Toxic Positivity, Content, Influencer, and No-Shows: The Shocking Truths You’re Ignoring

This week, we’re laying bare the inconvenient truths you’d rather avoid: the toxic positivity eating away at startup culture, the real cost of empty content, the crumbling influencer economy, and your no-show bad habits.

Here’s the heat:

🤯 Jimmy says toxic positivity in business culture is ruining everyone
The “we’re crushing it” LinkedIn posts are a lie, and we all know it. Entrepreneurship is brutal, but we’re pretending it’s a non-stop party. It’s time to stop performing success and start sharing the real, messy journey. Real leaders are the ones who show the struggle—not just the wins.

🔥 Amer says you need a spine and a flamethrower, not more content
Tired of bland posts that make zero impact? The problem isn’t the amount of content—it’s the lack of courage behind it. If you’re not making people uncomfortable, you’re invisible. Forget playing it safe, it’s time to make some noise. Real opinions, real friction—that’s what gets remembered.

🔥 Bryan says the influencer video fee economy is dead
You thought a ring light and 100k followers were your golden ticket? Think again. The age of overpriced influencer content is over. If you're not moving product, you're just creating fluff. Real money comes from sales, not vibes—and brands are catching on. Time to evolve or get left behind.

⚔️ John says you’re burning bridges without even knowing it
That no-show meeting? You just lost all credibility. Time isn’t unlimited—it’s the most valuable thing you can offer. If you leave people hanging without an explanation, you’re telling them everything they need to know about you. In this world, consistency and communication are king.

This edition hits harder than realizing your “viral” post didn’t land. Read it, reflect, and if it stings? Perfect.

Exploring the Future of E-commerce: ShopTalk 2025 Highlights and Recap - EP42

In this ASOM Pod episode, we’re bringing you the inside scoop from ShopTalk 2025 in Las Vegas, the biggest event in e-commerce and retail! Join us as we recap our experience at this thrilling industry extravaganza.

From buzzing booth activations to high-impact sessions, we’re sharing personal stories and key takeaways that highlight the future of e-commerce. Get an exclusive look at the innovative marketing strategies, event insights, and engagement tactics that are shaping the industry.

Whether you missed the event or want to relive the highlights, this episode is packed with actionable insights you can apply to your business.

Listen now to dive into the future of e-commerce and discover what’s next for the retail space. 🎧👇

Grab your headphones and check out the episode here!

Big thanks to our sponsors at: Omnisend, Nacelle, and Workspace 6.

The Toxic Positivity Circus of Business Culture: Where Struggle Goes to Die

Let's talk about the most exhausting performance art in business today: The relentless, soul-crushing positivity theater of startup culture.

You know exactly what I'm talking about. 

Those founder LinkedIn posts that read like they're high on optimism steroids while their bank account is hemorrhaging cash and they haven't slept in four days.

'Thrilled to announce we're pivoting for the third time this quarter! #blessed #entrepreneurlife' 

'Failed to meet any of our targets but learning so much on this incredible journey!'

 'Just laid off half our team but SO EXCITED about our new direction!'

Can we please, for the love of cash flow, stop with this performative bullshit?

The business ecosystem has created this monstrous expectation that you must project constant success, growth, and enthusiasm – even when you're one bad week away from moving back in with your parents. 

It's not just dishonest; it's actively harmful to every other founder who thinks they're the only one struggling while everyone else is crushing it.

Let me tell you what's really happening behind those carefully curated Instagram posts of founders pointing at whiteboards with big smiles:

• They're having panic attacks in the bathroom

• They're fighting with their co-founders

• They're wondering if they've made a catastrophic life choice

• They're scrambling to make payroll

• They're rehearsing how to tell investors about missed targets

But you'll never see that on social media or hear it on podcasts.

 Instead, it's all 'growth hacking' and 'crushing goals' and 'living the dream.'

The most bizarre part? 

We all know it's fake. 

Every founder knows that building a company is brutal, terrifying, and often soul-crushing. 

Yet we collectively maintain this ridiculous charade where struggle is something to be hidden rather than acknowledged.

You want to know who the real leaders are? 

The ones brave enough to say, 'This is really fucking hard and I'm not sure if we're going to make it.' 

The ones who talk about their failures without wrapping them in the toxic positivity of 'learning experiences.'

The ones who admit that sometimes, entrepreneurship feels less like building the future and more like setting your life on fire while people toast marshmallows.

So here's my radical suggestion: Let's make honesty the new currency in business land. 

Let's acknowledge that building something from nothing is supposed to be hard. Let's stop performing success and start sharing reality.

Because I promise you – your transparent struggles will help more founders than your fake victories ever could.

You Don’t Need More Content…You Need a Spine and a Flamethrower

The internet doesn’t have a content problem.

It has a courage problem. Trust me, I speak from experience. 

Every day, a thousand new posts hit the feed like soggy toast...

Mild, inoffensive, and instantly forgettable.

It’s all “Here’s what worked for me” with zero punch, zero perspective, and zero reason to stop scrolling.

We’re not starved for information... we’re starved for conviction.

Most of you are out here posting like you're walking on eggshells inside a library. Shhhh!

Quiet. Careful. Pleasant.

But here’s the hard truth...

