🚀 Startup founders, side-hustlers, and builders: this episode features Andrew Ackerman—entrepreneur, author, and startup strategist—breaking down what actually moves the needle from idea → execution → traction.

We talk about startup success, entrepreneur mindset, business strategy, product-market fit, fundraising basics, customer discovery, and the real-world decisions founders face when building under pressure. If you’re searching for practical advice on how to start a business, how to validate an idea, or how to grow a startup, this one’s for you.

📘 Andrew’s book (recommended): Entrepreneur’s Odyssey: An Approach to Startup Success
https://www.amazon.com/Entrepreneurs-Odyssey-Approach-Startup-Success/dp/1032883545/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0

🌐 Learn more about Andrew:
https://www.andrewbackerman.com

What you will learn in this episode:

• How to avoid “busy work” and focus on traction-driving actions

• A clear framework for idea validation and early customer discovery

• Common mistakes founders make with MVPs, messaging, and positioning

• How to think about go-to-market when you don’t have a big budget

• The mindset shifts that separate wishful thinking from repeatable execution

Founder and People Ops leader Abby Gates (Sproutwise) joins Startup or Shutup! with host Colin Fraley to show early-stage teams how to hire their first employees, build a 10-day onboarding plan, and turn values into an operating system that scales. We cover fractional HR vs. project support, lightweight performance cycles, compensation basics for seed/Series A, and scrappy recognition rituals that actually boost retention. Plus: our Rapid Fire round, a not-so-fun fact on the VC funding gap for diverse founders (and what People Ops can do about it), the Michigan founder lens on talent, and Abby’s candid Shutup Moment—the toughest lesson she now teaches so you don’t repeat it. Perfect for solo founders, startup CEOs, and first-time hiring managers who need practical playbooks, not fluff.

In this powerful episode, host Colin Fraley sits down with Carol Tice, an award-winning business journalist turned online entrepreneur, to unpack how getting fired became the best thing that ever happened to her.

Carol shares how she transformed her career setback into a multimillion-dollar success story — building a 1,500-member paid community for freelance writers, scaling it to nearly $6 million in revenue, and selling it for life-changing money. From there, she hit the road in an RV with her husband and launched her latest venture, Community Growth Academy, helping coaches, creators, and consultants build thriving paid communities of their own.

💡 In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How getting fired can spark your greatest entrepreneurial breakthrough

• The secret to building a loyal, paying community online

• The behind-the-scenes story of scaling and selling a membership business

• How to balance freedom, travel, and business on the road

• Why Gen Z is leading the next wave of crowdfunding and solopreneurship

🎧 Whether you’re a solopreneur, podcaster, creator, or startup dreamer, this episode will remind you that sometimes getting fired isn’t the end — it’s your invitation to finally build something of your own.

✨ Supported by PeerFounder:
If you’ve ever wanted to start your own business but didn’t know where to begin, PeerFounder helps you get your first yes and your first $500 to start or grow your idea — no credit checks, no gatekeepers. Pay it back successfully and unlock $2,500, then $7,000 to really launch your vision. Join now for lifetime access as one of the first 1,000 users at PeerFounder.com.