🤯 From Broken Links to Broken Business Models: A Hilariously Honest Look at Content, Platforms & SaaS Chaos
Ericka Bates
I help SaaS companies gain warm leads in 90 days or less with virtual events, without the stress of overwhelm.
What link glitches, Zoom snubs & AppSumo déjà vu can teach us about content strategy, tech tools and not going broke with a "brilliant" idea.
Introduction
Welcome to another wild ride with The Virtual Summiteers, where virtual event experts and digital rebels spill the tea on tools, tactics and tech platforms with no filter and a side of sass. This session? We laughed, we side-eyed, we audited shady business models in real time.
From rogue question marks in URLs to SaaS startups tripping over their own unsustainable dreams, this conversation had it all, plus a few roasts, hard truths and surprisingly useful workflow hacks.
Buckle up, fam. This is your backstage pass to what’s really happening in the world of virtual content creation and platform chaos.
TL;DR
🤨 What’s Up With These Glitchy Links?
Ever sent two links and one mysteriously works while the other throws a digital tantrum? Yeah, that happened.
Turns out, a rogue character like a question mark can ruin your whole vibe or just your redirect. We speculated, troubleshooted and moved on because, honestly, ain’t nobody got time for browser drama.
Question: Have you ever had a link glitch cost you leads or confuse your audience? How do you double-check before clicking send?
🎥 Zoom Snobbery & Platform Costs: Is $170.00 a Year Worth It?
When invited attendees refused to join a session because it wasn’t on Zoom, it sparked a bigger convo: are we too loyal to overpriced platforms?
Zoom is great, but $170.00/year? No, that’s not Beyoncé ticket money, but dang! I (Ericka) said nope, I’m using what I’ve already paid for.
Ask yourself: Are you making platform choices based on real value, habit (or client tantrums)?
💸 SaaS Startups Failing Fast & It Ain’t Cute
Pour one out for Sessions, y’all. The once-promising platform flopped due to who knows why , but we’re assuming money mismanagement and zero long-term revenue plans. (Of course, that’s just our guess.)
We didn’t hold back. We assumed that this is what happens when founders chase flashy launches instead of sustainable growth, but who knows?
Thomas Ballard, PG, CHG & I (Ericka) agreed: no clear business model = no business.
Think about this: Are the tools you're using (or creating) built to last or are they just living for the next LTD (Life Time Deal)?
So, What Say Ye:
Are you repeatedly paying a yearly / monthly fee to use a program or are you paying once for a Life Time Deal and hoping that the company can sustain itself?
🚨 AppSumo Repeat Offenders = 🚩
We see you, AppSumo returnees. And not in a good way.
Some companies keep circling back to AppSumo like it's a merry-go-round, hinting at deeper issues like poor financial planning or desperation for quick cash injections.
Meanwhile, the smart players (like Brilliant Directories) use low-entry offers to upsell you later. That’s chess, not checkers.
Reflect: Would you rather buy from a company that builds loyalty or one that keeps offering fire sales?
🧠 Content Workflows That Actually Work (Mostly)
We got into the nitty-gritty of how content moves from brain to inbox to feed:
Be honest: What’s your content flow, systemized or a beautiful mess?
📌 Post-its vs Notion: Productivity Showdown
They both agreed: the best system is the one you’ll actually use.
Ask yourself: Are your productivity tools helping you or are they just another tab you avoid?
🗓️ Weekly Content Rhythm: The Secret Sauce
Ericka’s content days are Fridays. The mission: wrap it all in a few hours and kick off the weekend guilt-free.
Meanwhile, Thomas and Jason admitted their workflow is more “aspirational” than actual.
Scheduling consistent time blocks = more freedom and less chaos. Revolutionary, right?
Challenge: What day can you claim as your “Content Creation Day”?
⛔ Bottlenecks, Burnout & the Need for Boundaries
The Jason Hodge Publisher-Mastering Your Media™️-The Series confessed that systems and automation is his biggest bottleneck and he wants more family time (YES!).
Thomas? Just trying to wrestle time management into submission.
The group agreed: Your business should serve your life, not swallow it whole.
Pause & ponder: What bottleneck could you fix this week to free up more time or energy?
🧲 Audience Engagement Isn’t Just Analytics
Jason stressed audience segmentation, knowing exactly who you’re talking to and why.
Thomas reminded us to ask people how they found us. Shocking, right? But apparently it works.
And Me (Ericka)? I’m cooking up a newsletter strategy that teases, not spills, to boost membership signups. #RespectTheHook
Gut check: Are you creating content for your people or for the algorithm?
❓ SAQs > FAQs — You Heard It Here First
Move over, FAQ, it’s time for the “Should Ask Questions.” These are the juicy ones that build curiosity, open loops and keep people clicking.
Jason is dropping them into blog posts like breadcrumbs to better conversions.
Try it: What’s one SAQ your audience needs to be asking, but isn’t?
Conclusion: Tools Come and Go / Strategies Stays Sexy
From questionable links to questionable business models, this convo hit all the messy, magical parts of running a digital business in 2025.
Ericka’s content system? Fire. Thomas’s workflow ideas? Solid. Jason’s Blog strategy? WOW SaaS drama? Eternal.
If you’re juggling tools, people and platforms with different priorities; you’re not alone. But with a little strategy, consistency and saas, you can turn content chaos into conversions.
Final Question: What’s the one thing you’ll commit to fixing in your content or business workflow this week?
Want more behind-the-scenes commentary, tool talk and strategic saas? Join The Virtual Summiteers Peer Group and get in on the action before the drama drops.
Let’s talk virtual, but make it profitable!