Is Your Business Idea Any Good? Here’s How to Know

This is the first episode of our Zero to One series—designed for aspiring entrepreneurs who want to know the very first steps of getting started in business.

In this episode of the Unsexy Entrepreneurship Podcast, Charles Harris (CPA and firm founder) and Dr. Seth Jenson (PhD in business strategy) help you answer the essential question every founder must face: Is your business idea even worth pursuing?

We talk about:

• 🔍 Where good business ideas actually come from
• ⚠️ Why the “thinking stage” is a trap—and how to move beyond it
• 💡 How to identify real problems that people are willing to pay for
• 🧪 The $100 test: How to validate a business idea fast
• 🧱 The “X unlocks Y value for Z customers” framework
• 🚫 Why you don’t need an LLC before you need your first customer
• 📈 Why saturation is not the problem you think it is
• 🤖 How to use ChatGPT as your free business idea coach

If you’re tired of spinning your wheels and want to actually get started on a business that works—this is the episode for you.

If you’re an entrepreneur and the letters IRS make you sweat — this episode is for you.

In this solo episode, CPA and founder Charles Harris takes the mystery (and fear) out of estimated quarterly tax payments. Whether you’re a first-time founder, a solo consultant, or scaling your service-based business, Charles explains the most common tax pitfalls, why the IRS probably isn’t coming after you, and how to plan for tax season with confidence.

You’ll learn:

✅ What “safe harbor” really means

✅ The 110% rule for avoiding penalties

✅ Why quarterly estimates matter (and when they’re due)

✅ The truth about SEP IRAs, cost segregation, and TikTok tax myths

✅ How to use a simple 20–30% savings rule for peace of mind

This isn’t a dry tax lecture — it’s real talk for real entrepreneurs who don’t want surprises come April 15.

Key topics:

• Estimated tax payments
• Safe harbor IRS rules
• SEP IRA and solo 401k deductions
• Entrepreneur tax planning
• Self-employment tax basics
• Tax strategies for small business owners
• How to avoid IRS penalties
• Quarterly tax estimate deadlines
• Business tax deductions
• Deferring taxes vs. avoiding taxes

What makes someone walk away from a prestigious consulting career to buy a local auto repair shop? In this real, raw, and relatable episode, Brittain Bost shares how he went from management consulting at Accenture to co-owning a growing blue-collar business through entrepreneurship through acquisition (ETA).

Brittain unpacks his journey—from falling through deals and learning the ropes in a high-volume shop, to building a business with heart, humor, and humility. He talks about partnership dynamics, financing, team culture, making bold industry jumps, and what surprised him most as a first-time business owner.

This is a must-listen if you’re:

• Tired of corporate America
• Considering buying a small business
• Exploring ETA (entrepreneurship through acquisition)
• Looking for real advice on risk, funding, and leadership
• Curious about blue-collar business opportunities
• Key Topics:

✔️ What it’s really like to buy your first business

✔️ ETA vs. starting from scratch

✔️ The power of partnerships and mentors

✔️ Getting over analysis paralysis

✔️ Why auto repair is underrated

✔️ Leadership, identity, and doing work that matters

This is not the Instagram version of entrepreneurship. This is the real stuff — the Unsexy stuff. And it’s exactly what makes it powerful.

In this episode of The Unsexy Entrepreneur, we sit down with Tracy Irby—entrepreneur, advisor, and small business expert—to explore the real mindset shift that turns side-hustlers into owners: leverage.

Tracy shares what most first-time founders get wrong, why hustle is a trap, and how building systems is the only path to true business freedom. Whether you’re starting from scratch or acquiring a small business, this episode will reshape how you think about growth, freedom, and ownership.

• Why many “entrepreneurs” are just self-employed (and stuck)
• How to build systems that scale instead of jobs that burn you out
• What leverage actually looks like in a small business
• The difference between doing the work and owning the process
• How Tracy helps entrepreneurs escape the corporate mindset trap

• Entrepreneurship mindset
• How to build a business, not a job
• Small business systems
• How to scale without burnout
• Millennial entrepreneurship
• Business leverage
• From corporate to entrepreneur
• Women entrepreneurs in business
• Smart business ownership

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Want to own a business—but don’t have a world-changing startup idea?

There’s a faster, more proven way: entrepreneurship through acquisition (ETA). In this episode of The Unsexy Entrepreneur, Charles Harris CPA and Dr. Seth Jenson introduce the powerful path of buying an existing business instead of building one from scratch.

