What do you do when you’re running one of the top programs in the world—but realize staying there means slow decline?

Andrew Ackerman faced that exact moment. As a leader inside one of the world’s most respected startup accelerators, he saw the writing on the wall: the market was crowded, competition was scaling faster, and doing “more of the same” wouldn’t win.

In this episode of Your Business Growth Podcast⁠, Jeremy Shapiro sits down with Andrew to break down how a blank-sheet rethink led to a category-defining pivot—and how redefining the customer unlocked growth almost overnight.

You’ll hear how Andrew:

• Recognized the danger of being “top five” in an oversaturated market
• Stopped competing with giants and found a place to win outright
• Identified unmet supply and unmet demand hiding in plain sight
• Rebuilt the entire program model from scratch
• Shifted from early-stage startups to more mature companies
• Changed pricing, structure, and messaging to fit a new ICP
• Learned why messaging fails even when product-market fit exists
• Used customer interviews to validate the pivot before launch

Andrew also shares lessons from reviewing more than 10,000 startups, investing in over 70 companies, and turning years of experience into his book The Entrepreneur’s Odyssey.

🎧 Tune in to learn why growth often comes from stepping sideways—not pushing harder—and how redefining your market can make everything easier.

👉 Connect with Andrew Ackerman:

• www.andrewbackerman.com
• Andrew Ackerman on LinkedIn
• The Entrepreneur’s Odyssey on Amazon

📊 Hosted by: Jeremy B. Shapiro, Host and Author, ⁠Your Business Growth Playbook

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to the Startup Dilemma

01:22 Meet Andrew Ackerman: From COO to Investor

01:50 The Birth of Bunk One: Revolutionizing Summer Camps

03:49 Challenges and Breakthroughs in Early Growth

07:05 Transitioning to Venture Capital and Accelerators

13:12 Redefining the Accelerator Model

15:53 Niching Down: The Path to Becoming Number One

25:33 The Blank Slate Moment

25:57 Liberating Experience of Redefining Business

26:17 Considering a Career Shift

26:33 Developing a New Business Model

27:43 Market Research and Validation

32:06 Implementing the New Model

33:41 Unexpected Benefits of Niching Down

36:41 Advice for Business Owners Facing Decline

40:05 Reflections and Lessons Learned

42:14 The Entrepreneur's Odyssey Book

48:45 Where to Learn More About Andrew

Keywords: Andrew Ackerman, business strategy, market repositioning, niche strategy, accelerator model, startup growth, business pivot, redefining your market, category creation, customer discovery, ICP strategy, startup accelerators, venture investing, entrepreneurial leadership, business reinvention, scaling strategy, Your Business Growth Podcast, Jeremy Shapiro, The Entrepreneur’s Odyssey

#podcast #marketdominance #accelerator #startup #startuplife #ycombinator #strategicpivot #entrepreneurship #businessgrowth #MarketNiching #startupsuccess #innovation #productdevelopment #businessstrategy #customerengagement

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In 2019, Damien Zamora hit the lowest point of his life.

After decades as a serial entrepreneur - helping over 300,000 businesses get online and generating more than $500 million in revenue - his company began to spiral. Overhead ballooned. Focus disappeared. Debt stacked up. Lawsuits loomed. Key partners walked away. Payroll became impossible.

Then came the personal tragedy.

In this episode of Your Business Growth Podcast, Jeremy Shapiro sits down with Damien for a raw, honest conversation about collapse, clarity, and rebuilding from the ground up.

You’ll hear how Damien:

• Took over every executive role when the company began unraveling
• Faced more than $1 million in business debt and near insolvency
• Asked for mentorship for the first time—and followed hard advice to stop the bleeding
• Slashed SaaS expenses from $36,000/month to $5,000/month
• Narrowed his focus back to one core offer instead of chasing new ideas
• Doubled monthly recurring revenue to stabilize the business
• Used content, community, and consistency to reduce churn
• Found renewed growth by leaning into done-for-you services and data-driven offers

This episode is a masterclass in leadership during crisis - and a reminder that rebuilding doesn’t start with innovation. It starts with focus, discipline, and clarity.

🎧 Tune in to hear how Damien held his team together, walked away from distractions, and rebuilt momentum when everything pointed toward failure.

