Happy Thursday.

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LMNT Lawyers Up - LMNT has filed a federal lawsuit against the Oasis app and its founder, accusing them of building a viral business on false, fear-driven product ratings that misled millions of consumers. The brand says this is about more than one company, it's a shot at the entire wave of AI-fueled "health creator" accounts profiting off manufactured panic. More brands are expected to pile on.

This Startup 3D Prints 500,000 Gummies a Day - UK startup Rem3dy Health just pulled in over $18M from backers including Suntory to scale its 3D-printed, personalized gummy supplements — a machine-made answer to one-size-fits-all vitamins. The company is already printing half a million custom gummies a day, grew revenue 61% last year, and now carries a valuation north of $110M.

GLP1’s Made Meat Sticks a Gold Rush - America's high-protein obsession has turned meat snacks into a $5.5 billion category, growing 6.6% last year and outpacing the broader savory snack market. Now brands are scrambling to stand out in a crowded field, with challengers like Singing Pastures pushing flavors as far as juicy pineapple pork sticks to find white space with female shoppers on the go.

By Colin Dougherty

If you're spending under $50K a month on Meta and wondering why nothing works like it did in 2024, it's not you. It's not your team. Northbeam has the data, and the data says the market split in two.

Matthew Kobach, VP of Marketing at Northbeam, came on the show and laid it out plain. They're seeing the broader K-shaped economy reflected also in their data, and he called it crystal clear. Undeniable. The big players are spending more, getting higher ROI, and paying lower CACs. The smaller brands can't make the same math work no matter how hard they try.

Under $50K a month in ad spend, you're likely struggling. Quarter of a million a month and up, you're in the top tier, and things look genuinely good.

This is why it's important now. Sitting in their ad accounts, thousands of operators believe they are out of touch. They are blaming creatives, switching agencies, and dismissing media buys.

When he viewed Northbeam's data, Roman Khan (Founder, Peak 21), put it best: "I used to think I sucked or my team sucked. It's just the market, I see now.”

More valuable than any strategy is that reframe. You stop squeezing a dry lemon and start asking more insightful questions once you realize the game has shifted. When performance is limited, where does growth come from? Retention, deals, fresh channels, or being open about whether your category at all supports your level of spending. 

The era where a scrappy brand spending $30K a month could outmaneuver the big spenders is on pause. You can be mad about it, or you can plan around it. But first, stop blaming yourself for a market that split without asking your permission.

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See you live,
Ecomm Cowboy Team