If your content doesn’t piss someone off a little, if it doesn’t make someone lean in and say “wait, WHAT did they just say?”...then congratulations — you’ve just created another piece of background noise. That soft playing violin or piano during the credits section of a movie…the one without bloopers…just bunch of text highlighting all the actors and crewmembers. 

Now look at who’s doing it right…you may not agree with their perspective, but they are are holding attention better than gravity holds us to the surface of this planet.

Gary Vee shows up like a content hurricane. He’s got more opinions than most people have ideas. He doesn’t wait for permission. He says things that make people argue in the comments...and he thrives on that friction.

Dave Ramsey has built an empire on telling people they’re broke because they make dumb decisions. He’s not trying to be liked. He’s trying to be remembered. Mission accomplished.

Sara Blakely? Built Spanx into a billion-dollar brand by being exactly who she is... no polish, no corporate filter, no pretending. She shares failures. She embraces weird ideas. Literally cut the feet off pantyhose and sold it. That wasn’t a content strategy, that was belief turned into movement. That’s what makes her unforgettable.

These people don’t “create content.”

They light matches. And that’s the difference.

You’re out here worrying about how often to post. You should be worrying about whether your post actually matters.

Forget frequency... chase friction.

Forget tips... give us takes.

Forget being liked... be felt.

So here’s your permission slip to stop being polite and start being powerful.

Say what you really think.

Make the room a little uncomfortable.

Because content that doesn’t challenge... doesn’t convert.

In a world full of whispers...

The one with the flamethrower wins.

Creators, Your Video Fee Doesn’t Mean Sh*t if You Can’t Sell

We need to have an intervention.

Somewhere between the rise of TikTok dances and the fall of Facebook ads, a whole generation of influencers and affiliates got the idea that their existence alone is worth a five-figure brand deal. You’ve got a ring light, a discount code, and 100k followers, and now you’re out here asking brands for $3,000 per video like you’re Scorsese.

But I’ve got bad news: the video fee economy is officially dead. Buried. Gone. Finished. May it rest in the same grave as “just send me product and I’ll post.”

Back in the golden days of DTC (aka when VCs were setting money on fire), sure, brands paid thousands for one video, just to say they were “working with influencers.” You could blink twice on camera while holding a protein powder tub and still get paid. But now? We need sales. Not aesthetics. Not engagement. Not vibes. Sales.

We’re running businesses, not art galleries. If your video gets 100,000 views and 8,000 likes but sells 3 units, who cares. You might be great at making people laugh, cry, or save a recipe, but if no one’s clicking “Add to Cart,” why exactly are we paying you?

This is the era where creators need to grow up and become sellers. You want to make real money? You’ve gotta actually move product. Not impressions. Not hearts. Product. Because guess what? Brands don’t care how many followers you have if all those followers are just other influencers hoping to collab.

And this is the part where I say: there’s actually a TON of money to be made right now if you’re a creator who can sell. The brands are still spending, but they’re not paying for feelings anymore. They’re paying for performance. Rev share. Commission. Back-end bonuses. You get rich when you help the brand get rich. Novel concept, I know.

So if you’re still out here demanding $2,500 just to post a 45-second video with a canned “OMG I love this” voiceover and a vague call to action? It's time to evolve. You're not a billboard. You’re a media company with a P&L now.

Creators: your cute little aesthetic brand deals are being replaced by cold, hard math. And I, for one, love it. Because the cream will rise. The ones who can actually sell will make more than ever. And the rest? They'll be stuck DMing startups with “Hey bestie, let’s collab” while their last 6 videos sit at 302 views.

If you want to get paid? Stop charging for vibes and start charging based on results.

Because these days, the only thing brands want to hear is: can you sell, or nah?

No Call No Show? You Just Burned the Bridge You Didn’t Even Know You Were Walking On

If you schedule a call and don’t show up with no heads up?

You are not busy. You are not slammed.
You are just disrespectful.

Time is not some unlimited resource.
It is the most expensive thing any of us can offer.

When someone blocks off part of their day for you, they are choosing you over something else. Over work. Over family. Over progress.

And you couldn’t even send a message?

Missing a meeting without a word doesn’t make you mysterious. It makes you unreliable. It makes you forgettable. And it makes you look like someone no serious operator wants to deal with twice.

This isn’t about being five minutes late.
It’s not about a last-minute conflict.
It’s about zero communication.

The full ghost.
Like you don’t owe anyone the basic courtesy of a sentence.

Wild.

I’ve been on the other side. The one pushing to get it scheduled. Nudging calendars. Looping in others. Rallying a team to show up ready.

And then... nothing.

You leave people hanging and expect what?
That they’ll still want to work with you?
That the door’s still open?

Nah. You just told everyone who you are.
You just wrote your own label.
And the people who actually operate at a high level? They don’t forget.

This is not a “small mistake.”
It is a massive signal.
And it tells everyone you don’t respect the time, the prep, or the people.

You want to be taken seriously?
Start by showing up.
Or have the decency to say you can’t.

Because once you no-show without a word, the message is loud and clear.

And so is the silence that follows.

And that’s a wrap on this week’s unfiltered takes! If you’re hooked on our no-BS rants (or just love the chaos), be sure to hit that Subscribe button and let us keep your inbox spicy. 🌶️

And of course, don’t be selfish—share with your friends, coworkers, or anyone who needs a wake-up call from their boring newsletters.

Have an ASOM day ✌️