.

Easily one or two million dollars. You open a McDonald's, you need a friolator, a McFlurry machine. a space for a drive-thru, than tools to fix that McFlurry machine. So, logistically, Jersey Mikes is like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It's simple. But financially, Jersey Mikes is ornate. Like the Sistine Chapel, baby. Because thanks to the enduring popularity of an Italian sub

and the allure of oil and vinegar-soaked bread, consumer demand for a Jersey Mikes sandwich is reliable and strong. Gold cuts, their hot commodity, pastromi is a profit puppy and consumers relish, relish. Which leads to this wild hero stat that Nick and I discovered in Jersey Mike's IPO paperwork. It's the second hero stat. Get this. Each Jersey Mike's has an average 42% cash on cash return. What does that mean, Jack?

For each $100,000 you invest in opening a Jersey Mike's franchise, the owner of that franchise gets $42,000 of profits per year. Okay, so what you're saying, Jack, is that the $515,000 initial startup cost for opening a Jersey mics. It gets paid back in just two years and five months in the profits you make at that location. After that, Besties, it's 216K of pure profit each year. Less than two and a half years payback period. That's a fantastic investment. So, Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies over at Jersey Mikes?

It's the founder to P.E. to IPO pipeline. And this is textbook. Yeties, when Blackstone took control of Jersey Mikes in January of 2025, the goal was to IPO at a higher value. They knew exactly what to do. They hired the guy who did the exact same thing at a similar company. Ah, enter Charlie Morrison. This guy, he was the CEO of Wingstop back in 2012 all the way to 2022. And he IPOed that chicken wing chain and the stock is up 10x since that IPO. So Charlie Morrison used the corporate IPO playbook that was so successful in Wingstop and now hopes to employ it at Jersey Mike's. And if they hit that $12 billion valuation when the IPO later this month,

then hiring this one guy boosted Jersey Mike's valuation by four billion in less than two years. You see, Besties, Peter Cancrow, he was the artist here. He created the product and the business model that everyone wanted. But Charlie Morrison is delivering the dough, literally IPO style. After this IPO, Blackstone is going to repeat, the founder to P.E. to IPO pipeline with some other under-optimized chain. He needs more pickles, guys.

All right, let's get our commercial break. We'll see in a bit, besties. Now a quick word from our sponsor. For our third and final story, what could finally save the beer industry? The answer is short boys. Beer brands are pivoting to tiny cants because people are afraid to crack open a 12-ounceer. Bad besties, here's the fun hero stat you can drop in your group chat today. First week of July, biggest beer sales week of the year.

We do not moderate on Independence Day, do we? But overall, beer sales fell 6% in 2025, off 17% from their sales. 20-21 highs. Boomers are on Ozempic, Gen Z's into wellness, and millennial parents can't handle being hungover anymore. So Jack and I have been wondering for years now, how do you solve the huge beer problem? What is the answer, Jack? Tiny beer cans? Okay, we noticed these a few years ago with Corona, right, Jack? The seven-ounce little bottles of Corona, affectionately called Coronitas. Or for non-Mexican brands out there, these tiny beer cans are known as the ponies. Mini Madellas, baby Budwisers, 8-ounce Sierra Nevada's.

They're not tall boys. They're short boys. And according to industry insiders, these short boys are becoming the big bestsellers right now. Sierra Nevada's eight-pack of 8-ounce cans sold out so fast, they just launched a 16-pack. They're like sticking in your back pocket at that size, Jack. And Bud just teamed up with Post Malone for short Bud lights.

Because Budweiser's trying to tell guys, hey, size doesn't matter. You're still a man, even if the beer you're holding, is hidden by your pinky finger. So, Jack, could you please sprinkle on some contacts before we continue? Well, the technical name for these short boy baby beers, it actually goes back to the late 1800s. Invented by cores. You see, the first mini kegs were small, like a small horse known as a pony.

And the name pony lasted through when Nick and I were in college. If we couldn't rouse up enough cash to buy a full keg, we'd buy a pony keg. Everybody was rushing Kappa Kappa SIG probably came home with a couple of ponies as well. But it's only recently that individual serving-sized cans have been. been called ponies, because the beer industry is stealing the idea from soda. Are you thinking the Coke zero mini can here, Jack? Yes, that popular Coke product tried to appeal to women with a smaller frame and a good look. So the can was looking diet without saying it was diet.

It was a small can. And that small can is now a top seller for Coca-Cola. So Big Beer just said, hey, I'll have what she's having and whipped up these seven to nine-ounce smaller cans. And in the last couple of years, these short boys have been bonding. in terms of beer with each generation. Because Gen Z likes this stuff since they can post a pick of it. They appreciate the novelty of the tiny cans.

Millennial parents don't want to be hung over tomorrow morning, but still want to celebrate the win. They appreciate the less alcohol option. And boomers on OZEPA can't even finish a drink down in Del Bocco Vista, even if you paid them. So yeah, they're buying the small ones too. Add it all up, and everyone's drinking half as much. They're finally making a can that's half as big.

And in this economy, everyone wants a cheaper option anyway. So Jack, what's the big takeaway for our small can buddies with the tiny beers? There's money in marketing to moderation. Yeties, there was one line from a beer distributor in our research that really hit us. He said, quote, with these pony cans, consumers don't have to make a 12-ounce decision. You might want to drink less alcohol, but 12 ounces is still the smallest serving size. It's just too big a commitment for some people. It's like the problem-facing beer isn't the taste or the brand.

