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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What do you do when your premium offer stops selling, even though the right prospects are still showing up?

In this episode, Jeremy Shapiro sits down with Emily Crookston (ghostwriter, developmental editor, and author of Unwritten) to unpack the toughest stretch of her career: 12+ months without landing a single ghostwriting client. The calls were still happening, but people kept saying no. Then one prospect dropped the line every premium service provider dreads: “You’re too expensive.”

Instead of discounting her core offer, Emily rebuilt her business model and used the new model to convert the same market that was already saying no. The result: BIG growth, easier selling, better-fit clients, and a path to scale beyond her personal time.

You’ll hear how she:

• Went from academia burnout to building a flexible ghostwriting business
• Diagnosed the real problem: demand was there — her offer structure wasn’t
• Created a new tier using Claude to speed up outlines, structure, and synthesis
• Kept quality high by staying transparent, hands-on, and expert-led
• Built a path to lower-priced tools for DIY authors without doing book coaching
• Tracked funnel metrics (email + calls) to spot dips and adjust quickly

If you sell high-end services and you’ve felt stuck, this is a clean example of how to adjust the product, not just “do more marketing.”

🎧 Tune in to learn how tiered offers, smart process changes, and practical AI use can revive a service business without trashing your brand.

👉 Connect with Emily Crookston:

• ThePocketPhD.com
• Emily Crookston on LinkedIn

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

Chapters:

0:00 The Worst Business Year: A Period of Shame and Self-Doubt

00:21 Reinventing High-Price Services for Massive Growth

01:06 Welcome to Your Business Growth Podcast

01:20 From Academia to Ghostwriting: Emily's Journey

03:58 Building a Business in the Business Book Market

05:46 The Emotional Rollercoaster of Business Growth

08:28 The AI Pivot: Transforming Services and Pricing

15:09 Becoming an Action Taker: Lessons from Entrepreneurship

17:44 Implementing a New Service Delivery Model

19:25 Challenges and Adaptations with AI

21:21 Inspiration and Industry Perspectives

24:04 Expanding Service Offerings

29:19 Advice for Business Owners

33:23 Key Metrics and Final Thoughts

Keywords: Emily Crookston, Unwritten book, ghostwriting, book ghostwriter, developmental editor, nonfiction ghostwriting, business book writing, premium service business, tiered offers, service tiers, pricing strategy, client acquisition, plateau in business, no clients for a year, AI writing tools, Claude AI, AI assisted writing, sales calls, conversion rate, email marketing metrics, entrepreneurship mindset, Business Growth Playbook, Jeremy Shapiro

#ai #ghostwriting #claude #sales #podcast #funnel #pivot #premiumpricing #bookpublishing

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What happens when you do everything “right” — pick a niche, dial in your offer, and rack up thousands of clients — and still hit a wall?

In this episode, Jeremy Shapiro sits down with Ted Miller III (CEO of TM3), who went from sleeping in his truck “broke as a joke” to building a business that scaled hard — after discovering a brutal truth: his niche had a ceiling. Ted had amassed 7,000 chiropractic clients, then hit a plateau because the market itself wasn’t big enough.

You’ll hear how Ted used an education-based sales model to convert leads into paying clients without aggressive closing — and the three growth levers that helped drive revenue from $3M to $34M:

• Cast a wider net by moving into a scalable market
• Increase frequency of purchase through recurring revenue and coaching
• Increase transaction value with high-ticket done-with-you / done-for-you services (starting at $36K/month)

Ted also breaks down why charging $250 for a small-group workshop changed the quality of buyers, how to think about customer lifetime value, and why his favorite KPI isn’t vanity metrics — it’s raving fans.

🎧 Tune in if you’re stuck, plateaued, or trying to grow past the “owner-operator” stage without turning your business into a bigger prison.

👉 Connect with Ted Miller III:

• Ted Miller III on YouTube
• Ted Miller III on LinkedIn
• Ted Miller III on Facebook
• Ted Miller III on Instagram
• Ted Miller III on X

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

What happens when hard work stops working?