👉 Connect with Damien Zamora:

Damien Zamora on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/damienzamora/

https://gomobilesolutions.com/

📊 Hosted by: Jeremy B. Shapiro, Host and Author, Your Business Growth Playbook

Chapters:

00:00 The Lowest Point: A Million Dollars in Debt

02:03 The Entrepreneurial Journey Begins

03:39 The Internet Toolbox: A Game Changer

06:02 Navigating the Dot-Com Boom

15:13 The Rise of Go Mobile Solutions

19:15 The 2019 Crisis: Personal and Professional Challenges

23:59 Navigating Financial Challenges

24:15 Life-Changing Event in Costa Rica

24:59 Sweat Lodge Revelation

25:44 Refocusing Business Strategy

27:12 Impact of COVID-19 on Business

27:59 Expense Reduction and Revenue Doubling

32:52 Strategies to Reduce Churn

34:41 Happy Hour Series and Community Engagement

39:11 Launching New Products and AI Integration

41:58 Building a Championship Team

44:08 Advice for Entrepreneurs

46:28 Tracking KPIs and Ensuring Growth

49:10 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Keywords: Damien Zamora, business recovery, business collapse, entrepreneur comeback, recurring revenue, cutting expenses, reducing churn, leadership during crisis, business debt recovery, mentorship for entrepreneurs, business pivot, mobile app business, content marketing strategy, KPIs for founders, Your Business Growth Podcast, Jeremy Shapiro, scaling after failure, business resilience, subscription business

#podcast #leadership #EntrepreneurJourney #BusinessTurnaround #DebtToSuccess #StrategicPivot #LeadershipLessons #BusinessInnovation #OvercomingChallenges #EntrepreneurialInsights #BusinessGrowth

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If you’re not growing, you’re dying - and in e-commerce, the “one winning product” trap can kill a business fast.

In this episode of ⁨Your Business Growth Podcast, host Jeremy Shapiro sits down with David Schomer, CEO of Build Grow Scale and host of Firing The Man to break down how he went from a stalled business headed toward bankruptcy to building an Amazon operation with 1,000+ ASINs and a system that supports predictable, profitable scaling.

David shares the strategy that pulled him out of multiple plateaus: consistent product launches - plus the financial discipline most sellers ignore. He explains why revenue is a vanity metric, why net income is what matters, and how to avoid launching products that were doomed from day one using his “fail on paper” method.

You’ll hear how David:

• Built his first e-commerce cashflow selling textbooks, then transitioned into private label
• Used product launches as a growth engine — and felt the pain every time he paused
• Managed cashflow constraints with low MOQ negotiation, better payment terms, and U.S. manufacturing
• Avoided bad launches with a simple rule: 3x landed cost pricing (or he won’t sell it)
• Systemized launching with a 60-step checklist + videos so products ship with minimal owner involvement
• Uses the 80/20 rule to focus on the few products producing most profits — and retire the rest
• Thinks about premium pricing, bundles, and upsells instead of racing to the bottom
• Tracks metrics like gross profit after ad spend and conversion rate to keep growth profitable

If you sell physical products online - Amazon, Shopify, Etsy, or anywhere else - this episode is a masterclass in building a catalog that prints profit instead of stress.

🎧 Tune in to learn how to build a product launch machine, protect margins, and keep your business growing even when competitors pile in.

👉 Connect with David Schomer:

• David Schomer on Instagram
• David Schomer on YouTube
• David Schomer on Facebook
• FiringTheMan.com

📊 Hosted by: Jeremy B. Shapiro, Host and Author, Your Business Growth Playbook⁩

Keywords: David Schomer, Build Grow Scale, Firing The Man, e-commerce scaling, Amazon FBA, Amazon seller, product launch strategy, launching products on Amazon, cash conversion cycle, MOQ negotiation, payment terms, landed cost, profit margins, net income, fail on paper, 80 20 rule, SKU strategy, ASIN catalog, premium pricing, bundle strategy, upsells, conversion rate optimization, ad spend profitability

#podcast #amazon #amazonproducts #fba #amazonfba #firingtheman #ecommerce #dropshipping #etsy #shopify #shopifydropshipping

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