It's about the commitment to size. that's what was stopping the consumer. And I face the same thing when I'm thinking about getting a sweet green for lunch. Too big and too expensive. So sweet green just launched their smaller wraps about half the size, and that sparked a growth in sweet green sales again. For beer, the problem was that the minimum size was too big. For sweet green, the problem was that the minimum price was too big.

So both are solving the problem, but by simply packaging the product for people trying to moderate, doing the moderating for them. The biggest party in pricing and packaging is marketing to moderating. Jack, and you'll whip up the takeaways for us for T-Boy Tuesday. Trump accounts are giving $1,000 to newborns, but billionaires and brands are donating too. And we think those Trump account QR codes will start showing up on the kid birthday party invites. Hey, what's on that pinata?

For our second story, Jersey Mike's hopes to go public this month, IPOing at a target $12 billion valuation. It's Blackstone's patented VC to P.E. to IPO pipeline. Whole lot of letters there. And our third and final story was short boys. They're the trend of beer, 7 to 9 ounce little cans. Yeah, the big trend of beer, because there's big money in marketing to moderation. But besties, this pod's not over yet.

Here's what else you need to know today. First, Xbox is facing some game overcuts right now. Microsoft dropping 3,200 gaming jobs and divesting from four of its gaming studios. This comes after PlayStation announced last week. They'll stop making physical video game discs. Jack, actually a really bad time for video games. No zeitgeisty game has hit us since Fortnite, like five years. years ago. No pressure Grand Theft Auto 6, but you better save the video game industry this holiday season.

And second, it's the Toyota Tango. Toyota's moving their Tacoma factory back to the U.S. from Tijuana over to Texas. This is Toyota's second best-selling car, and everyone who has a Tacoma loves their Tacoma. But now it's actually made in America again, this time to avoid the tariffs. Because Trump announced last week that he's not extending his free trade deal he's signed with Mexico in the first term. So Toyota's moving back. to Texas from Mexico to avoid tariffs. Tacoma's doing a tango here. And finally, during last night's big World Cup games,

did you see that six-foot robot on the field? It's made by Hyundai. It's a humanoid robot handing the balls to the referees to save their back from bending over. Hyundai is planning to make 30,000 of these human robots starting in 2028 to become, you know, just like your new butler in your home. This is both sport washing and taste washing.

To get us comfortable with AI robots, they're showcasing them on the pitch at the World Cup. Speaking of balls, now it's time for our T-boy trivia answer from yesterday's show. Jack, what do we got? Yesterday, we told you that this World Cup has more than three goals scored per match, which is the highest since 1958. And it ain't just because of Holland and Boppe and Messi, it's the new ball. There's a special technologically enhanced soccer ball with a chip inside it at this World Cup.

But here was our question. What country hand-stitches every ball that you see in the World Cup? What country has the most advanced soccer ball technology in the world? And has been making these World Cup soccer balls for the last four tournaments. What country is it, Jack? It's Pakistan. Sial Kot Pakistan is the soccer ball capital of the world. It actually goes back to 19th century British colonial rule.

English soldiers played soccer there and commissioned local craftsmen to fix the broken soccer balls. The result was a cluster of soccer ball stitching experts in Pakistan. So today, Adidas designs the soccer ball, but then they hire the artisans in Sial caught Pakistan to actually make them. And today, that one Pakistani city makes 70% of the world's soccer balls. It's the Silicon Valley of soccer balls. Shout out to Jean-Marc, Riley, and Wolf Mama, who all commented the correct answer on Spotify. Yeties, you're looking fantastic.

Jack, you are glowing. I remember your mid-year's resolution from a couple years ago. Wasn't it like finish the ice cream in a cone or like never, never not finish the ice cream? No, no, no, no, the deal was to only eat ice cream for the rest of the year if I ate that ice cream from a cone. Drop your mid-year's resolution in the comments, Jack and I can't wait to read them. Clearly you don't have an ice cream control problem like I do. Well, it's a hot fudge situation, so I never can get the cone. That's the problem I'm facing right now.

And Nick and I, we'll see you tomorrow. And before we go, a happy birthday to legendary Yeti, Dan Bird, and Woodbridge, Virginia. We met him at our live show in D.C. he was wearing his signed T-boy Slamming Salmon hat for the whole celebration. Happy fourth birthday to Arrav Metta, turning four years old in Union City, California. This kid loves the color slam and salmon. And Brian Naylor in Huntington Beach, California, happy birthday. And happy belated birthday to Laura Lynn Donahue of Columbia, Tennessee, the ultimate H.YH.T.O.W.

Analyst Alex, moving from Boston to Austin to Chicago to Ann Arbor, but now finally back in New Jersey. Welcome back. Happy anniversary to J.D. Shrarm and Ken Daigle. 20 years together in San Rafael, they had a dinner with friends, but now they have three kids. And a shout out to Mike Lupo, who said it's a great fact about Norwegian soccer. He just got married to Bethany on their fifth anniversary of their first date on July 4th. And finally, a correction from Marcel.

In our skims plus Netflix plus Will Ferrell story, we referenced a study from Edelman. It's pronounced Edelman, not Edelman. And Marcel knows because his wife works there. We'll celebrate that corrective win. This is Jack, Nick on stock of Zillow and Nike, and we both own stock of Spotify, Apple, Chipotle, Robin Hood, and I own one share of SpaceX, and Nick owns more than one share.