Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

HyperSocial CEO sets record straight after crying Linkedin post goes viral

HyperSocial CEO sets record straight after crying Linkedin post goes viral

HyperSocial CEO Braden Wallake didn't plan for his LinkedIn post, which detailed how hard it was to lay off staff members, to go viral, let alone garner scores of negative comments.

Wallake told FOX Business that he made post for one important reason: to show other small business leaders that they are not alone in making the tough decision to lay off employees.

"I've got 22,000 whatever connections on LinkedIn, a lot of them are other business owners," Wallake said. "I want to share this vulnerable moment with myself, so others don't feel like they're the only ones going through this."

It's a tough thing to go through, especially if you have a small, close-knit staff, he said. If it helped just one person, he would be happy, he added.

In the Wednesday post, Wallake admitted: "This will be the most vulnerable thing I'll ever share." It was also accompanied by an image of him crying.

Wallake said he didn't expect many people to even see the post let alone email him hateful messages.

HyperSocial is a small business-to-business sales and marketing firm that Wallake and his girlfriend, Emily, founded in 2019. They have been living well below their means ever since to try and build up the Columbus, Ohio-based company, Wallake said.

They have been living and working out of a van to avoid housing costs since February 2020. Additionally, Wallake didn't take a salary for the first year and a half in order to get the company off the ground. When he did, it was only a few hundred dollars a week.

Recently, the company started to grow faster than its staff could handle, forcing Wallake and his girlfriend to shift the business plan. However, in doing so, they lost revenue and had to let go two of their 15 employees.

To try and avoid layoffs, Wallake even gave up his entire salary again last week, but it wasn't enough.

HyperSocial CEO Braden Wallake and his girlfriend, Emily, are living and working out of a van to cut costs. 


After having the tough conversations, Wallake and Emily cried together. Wallake said he used the moment as motivation to make sure they are never again in a position where they have to fire employees for their own mistakes.

"Days like today, I wish I was a business owner that was only money driven and didn't care about who he hurt along the way," Wallake said in the post. "But I'm not. So, I just want people to see, that not every CEO out there is cold-hearted and doesn't care when he/she have to lay people off."

Wallake admitted that they had gone through "a lot of struggles to get here" and it was the last decision they wanted to make.

However, decisions like these make owning a business tough and at times lonesome.

"I thought it would be beneficial for them [LinkedIn followers] because being a business owner is lonely, you don't have many people checking in on how you're doing…checking in on your personal growth," he said.

Although he recognizes it's part of the job, he also believes it's important to have support.

"Have vulnerable conversations. Whether a public-facing post is right for you, or just getting yourself a support group of local business owners," he said. "Find that support you need."

HyperSocial CEO Braden Wallake and his girlfriend, Emily.


Unfortunately, the social media reaction wasn't all positive. Many people claimed Wallake was doing it for attention, that it was self-centered or even disingenuous. Some people even claimed it was a marketing stunt.

"This is more about YOUR feelings and not about the feelings of the people you had to lay off. That looks a bit like self-pity," one user wrote.

One person, Wallake said, even dug up his personal email and wished ill on his entire family.

Wallake is trying to shrug off the negative comments he received from the post, but he recognizes that it's not easy to do.

"Had I been someone who wasn't able to easily shrug off the negative comments, shrug off the hate, and shrug off these people wishing my family gets cancer, I don't know where I would be emotionally," he said.

However, even with all the backlash, Wallake is still getting a slew of positive comments from people in a similar boat.

"I see a guy who is literally just trying his best," one LinkedIn user wrote. "This guy cares about his employees — he decided to process some of this online."

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Big Tech Executives Laud Trump at White House Dinner, Unveil Massive U.S. Investments
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
‘Looks Like a Wig’: Online Users Express Concern Over Kate Middleton
Florida’s Vaccine Revolution: DeSantis Declares War on Mandates
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
"The Situation Has Never Been This Bad": The Fall of PepsiCo
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
The Fashion Designer Who Became an Italian Symbol: Giorgio Armani Has Died at 91
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Druzhba Pipeline Incident Sparks Geopolitical Tensions
Cost of Opposition Leader Péter Magyar's Economic Plan Revealed
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Budapest Central European Fashion Week Kicks Off
U.S. Celebrates Labor Day
Hungarian National Team Captain Scores Epic Goal
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Japanese Customer Sways from VW to BYD after “Unbelievable” Test Drive amid Dealership Expansion
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
×