STARTUP or SHUTUP! | Small Business & Entrepreneurship Podcast with Colin Fraley
STARTUP or SHUTUP! is an entrepreneurship podcast for startup founders, small business owners, and solopreneurs. It is hosted by Colin Fraley, a small business coach, startup advisor, and serial entrepreneur. The show interviews real builders to uncover the strategies, systems, and decisions behind their growth. Episodes cover founder stories, small business growth strategies, startup advice, creator economy tactics, and go-to-market frameworks. The focus is on practical playbooks rather than inspiration or highlight reels.
Episodes
BONUS: Colin's Daily SOS — October 13, 2026: Meta’s Watermelon enters the frontier
Colin's Daily SOS is the daily briefing from STARTUP or SHUTUP! Use these bonus episodes to stay sharp between the flagship long-form conversations. For the full founder interviews and high-quality video show, follow STARTUP or SHUTUP! on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
Meta’s new Muse Wonder models are claiming a spot near the top of the AI leaderboard, while Microsoft is scaling its in-ho
BONUS: Colin's Daily SOS — October 12: Tiny machines, big AI risks, and an expensive diesel promise
Colin's Daily SOS is the daily briefing from STARTUP or SHUTUP! Use these bonus episodes to stay sharp between the flagship long-form conversations. For the full founder interviews and high-quality video show, follow STARTUP or SHUTUP! on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
Today: Atomic Machines emerges from stealth with a factory that turns code into tiny physical devices, while Anthropic rep
BONUS: Colin's Daily SOS — October 11: Horror’s Surprisingly Good Business
Colin's Daily SOS is the daily briefing from STARTUP or SHUTUP! Use these bonus episodes to stay sharp between the flagship long-form conversations. For the full founder interviews and high-quality video show, follow STARTUP or SHUTUP! on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
Today’s episode looks at why horror remains one of Hollywood’s most reliable—and profitable—genres, from micro-budget hits
BONUS: Colin's Daily SOS — October 10: The bill always finds a way
Colin's Daily SOS is the daily briefing from STARTUP or SHUTUP! Use these bonus episodes to stay sharp between the flagship long-form conversations. For the full founder interviews and high-quality video show, follow STARTUP or SHUTUP! on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
Today’s episode follows the rising cost of getting around, living comfortably, and investing in the market—plus what Delta
BONUS: Colin's Daily SOS — October 9: The AI Trust Bill Comes Due
Colin's Daily SOS is the daily briefing from STARTUP or SHUTUP! Use these bonus episodes to stay sharp between the flagship long-form conversations. For the full founder interviews and high-quality video show, follow STARTUP or SHUTUP! on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
OpenAI faces fresh scrutiny from fired safety researchers and disappointing revenue, while Hollywood turns Big Tech’s powe
BONUS: Colin's Daily SOS — October 8: The AI bill comes due
Colin's Daily SOS is the daily briefing from STARTUP or SHUTUP! Use these bonus episodes to stay sharp between the flagship long-form conversations. For the full founder interviews and high-quality video show, follow STARTUP or SHUTUP! on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
Today: AI is reaching into biology, shopping, pricing, retirement accounts, and even SpaceX’s balance sheet. Meanwhile, ra
BONUS: Colin's Daily SOS — October 7: The Open-Model Moment
Colin's Daily SOS is the daily briefing from STARTUP or SHUTUP! Use these bonus episodes to stay sharp between the flagship long-form conversations. For the full founder interviews and high-quality video show, follow STARTUP or SHUTUP! on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
Open-weight AI is moving into the center of the competitive map, while OpenAI makes a sweeping mathematics claim and Googl
BONUS: Colin's Daily SOS — October 6, 2026: The AI race gets cheaper, faster, and weirder
Colin's Daily SOS is the daily briefing from STARTUP or SHUTUP! Use these bonus episodes to stay sharp between the flagship long-form conversations. For the full founder interviews and high-quality video show, follow STARTUP or SHUTUP! on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
Today: Reflection AI enters the open-model race, Cerebras makes a high-speed inference bet, and investors debate whether t
BONUS: Colin's Daily SOS — October 4: When luxury food goes mainstream
Colin's Daily SOS is the daily briefing from STARTUP or SHUTUP! Use these bonus episodes to stay sharp between the flagship long-form conversations. For the full founder interviews and high-quality video show, follow STARTUP or SHUTUP! on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
Today’s episode follows the democratization of delicacies, from farmed caviar showing up at McDonald’s to truffle oil masq
BONUS: Colin's Daily SOS — October 3, 2026: The AI bill comes due
Colin's Daily SOS is the daily briefing from STARTUP or SHUTUP! Use these bonus episodes to stay sharp between the flagship long-form conversations. For the full founder interviews and high-quality video show, follow STARTUP or SHUTUP! on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
A weak U.S. jobs report shifts expectations for the Federal Reserve, while the enormous cost of AI infrastructure raises a
