👋🏽 Hey There

Lil’ Signals is your go-to newsletter for decoding the cultural currents shaping our world. If you’re new here, welcome. If you’ve been rocking with me for a while, thank you. And if you’ve been wondering why it’s been quiet… I hear you.

Truth is, I’ve been deep in the work.

Between scaling Nichefire and growing Firestarters into a real content engine, I’ve also been developing internal workflows that help our team deliver cultural insights at the speed of culture. Being in the middle of all that-in the loop, so to speak, helped me finally step back and recognize the process I’ve built for this newsletter too.

This issue is a little different. No trend breakdowns, no format. Just me pulling back the curtain on how Lil’ Signals gets made, what I’ve been building behind the scenes, and what’s next.

Starting now, I’m aiming for one strong article a month. I want to keep things intentional, consistent, and rooted in clarity, not noise.

Appreciate you for being here. Let’s talk about it.

Let’s dive in 🎯

Table of Contents

1. StoryTime

2. Lil Surfing

StoryTime

Storytime: Still Punching In

It’s Been a Minute

Let’s address the gap.

It’s been about 7 weeks since I dropped a Lil’ Signals.

At the start of the year, I set a goal: 52 pieces, one every week. 

I was on pace. 

Right up until week 25, when things shifted. 

Not because I ran out of content, but because I ran into momentum.

Nichefire got busy. 

The kind of busy you pray for when you’re building something real. 

Demos, customer on-sites, back-to-back travel, product work, culture decoding sessions. 

All gas. 

No pause.

But I’m back now. Because this space means something. 

This is where I process what’s happening in the culture, how tech is evolving, and how we as leaders, brands, and creatives can keep up.

And today, I want to talk about how I’ve been making that happen. 

Not as a writer. But as a rapper.... I know it's cleche but hear me out!!!.

I Don’t Write, I Rap... 

Let me make one thing clear.

I’ve never called myself a writer. 

I’m more like a rapper. Always have been.

When it’s time to create, I don’t open a blank doc and wait for inspiration. 

I plug in my Yeti mic, open Granola or Voice Memos, and I punch in.

I riff. 

I talk. 

I figure things out in real time. 

I capture what I’m learning and how I feel about it. 

And then I use AI to sharpen the output.

Lil’ Signals gets made in the booth, not the writer’s room.

And what I figured out here, how to break something down, put it in my own voice, and ship it out, is the same process I used to launch Firestarters, our company newsletter at Nichefire.

That one’s real too. Nearly 10,000 subscribers and climbing. 

It started as an experiment. 

Now it’s driving qualified leads and helping us define the future of cultural listening. 

And it was born from the same mic, same mindset.

The difference is, now the stakes are higher and the workflows are sharper.

Human in the Loop > AI Slop

Look, I know this is a controversial topic.

But let’s be real. 

I didn’t choose to build a workflow that leans into AI. 

I was forced into it. We were a bootstrapped startup for years. 

No agency budget. 

No freelance team. 

We had to figure out how to get high-quality content out the door with zero dollars in the marketing budget. 

And even if I did hire someone back then, I’d bet my salary they would’ve used AI to get the job done anyway. So I got to work.

And when those LLM pipe dreams from the message boards went live, I didn’t wait. 

I started building.

Here’s what that process looks like today:

The Stack (This Is Where the Work Happens)

Step 1: Research like a real one

I don’t ask AI to create ideas for me. I bring my own. For every topic I cover, I dive into three deep research sources. Always. My stack includes:

• Perplexity

• Gemini

• ChatGPT Pro

• NotebookLM

I’m triangulating the insight. Reading, analyzing, connecting dots. Once I’ve got a handle on the landscape, I grab the mic and break it down in my own words. No fluff. Just clarity.

Step 2: Punch in

I dictate my thoughts. Apple Notes on the go. Granola mid-meeting. Whatever gets the voice out of my head and into text. I talk through what I learned, how it ties to culture, and what story I want to tell.

Step 3: Train the model

Here’s the twist. Every Lil’ Signals article starts with me feeding the transcripts, notes, and research into my custom GPT. I turn it all into PDFs. Load it in. Tune the model. Then, and only then, do I let AI help me shape the narrative.

Not lead. Assist.

That’s what being human in the loop means.

I don’t press publish on auto-generated content. I press record on a mindset.

This is not AI slop. This is signal.

What’s Been Going On?????

The past two months have been a blur of flights, stages, and whiteboards. From VC meetings to customer deep dives, I’ve been moving and learning, nonstop.

So where have I been?

Startup World Cup- Ohio VC Fest

We stepped on a national stage and told our story. Held our own among the best in Ohio. 

MidwestCon Panel

Spoke on a panel with leaders from P&G, GumGum, and Tech Is The New Black about how AI and cultural context drive brand growth. Shared how we use Nichefire to turn real-time cultural signals into strategy.

AMA Ignite Panel

Joined experts from University of Cincinnati and Narratize to explore how AI can drive real human connection in an increasingly automated world. Shared how Nichefire empowers teams to turn cultural signals into insights without replacing the human element.

Ohio VC Fest + Venture Atlanta

Big rooms. Big ideas. Big connections. Pushed the Nichefire narrative to new audiences.

Customer On-Sites

We got in the field. Real feedback. Real results. Confirmed value and locked in our roadmap for 2026.

Observe Summit 2025!

We closed the year as headline sponsors of Observe Summit 2025, our biggest moment yet. Just a few years ago, we were sitting in the back trying to find the words to explain what we were building. Now, the industry is asking us how cultural intelligence works, and we're helping shape the playbook.

Internal Workflow Evolution

I’ve been building behind the scenes. From custom GPTs to automated research pipelines. From cultural listening workflows to Firestarter content. Testing, refining, and scaling the way we work with AI As a team!

What to Expect Next

Let’s reset the rhythm.

Weekly Lil’ Signals drops? 

Not for now. 

That was an ambitious goal and I’m not here to chase volume over value.

From here on, you can expect one article a month. 

A real one.

That means thoughtful breakdowns, original insight, and cultural decoding that cuts through.

But if you still want weekly energy, I got you.

I’m going live on Twitch. Go follow me there now!!!

sharing raw ideas, building in public, and giving you a behind-the-scenes look at how this work really gets made. No script. No polish. Just the real-time version of what this newsletter started as.

What I’m Doubling Down On

Lil’ Signals will always be:

• Cultural insights through my lens

• No fluff, no filler

• Actionable strategy rooted in real life

But I’m leveling up. The analysis is going deeper. The questions are getting sharper. The tech stack is tighter. And my conviction? Stronger than ever.

Because this isn’t about keeping up with culture. It’s about shaping it.

And if you know how to see the signals, you know how to lead.

Thanks for Still Rocking With Me

To the early subscribers, the new readers, and everyone who reached out while I was quiet, thank you.

I’m still here. I’m still building. And I’m still punching in.

Talk soon,

Khalil

PS: Got a signal worth decoding? Hit reply or find me on LinkedIn or X.

Want the unfiltered version? Catch me live on Twitch (link dropping soon).

👉 Want to dig deeper? Download the free 2025-26 Holiday report here and explore the full trends, verbatims, and forecasts.

Let’s explore the power of culture, one signal at a time.

Lil’ Surfing 🌊

Just interesting articles I find on “The Internets” 😜

Parking in Thailand

IYKYK

💬 Your journey into the world of cultural insights starts here!

Thank you for being part of the Lil’ Signals community. Together, we’ll decode the world, one signal at a time.