This Pitch Night Edition is Brought to You by

⚡ THE JOB MARKET APOCALYPSE IS HERE ⚡

Hey Pitch Night Realists,

Remember when a Harvard MBA was your golden ticket to financial freedom? Well, that ticket just got shredded.

Nearly 25% of Harvard Business School's 2024 MBA graduates are STILL unemployed three months after graduation. One grad applied to over 1,000 jobs and is still searching. If Harvard grads can't get hired, what does that say about the rest of us?

But here's the plot twist nobody's talking about: While the traditional job market implodes, the entrepreneurship economy is exploding. This isn't just another recession—it's a complete reshuffling of how careers work.

🔥 THIS WEEK'S LAYOFF CARNAGE: THE NUMBERS ARE BRUTAL

The corporate "we're family" narrative just died. Bumble axed 240 employees (30% of their workforce) this week, and they're not alone:

💸 THE SLAUGHTER HOUSE:

📱 Bumble: 240 Jobs Gone

• The Reality: Stock down 90% since 2021 IPO, revenue down 8%

• The Excuse: "Optimizing execution on strategic priorities"

• Translation: "We hired too many people and now we're broke."

💻 Tech Layoffs: 26,000+ Jobs in 2025

• The Scale: Over 22,000 workers cut across the tech industry so far this year

• Big Names: Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Meta, all reducing MBA hiring

• The Trend: McKinsey hired 33 MBAs from Chicago Booth in 2024, down from 71 in 2023

👻 The Ghosting Epidemic

• The Stats: 48% of job seekers were ghosted by employers in the past year, up from 38%

• The Reality: Companies are taking applications to keep options open while freezing actual hiring

🚨 WHY EVEN YOUR "SECURE" JOB ISN'T SAFE ANYMORE

Let's be brutally honest about what's happening:

🎯 THE NEW EMPLOYMENT REALITY:

AI Is Eating White-Collar Jobs Companies are realizing they can replace entire departments with AI tools. That "stable" corporate job? It's one ChatGPT update away from being automated.

Experience Doesn't Matter Anymore Companies are now selecting candidates based on specific experience rather than potential, even for MBA positions traditionally hired with little experience. Your 10 years at a big company means nothing if they can hire someone who's done the exact same role.

The "Overqualified" Trap Harvard MBAs are being told they're overqualified for jobs they desperately need. It's a rigged game where you're either under-qualified or too expensive.

🚀 THE SIDE HUSTLE REVOLUTION: YOUR NEW INSURANCE POLICY

Here's what the career counselors won't tell you: The only job security left is the job you create for yourself.

💡 WHY NOW IS THE PERFECT TIME TO START:

1. Corporate Desperation Creates Opportunity Companies are cutting full-time employees but still need work done. Freelancers and consultants are cleaning up. That corporate job that won't hire you full-time? They'll pay you double as a contractor.

2. AI Levels the Playing Field You don't need a team of 50 anymore. One person with the right AI tools can compete with entire departments. Content creation, design, development, marketing—all accessible to solo operators.

3. The Gig Economy Has Matured Platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, and specialized industry sites have made it easier than ever to find clients. Plus, corporate budgets that were frozen for hiring are often still available for contractors.

🎯 THE VIBE SHIFT: FROM EMPLOYEE TO OWNER

"Vibe Coding" Isn't Just a Meme—It's a Strategy While everyone's fighting for corporate scraps, smart people are building:

• SaaS tools that solve specific problems

• Content businesses around their expertise

• Consulting practices in their field

• Digital products that scale without hiring

🏗️ YOUR 90-DAY SIDE HUSTLE LAUNCH PLAN

Stop waiting for permission. Start building your backup plan TODAY:

🚀 WEEKS 1-4: FOUNDATION

• List 3 problems you solve at work that other companies need

• Post expertise on LinkedIn 3x/week + join 2 industry communities

• Create a simple website + write your elevator pitch

🚀 WEEKS 5-8: VALIDATION

• Get 3 free clients for testimonials + join freelancing platforms

• Create proposal/contract templates + define pricing

🚀 WEEKS 9-12: SCALE

• Build retainer offerings + create digital products

• Calculate exit numbers + transition the best clients to long-term contracts

💼 INTERESTED IN FAST-TRACKING YOUR STARTUP?

🚀 JOIN OUR LAUNCH ACCELERATOR

12-week program that's helped 500+ professionals escape corporate life: ✅ Weekly 1:1 mentorship
✅ Vetted client network access
✅ Legal/financial setup + AI tools

👉 Message [email protected] with "LAUNCH" in the subject line

💰 FOR THE WEALTH BUILDERS: BUY WHILE EVERYONE ELSE SELLS

If you're a startup founder, high-earning 9-to-5er, or investor, this market chaos is your goldmine.

🎯 THE ACQUISITION OPPORTUNITY:

Traditional Businesses Are Desperate

• Restaurant owners, service companies, and retail businesses are selling at massive discounts

• These aren't tech startups—they're cash-flowing businesses with tangible assets

• Perfect for building a diversified portfolio while tech burns

Why This Works Now:

As we covered in our Startup Exit Newsletter, buying established companies can provide immediate cash flow

📊 THE NUMBERS GAME:

Many profitable businesses sell for 2-4x annual profit (compared to 10- 20x for tech companies). A $200K investment could buy you a business generating $50-100K annually in passive income.

Interested in exploring traditional business acquisitions? 👉 Message us at [email protected] with "BUY" in the subject line

🎯 WHAT TO WATCH: THE NEXT 30 DAYS

📅 KEY SIGNALS:

• July Fed Meeting: Interest rate decisions will impact startup funding and business loans

• Q2 Earnings: More tech companies will announce "rightsizing" (layoffs)

• Back-to-School Season: Expect another wave of "optimization" as budgets reset

🔍 OPPORTUNITIES TO TRACK:

• Distressed Business Sales: Traditional businesses hitting the market cheap

• Corporate Consulting Needs: Companies cutting staff but still needing expertise

• AI Tool Development: Massive demand for industry-specific AI solutions

🚀 EXCLUSIVE EVENT: CRACK THE STARTUP HIRING CODE

The classic startup catch-22: Investors want to see a strong team before funding, but you need funding to hire that team. Sound familiar?

🗓️ "Solving the Startup Dilemma: Getting Funded to Hire vs. Hiring to Get Funded" 📅 Wednesday, July 9th | 3:00-4:00 PM EDT 💻 Google Meet (Free)

🎯 YOU'LL LEARN:

• Why 90% of startups mistime hiring vs. fundraising

• How to build lean, fundable teams that excite investors

• The framework for landing A-players when you can't pay market rates

• What VCs actually look for in your team slide (and the red flags that kill deals)

🎤 Featured Speakers:

• Ray Gibson - Founder & Chairman of Funded.club

• Vlad Cazacu - Ex-VC/angel investor, Co-Founder & CEO of Flowlie

This is EXACTLY what every founder needs to hear right now—how to build a team that gets you funded, especially when traditional hiring is broken.

👉 Register for FREE: lu.ma/mosv00zq

Perfect timing: While everyone else is getting laid off, smart founders are learning how to build unstoppable teams.

🤝 PARTNER WITH US

Want to reach 10,000+ professionals who are building their Plan B?

Contact [email protected] for sponsorship opportunities.