BONUS: Colin's Daily SOS — October 2: Bonds, bots, and the business of AI
Colin's Daily SOS is the daily briefing from STARTUP or SHUTUP! Use these bonus episodes to stay sharp between the flagship long-form conversations. For the full founder interviews and high-quality video show, follow STARTUP or SHUTUP! on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
Today’s episode covers a global bond-market sell-off, Accenture’s surge on AI consulting demand, Tavus’s increasingly huma
BONUS: Colin's Daily SOS — October 1: Gemini’s comeback bid and the rate-hike maybe
Colin's Daily SOS is the daily briefing from STARTUP or SHUTUP! Use these bonus episodes to stay sharp between the flagship long-form conversations. For the full founder interviews and high-quality video show, follow STARTUP or SHUTUP! on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
Google is making a fresh frontier-model push with Gemini 4 Argon, while softer inflation data has markets reconsidering an
BONUS: Colin's Daily SOS — September 30: The trillion-dollar AI reality check
Colin's Daily SOS is the daily briefing from STARTUP or SHUTUP! Use these bonus episodes to stay sharp between the flagship long-form conversations. For the full founder interviews and high-quality video show, follow STARTUP or SHUTUP! on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
Anthropic’s reported IPO plans put AI’s enormous costs, risks, and ambitions under a very bright financial spotlight. Mean
BONUS: Colin's Daily SOS — September 29: The AI safety stack gets a safety stack
Colin's Daily SOS is the daily briefing from STARTUP or SHUTUP! Use these bonus episodes to stay sharp between the flagship long-form conversations. For the full founder interviews and high-quality video show, follow STARTUP or SHUTUP! on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
Today’s episode tracks a new wave of AI model launches, agent-security systems, and AI infrastructure deals, led by Anthro
BONUS: Colin's Daily SOS — September 28: When the agents stop taking notes
Colin's Daily SOS is the daily briefing from STARTUP or SHUTUP! Use these bonus episodes to stay sharp between the flagship long-form conversations. For the full founder interviews and high-quality video show, follow STARTUP or SHUTUP! on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
OpenAI’s agents reportedly crossed boundaries on government websites, while Meta’s Muse turns subscription cancellation in
BONUS: Colin's Daily SOS — September 27: The Alternative-Investment Industrial Complex
Colin's Daily SOS is the daily briefing from STARTUP or SHUTUP! Use these bonus episodes to stay sharp between the flagship long-form conversations. For the full founder interviews and high-quality video show, follow STARTUP or SHUTUP! on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
Young investors are moving beyond stocks and bonds into crypto, collectibles, private markets, sports betting, racehorses,
BONUS: Colin's Daily SOS — September 26: The 7% Wall of Money
Colin's Daily SOS is the daily briefing from STARTUP or SHUTUP! Use these bonus episodes to stay sharp between the flagship long-form conversations. For the full founder interviews and high-quality video show, follow STARTUP or SHUTUP! on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
Mortgage rates climb above 7% as markets watch geopolitics, while Microsoft reshapes Copilot, Anthropic stays in a Pentago
BONUS: Colin's Daily SOS — September 25: AI gets wearable, orbital, and oddly practical
Colin's Daily SOS is the daily briefing from STARTUP or SHUTUP! Use these bonus episodes to stay sharp between the flagship long-form conversations. For the full founder interviews and high-quality video show, follow STARTUP or SHUTUP! on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
Meta expands its Muse AI across glasses and a new device, while Google prepares to test AI chips in orbit. Plus, a fresh l
Building Community as a Creator | PKFire on Parties & Entrepreneurship
Founder interviews meet creator economy strategy. In this deep dive, PK Fire reveals how they transitioned from software engineering to building a thriving event and community business—and how that founder mindset applies to launching any venture. Learn the business validation techniques behind community building, the power of early partnerships, and why today's best entrepreneurs are doubling dow
Silent Retreats: A Path to Clarity
Jason VanDevere shares his experience with silent retreats and how they have shaped his perspective and goals. He discusses the impact of silent retreats on his clarity, goal-setting, and overall happiness, emphasizing the shift from self-focused goals to others-focused goals.TakeawaysSilent retreats provide clarity and perspectiveShift from self-focused goals to others-focused goalsChapters00:00
Empathy is Best for Business
The conversation emphasizes the importance of cultivating empathy and understanding others' perspectives, highlighting its impact on various aspects of business and life.TakeawaysCultivate empathyUnderstanding others' perspectivesChapters00:00 Cultivating Empathy for Success
How to Make Money with Carol Tice
The conversation delves into the challenges of overcoming self-doubt and ageism in the online business world, highlighting the journey of empowerment and resilience.TakeawaysOvercoming self-doubtEmpowering older professionalsChapters00:00 Overcoming Self-Doubt and Ageism in Online Business
Nail Salon Rapid Fire!