In this episode of Your Business Growth Podcast, Jeremy Shapiro sits down with Dom Casone, a long-time entrepreneur who faced layoffs, stalled growth, failed ventures, and eventually personal bankruptcy — and still rebuilt a stable, profitable business.

Dom’s story is raw, honest, and deeply practical. He shares how sticking with bad decisions too long nearly ended everything, and what finally helped him reset his business, his finances, and his mindset.

Inside this conversation, Dom breaks down:

• How a layoff pushed him into entrepreneurship — and why excitement quickly turned into fear
• The mistake of trying to serve everyone and why it nearly stalled his growth
• How repeated plateaus forced him to rethink revenue, pricing, and expenses
• Why profitability mattered more than headline revenue numbers
• How membership models and recurring income changed everything
• What bankruptcy taught him about limits, decision-making, and recovery
• Why implementation matters more than ideas
• How mental resilience and perspective influence sales, leadership, and relationships
• The importance of staying close to your core business while testing new ideas

This episode is for business owners who feel stuck, overwhelmed, or unsure of their next move — and want a grounded, experience-based path forward.

🎧 Listen to hear how Dom rebuilt stability step by step and why sustainable growth starts internally.

👉 Connect with Dom Cassone:

• ⁠Dom Cassone on LinkedIn⁠⁠
• Dom Cassone on Facebook
• Mental Fitness Coaching

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

Most small business owners stay trapped in the same cycle: long hours, low margins, unreliable income, and a business that falls apart the moment they step away. Today’s guest broke that pattern in a spectacular way.

In this episode, host Jeremy Shapiro sits down with David Hilton, a former studio owner who transformed a struggling family business into one of the top 10 photography companies in the entire country, scaled it across multiple locations, and took it to a high seven-figure exit — all while working normal hours and taking four weeks of vacation every year.

David reveals the exact steps that took him from:

• A single, owner-dependent studio

• To a business that multiplied sixfold in the first year

• To multiple profitable locations

• To a company that ran without him

• To an exit timed perfectly at the market peak

Inside this conversation, you’ll learn:

• Why trying to serve “everyone” was killing the business

• How niching down unlocked pricing power and demand

• Why premium pricing attracts better customers, higher margins, and stronger loyalty

• The difference between growth and profitable growth

• How to build systems that remove you from daily operations

• The real reason a second location destroys most businesses — and how David survived it

• How to spot the constraint that’s quietly blocking your revenue

• How to prepare a company for a major sale years before the exit

David’s story shows what happens when you stop chasing volume, start focusing on profit, and use systems to create freedom. His approach works in nearly any industry — not just photography — because the fundamentals don’t change.

🎧 If you want to grow, step back from daily chaos, or build a business you can eventually sell, this episode gives you the roadmap.

👉 Connect with David Hilton:

• David Hilton on LinkedIn⁠
• Spark (Book on Amazon)

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

Feeling stuck in your business is exhausting. When expenses rise faster than revenue, when hustle stops working, and when you’re grinding without getting ahead — everything feels heavier. Today’s guest knows that cycle all too well.

In this episode, Jeremy Shapiro sits down with Wes Schaeffer — The Sales Whisperer — who rebuilt his business after facing repeated stalls, income instability, and burnout. Instead of trying to outrun every setback, Wes made a series of strategic shifts that changed the entire trajectory of his business.

Inside this conversation, Wes breaks down how he:

• Hit multiple plateaus and turned each one into a launchpad
• Shifted from unpredictable income to dependable monthly revenue
• Rebuilt his sales approach using clarity, boundaries, and value-driven communication
• Cut out anxiety-driven work and focused on what truly moves the needle
• Stopped doing low-value tasks and invested in systems that run without him
• Created recurring revenue streams that cover his bills even on days he doesn’t work

Wes also reveals the mindset shifts that made the difference — from pricing confidence to removing desperation from the sales process. His story is proof that progress doesn’t come from doing more; it comes from doing the right things consistently.

🎧 Listen in to hear how Wes built a business that supports his family, funds their lifestyle, and gives him real control over his time.

👉 Connect with Wes:

• Wes Schaeffer on LinkedIn
• Wes Schaeffer on YouTube
• WesSchaeffer.com

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