🎙️Why Influencers are going extinct - here's who's replacing them

📆 WHAT WE WILL HIT ON THIS WEEK:

• Creator Ownership Report: The data is in (and I was right)

• I'm launching Office Hours on LinkedIn - come get real or be my guest

• Three creator deals worth paying attention to (one hit $20M valuation)

• A finance creator building real influence while everyone else flexes

• Andy's back to answer the questions keeping you up at 3am

Listen, the numbers don't lie. Entrepreneurial creators - the ones who own their revenue streams - report:

• 42% better work-life balance

• 49% more creative freedom

• 58% more control over their schedules

Meanwhile, creators still on the likes treadmill? Burned out. Broke. Algorithm-anxious😬

Remember that TikTok "glitch" in January? It wasn't a wake-up call, it was a air raid siren. If your income disappears when an app goes down, you don't have a business, you have a dangerous dependency.

Social platforms are burning. But creators with their own products? They're just getting started. This isn’t rocket science: it's common cents (😉).

When you own your audience – through email lists, communities, direct relationships – you're playing a totally different game. You're building wealth, not just content.

And that’s where our equity model walks in. When creators own a piece of what they’re promoting, magic happens. No more influencers-for-hire: we’re talking partners in crime (the legal kind).

The brands of the future are being built this way. Influence is today's most valuable currency, and the smartest creators are investing it in ownership.

If you're a founder not offering equity to the people who can move your product, you're living in 2015.

And if you're a creator taking one-time checks instead of ownership, you're leaving generational wealth on the table.

Got wisdom to drop? We need your time.

Office Hours is a live, unscripted LinkedIn LIVE where I will go one-on-one with industry leaders who actually have something to say. Each session runs 60 minutes – no fluff, just straight talk.

The format:

• Me interviewing one kickass guest (that could be you - just reply to this email)

• Real-time Q&A where viewers can join the stream

• Authentic conversations about business building, investing, and the creator economy

• Bi-weekly cadence

Why this matters:

The ecosystem is drowning in generic content. Everyone's saying the same shit in different words. Office Hours cuts through that noise with conversations that hit different - the kind you'd have over drinks when the cameras are "off."

We're streaming this live to my network of founders, operators and investors who are hungry for real insights, not another motivational speech. They get to ask you their burning questions directly - no filter, no BS.

Who I want in the hot seat:

• Operators who've built, been there and done that.

• Investors who bet on people, not just pitch decks.

• Industry veterans who can tell it like it is.

• Anyone who can make me laugh while making me smarter.

This isn't about building your personal brand (though that'll happen). It's about sharing the hard-earned wisdom that can only come from someone who's been in the trenches.

If you're interested (and you should be), reply to this newsletter with "Put me in, coach" We're kicking this off this month and spots are limited.

Remember – the best conversations happen when people get real. Let's have one.

🎥 VidCon Anaheim (June 19-21, 2025): 

The ultimate gathering at the intersection of creators, fans, and industry. Features top creators like Hank Green, Dream, Ranboo, LaurDIY and 100+ others across three specialized tracks: Community (for fans), Creator (for aspiring content makers), and Industry (for professionals charting the future of digital content). Located at Anaheim Convention Center, California.

🛍️ CommerceNext Growth Show (June 24-26, 2025):

The premier community for retail marketing and technology leaders. Connect with executives from Tapestry, Estée Lauder, J. Crew, Home Depot, Walmart, and Sephora while exploring AI implementation, marketing scale strategies, and ecommerce conversion optimization. Located at New York Hilton Midtown, NYC.

🔧 Open Sauce Live (July 18-20, 2025): 

The ultimate maker festival bringing together 150 of the world's top creator-builders, 500+ interactive exhibits, and 60+ panels. New additions include an Indie Game Development Zone and Creator-Curated Food experiences. Industry Day on July 18, with main event July 19-20. Located at San Mateo County Event Center, California.

Andy's here. Waiting to answer the questions you're afraid to ask in public (and yeah, he's actually NOT a paid spokesperson but our network of badass execs open to answering questions...for free).

Every week, Andy's ready to tackle the real shit that keeps founders up at night. No sugarcoating, no PC answers – just the truth.

Andy's sitting here with his mustache twitching, ready to drop knowledge bombs about creator equity that would cost you thousands with a consultant.

So drop your questions below. About valuations, term sheets, creator contracts, whatever keeps you up at 3am. The more uncomfortable, the better.

He loves this country and wants to bet on what makes it great – ownership and the generational wealth it creates.

He wants you to win, but he wants you to have fun doing it.

Got a question for Andy 😉? Drop it here — nothing is off limits. Trust us, he’ll GET the answer.