UGLY TALK: WINNERS AND WIPEOUTS IN SOCIAL COMMERCE
Behind every creator brand, content engine, and social commerce win that looks inevitable are bad bets, stalled launches, broken assumptions, and pivots that never made it into a LinkedIn post.
Everyone talks about growth. Almost nobody talks about the experiments that bled money and went nowhere.
This Ugly Talk is for the decisions that did not work. The tests that failed. The lessons that actually moved the business forward.
🎯 Why You Should Attend
Learn from founders building in content commerce, social commerce, and the creator economy right now.
Hear what failed, what pivoted, and what finally worked.
Walk away with practical moves for growth, content, community, and commerce.
Get an honest conversation with no highlight reel.
Meet builders dealing with the same messy problems you are.
🙋 Who's Getting In This Room
Founders building content, creator economy, and commerce businesses.
Operators running growth, content, and acquisition.
Creators turning audiences into real revenue.
Investors, advisors, and ecosystem partners close to early-stage work.
🎤 Who’s Taking the Stage
Harley Sutton - Founder & CEO of Thanks! Naturals
Harley Sutton is the Founder & CEO of Thanks! Naturals, an all-natural beauty and wellness brand built around spreading gratitude, and Founder of H&H Studios, a creative agency helping brands grow through content and live stream selling. A third-generation wellness entrepreneur and attorney, Harley traded the courtroom for wellness and live selling, launching Thanks! Naturals during the final year of her JD/MBA at USC. She documents her founder journey daily on TikTok and Instagram, sharing unfiltered behind-the-scenes looks at everything from product development to live stream selling – building in public and bringing her audience along for every win.
Shea Daspin - Affiliate Marketing Supervisor at Miracle Miles Group Inc.
Social commerce expert with a proven record of turning content, creators, and community into measurable revenue. Experienced in developing integrated strategies specialized in TikTok Shop and livestreaming. Builds high-performing creator partnerships, that leads to increased brand awareness, conversion, and customer loyalty. Combines cultural insight, trend fluency, and compelling storytelling with rigorous performance analysis to optimize and scale growth. Skilled in influencer recruitment, content development, merchandising, community engagement, attribution, and platform management, with a customer-first approach to creating seamless, engaging shopping experiences that consistently deliver sustainable commercial impact and long-term brand value.
Alda Karen Hjaltalin Lopez - Founder of Skinergy
Alda Karen is a serial entrepreneur with two successful exits, she is the founder of Skinergy the first skincare focused energy drink matching Collagen with Caffeine. After closing $1M pre-seed round she’s now preparing a nationwide retail launch and opening a seed round.
Moderator:
Ethan Ma - Founder & CEO of AFM Agency
Ethan is the Founder and CEO of AFM Agency, a leading AI-driven full-service marketing agency and social commerce partner headquartered in Times Square. Under his leadership, AFM has helped brands accelerate growth across TikTok Shop, creator marketing, live commerce, paid media, and offline activations. He has built a global team operating across six centers, developed a network of more than 10,000 U.S. creators, and scaled the agency to manage over $20 million in monthly GMV. In 2026, Ethan led AFM to become the only agency recognized with two TikTok Partner of the Year awards in the U.S. and Cross-Border categories.
💬 What We Do Not Sugarcoat
The failures nobody posts about What experiments, launches, and growth bets did not deliver.
The pivot point How founders knew it was time to change direction.
Content, commerce, and community What is actually driving attention, trust, and growth today.
Content commerce in practice Where content is generating revenue and where it falls short.
What worked in the end The lessons, systems, and decisions founders would make again.
Who's Backing This
AFM Agency is a New York–based full-service marketing agency and social commerce growth partner headquartered in Times Square, with six global operating centers connecting brands, creators, commerce, and culture.
Driven by proprietary AI technology, AFM delivers end-to-end marketing solutions across strategy, creator marketing, livestreaming, social commerce, content production, paid media, PR, experiential events, and nationwide offline execution.
As an official top-tier TikTok Shop certified service provider, AFM manages over 10,000 directly collaborated creators across the U.S. and more than $20 million in monthly GMV.
Its livestreaming team ranked No.1 on TikTok, while its creator video business ranked No.2 through a network of L4+ high-converting creators.
With a 20,000 sqft venue in Times Square and strong nationwide campaign execution capabilities, AFM helps brands turn cultural moments into measurable business growth — online, offline, and across every touchpoint.
GREY Journal – Media partner spotlighting modern entrepreneurs (featured on Apple News + Google News).
⭐ About Ugly Talk:
Started in 2019, Ugly Talk has been transforming business setbacks into breakthrough “aha!” moments by hosting unfiltered, no-nonsense events where battle-tested entrepreneurs share their raw lessons and insights.
With a growing presence in cities like New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Miami, we’ve built a vibrant community of thousands of founders and industry leaders making a profound impact on the entrepreneurial landscape.
Official Website: UglyTalk.com
📢 Important Notice for Ugly Talk Attendees
Admission & Confirmation
Attendance is by approval only. Approved guests will receive a confirmation email along with a calendar invite. Invitations are non-transferable. Additional event details will be shared as the event approaches.
Code of Conduct
By attending, you agree to:
Maintain respect and professionalism, adhering to all venue rules, policies, and applicable laws.
Refrain from harassment, discrimination, unwelcome sexual advances (verbal or physical), intimidation, or inappropriate photography/recording.
Report any violations to the event hosts immediately.
Violations may result in immediate removal from the event and exclusion from future invitations.
Liability & Risk
Participation is voluntary and at your own risk. The event organizers, hosts, sponsors, and venue are not liable for personal injury, lost or stolen belongings, or any other damages incurred during the event.
Media Consent
By attending, you grant the event organizers and affiliated entities the right to capture, use, and distribute photos, videos, and audio recordings of you for promotional, marketing, and other lawful purposes, including digital and print media, advertising, and social media. You waive any right to inspect or approve the final materials and release all claims related to their use.
Communications
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Agreement
If you do not agree to this Code of Conduct, please refrain from attending the event.
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