Unscalable is a family of brands cultivating flourishing in San Francisco
It started with a very big (very small) idea: where others asked “how big, how fast?” we asked “how small can we stay and yet go far, very far, together?”
San Francisco is maniacally, paradoxically, and simultaneously obsessed with manifesting the next big, big thing while also freezing the past in carbonite.
It desperately seeks to lead the country and the world in tech, on social issues, and in natural beauty while intractably grasping at the vapor of some imagined better past.
Its legacy of extreme brokenness and unparalleled beauty both heralds and haunts this obsession.
Seekers of fortune rush in and cling to an existence while hoping to make it big enough to stay, or perhaps big enough to leave while others secretly (or loudly) hope they fail and “go back home.”
The City turns over. It booms. It busts. It rushes ever onward, never ceasing in its effort to be more and also less.
Are you reading this and wondering if there is a political angle coming? Dear reader, there is not.
But there is a belief, a deep, unshakable hope that if We The People of The City will put down roots, grow where we are planted (right here, right now) and invite others to do the same, then in turn, San Francisco will thrive. If that is a radical counter-cultural political statement, then sobeit.
Where others ask “how big, how fast?” we ask “how small can we stay and yet go far, very far, together?”
Are we trying to fix San Francisco? LOL. No.
But we do believe we can put a dent in this city for good if we learn to love this city better; if we invest into the places where we are right now; and if we recalibrate toward a vision of what we can accomplish together over a long horizon of time. Yes, absolutely yes.
We believe, that if we do this well, then at the end of our individual journey, each of us will look back and objectively, quantifiably point a few things that have contributed to a flourishing San Francisco.
Who are we?
We are citizens of San Francisco.
We believe that small is beautiful.
We believe in cultivating the most value right where we live by curating, promoting, and when appropriate, building small businesses, social enterprises, and community groups across San Francisco.
“Ideas mature gradually—let them grow. Let them shape themselves without undue haste.”
— Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
Our family
Houston
Launched, 2020
Houston provides brand strategy, digital product design, and fCMO leadership to owner-led mid-market companies.
When the world needed a dream to come true, a team came together and made the impossible possible: mankind taking one small step on the surface of the moon.
We chose the name Houston so that every day we would be reminded of that one giant leap and bring that same ethos into every project.
Today our work may be digital, but all projects are human endeavors and every challenge overcome is, at its core, inherently human.
Intentional Gatherings
Launched, 2022 / merged with Tillage, 2024
With precious few exceptions, the stories of Jesus we find in the christian bible are stories of him present with people, often sharing a meal. Each recorded interaction is intensely personal, intentional. The full person of Jesus meeting the full person of the image bearer where they are in a specific time and place.
In short, this is embodiment.
We in the West are desperately out of tune with this way of being and relating—to where we are and who we are with. To intentionally slow down long enough to taste, smell, see, and savor is largely foreign to us. It's probably uncomfortable, even a bit weird.
So that’s what we did — we gathered a small, intentional group together over many meals to embrace this example of Jesus. It was that simple, but also terribly profound.
Then we did it again, and again, and again. In 2024, Intentional Gatherings merged with Tillage.
Spiritual Formation
Launched, 2023
Examples of guides are counselors, mentors, pastors, therapists, teachers, and spiritual directors. A spiritual director is one type of guide, similar to those above but unique in a few key ways.
Spiritual direction is first and foremost a ministry of listening and attending. When we meet together we are always, explicitly or implicitly, asking two questions:
What is God doing in my life right now and how am I responding?
Melissa Jantz is a trained spiritual director and a member of the ESDA. She lives in San Francisco with her husband, three teenagers, cat, snake (not hers, no way), and way too many houseplants.
She provides 1:1 spiritual direction, ignatian direction, silent retreats, and group retreat facilitation.
Tillage
Beta Launch, 2024
Tillage cultivates connection and imagination through curated events and member-supported third places in San Francisco.
San Francisco needs third places anchored in the heart of her neighborhoods. Places purpose-built on three core values of Intentionality, Proximity, and Serendipity,
Tillage is for people looking for connection and community throughout the workweek.
Tillage Events launching now. Check out our next event.
{codename} Project Mallorn
Launching, someday
Still in dream mode….