A rapid-fire interview with a nail technician covering personal preferences, industry trends, and elevator pitch for her salon.TakeawaysNail technician preferencesIndustry trendsElevator pitch for salonChapters00:00 Personal Preferences and Rapid Questions
How to Use Instagram to Grow Business
The conversation delves into the use of social media for marketing and brand promotion, highlighting the impact of Instagram on booking success. It also explores the role of happy clients as promoters and the influence of community in client engagement.TakeawaysSocial media as a marketing toolLeveraging happy clients for promotionChapters00:00 Marketing, Community, and Brand
How to Start a Nail Business in Chicago | NBN Nails | Owner Nasjali Cruz
Thinking about how to start a nail business in Chicago? In this episode, Owner Nasjali Cruz of NBN Nails (NBN Chicago) breaks down exactly how she built a bookings-driven studio in Lakeview—covering Gel-X, structured gel, acrylic, pricing strategy, policies that prevent no-shows, marketing that fills the calendar, and when to expand beyond nails.What you’ll learnStep-by-step: turning nail skills i
How to Become an Investor | Andrew Ackerman
🚀 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 u
How to Start a Fractional Human Resource Startup | Sproutwise | Abby Gates
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
How to Build a Paid Community | Fired to Entrepreneur | Carol Tice
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
How to Be a Serial Entrepreneur | Rob Finlay
Rob Finlay is a serial entrepreneur, investor, and bestselling author of Beyond the Building and Hey, Dad…, a life-advice book inspired by his journey as a father of four. Over the past 25+ years, he’s built and successfully exited four companies, pioneered debt optimization strategies in commercial real estate, and founded Thirty Capital and Defease With Ease, helping advise billions in transacti
How to Pivot from Real Estate to Launching a Tech Company | Offa | Ken Barton
In this episode of Startup or Shutup!, host Colin Fraley sits down with Ken Barton — a former Chicago volleyball teammate turned real estate investor and now tech founder of Offa, the Seed-stage app connecting investors to off-market properties faster (think Tinder for real estate deals). Ken shares how he went from buying his first property in Orlando to spotting major pain points in the real est
How to Start a Virtual Executive Assistant Agency | Renee Hastings
Entrepreneurs waste countless hours doing everything themselves — but delegation is the real growth hack. In this episode of Startup or Shutup!, host Colin Fraley sits down with Renee Hastings, CEO of Executive Help Now! and host of Renee Speaks, to uncover how she scaled a virtual assistance agency that helps leaders free up time, grow faster, and even launch successful podcasts. Sponsored by Pee
How to Start a Public Relations Company | Melissa Jackson
In this episode of Startup or Shutup!, host Colin Fraley sits down with Melinda Jackson, founder of Melinda Jackson Public Relations, to talk about building a PR agency rooted in authenticity, earned media, and organic storytelling.From her upbringing in North Carolina, to breaking into the entertainment industry in Los Angeles, Melinda shares her journey of burnout, reinvention, and creating a PR
How to Start a Nightlife Production Company in Chicago | Luxeria Productions | Dinora Alvarez
How Dinora Built Luxuria: Chicago Nightlife, Beauty Business & Trans Latina EntrepreneurshipWhat does it take to build a nightlife empire rooted in beauty, identity, and community?In this episode of Startup or Shutup!, Colin sits down with Dinora — a trans Latina powerhouse, professional beautician, and cofounder of Luxuria Productions, one of Chicago’s most vibrant queer nightlife collectives
How to Become a Travel Agent & Build a Travel Tour Company | Chubbit & Vyvem | Vincent Wong
In this episode of Startup or Shutup!, host Colin (@NurseColin) sits down with global travel entrepreneur Vincent Wong — founder of Chubit Travel and VYVEM Tours — to unpack his inspiring journey from Brooklyn to Colombia. Vincent shares how he turned his personal passion for travel into a full-time business, what it takes to run international companies, and why Medellín changed his life.We talk e
How to Become a DJ, Play for Beyonce, & Spin for Boiler Room | DJ CoolMomWallace
In this electrifying episode of Startup or Shutup, Nurse Colin sits down with DJ, rapper, performance artist, and FUTUREHOOD co-founder CoolMomWallace—a Chicago-based creative force known for turning dance floors into portals.Fresh off his Boiler Room Chicago set (which Colin attended live), CoolMomWallace opens up about blending music, ritual, and queer identity to transform nightlife into someth
How to Go Viral on TikTok | Marissa Wilkenson
When life falls apart, could sharing your story online help you heal — and help others do the same?In this powerful episode of Startup or Shutup, host Nurse Colin sits down with Marissa Wilkenson (@Rizz326), a small-town girl from Quincy, Michigan, who transformed her heartbreak into hope by sharing her raw, honest journey on TikTok. Her viral videos about self-love, mental health, and rebuilding
How to Become a Super Star Content Creator After Being a Public Servant | Milo
What does it take to go from politics to platform — and turn followers into financial freedom?In this episode, Nurse Colin sits down with Milo, a former politician turned unapologetically bold content creator. They dive into his journey from campaigning to creating, how he built multiple income streams, and what people still get wrong about making money online.Milo shares the behind-the-scenes of
How to Start a Podcast | Poison Touch Advice Hour Podcast | Jay Munoz
Guest: Jay MuñozThinking about starting a podcast? 🎙 In this first episode of Startup or Shutup, host Colin Fraley interviews experienced podcaster Jay Muñoz (host of Poison Touch Advice Hour and Baby Daddies) to walk through exactly how to launch your first podcast.Jay shares practical tips on:How to start a podcast with no experienceThe best podcast equipment for beginnersPodcast recording and e
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