🚀 In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What entrepreneurship through acquisition actually is
• Why buying a business can be smarter (and less risky) than starting one
• The key things to look for in a small business before you buy
• What makes a business worth acquiring (and what to avoid)
• How your accounting, sales, or operations skills could make you a great fit for ETA
• How ETA puts you on the fast-track to financial freedom

💬 Charles and Seth also share:

• Common myths and misconceptions about business acquisition
• Real-life examples of people who skipped the startup hustle by buying a profitable business
• Why this path is especially powerful for millennials tired of corporate life

Whether you’re a frustrated professional dreaming of freedom, or a side-hustler looking to make your move—this episode will open your eyes to a less-hyped but highly strategic path to ownership.

You don’t need a flashy brand, viral video, or celebrity endorsement to win in business.

You need a competitive advantage—something that makes your business hard to copy and worth choosing.

In this episode of The Unsexy Entrepreneur, Charles Harris (CPA & business owner) and Dr. Seth Jenson (PhD in strategy) break down the 4 types of sustainable competitive advantage, or “moats,” that keep your business ahead of the competition—even if you’re small, bootstrapped, or just starting out.

🔍 What you’ll learn:

• Why most businesses think they have an advantage (but don’t)
• The 4 types of real competitive advantage:

1. Brand Loyalty
2. Intellectual Property
3. Network Effects
4. Operational Excellence

• The power of beliefs and founder worldview as a hidden edge
• What a donut shop, calligraphy class, and mattress company each us about standing out
• Why differentiation isn’t just marketing—it’s survival

💡 Whether you’re launching a startup, buying a small business, or trying to grow past a plateau, this episode will help you build strategic clarity so you don’t waste time on things that don’t move the needle.

Being a successful entrepreneur takes more than being a “hustler.”

In this episode of The Unsexy Entrepreneurship Podcast, Charles and Seth tear down the one-dimensional image of an entrepreneur and reveal the 3 identities that every real founder must embody:

• The Scientific Problem Solver — You’re not here to guess. You’re here to run experiments, gather data, and fix the right problems at the right time.
• The Relentless Expert — You’re not just selling a product—you’re mastering an industry. Your depth of knowledge becomes your moat.
• The Strategic De-Risker — You don’t “jump off cliffs.” You build bridges. You test. You pre-sell. You stay lean.

Whether you’re starting your first side hustle or pivoting into entrepreneurship from a drained corporate job, this episode gives you a repeatable framework to:

• Start small without feeling like you’re playing small
• Build credibility without burning cash
• Iterate, test, and evolve your business like a scientist
• Avoid common legal, marketing, and product mistakes by staying nimble

⚠️ Don’t fall for hustle culture hype. If you want long-term freedom, this is how you build it—one smart move at a time.

Struggling to grow your business without a budget? This episode might be the missing link.

In this deep dive of The Unsexy Entrepreneurship Podcast, Charles and Seth unpack the misunderstood power of social capital—aka, the network currency that can unlock your next 5 clients for free. If you’re a millennial entrepreneur tired of feeling behind because you can’t afford a marketing agency or fancy tools, this is your wake-up call.

You’ll learn:

• Why “luck” isn’t real—and what’s actually happening behind those so-called lucky breaks
• How to leverage your inner and outer networks without sounding desperate
• A dead-simple strategy to grow your client list using nothing but your phone contacts
• What BNI and Chamber of Commerce groups get right (and wrong)
• How to build trust with your network without pitching or schmoozing
• Why being honest about your journey (even when you’re not “there yet”) builds credibility faster than pretending

Whether you’re an introvert who dreads “networking events” or someone who thinks their network is too small to matter, this episode gives you the mental shift and practical tactics to grow your business using what you already have.

🚀 Let’s make magic (pixie dust included).

Got questions for Charles and Seth? Submit them HERE.

This episode of The Unsexy Entrepreneurship Podcast digs into something most entrepreneurs skip entirely: your true motivations and how they shape your success (or sabotage it).

Join hosts Charles Harris (CPA turned founder) and Dr. Seth Jensen as they unpack why goal-setting is the make-or-break skill every new entrepreneur needs, especially if you’re transitioning from a job to your own gig.

You’ll learn:

• The real reason why most goal-setting advice doesn’t work
• How to align your goals with your actual motivation (money, freedom, or family—it all matters)
• Why you probably aren’t ambitious enough (and why that’s okay… for now)
• The mindset shifts you need to stop playing small and start planning smart

This episode is for people who are done pretending the startup life is glamorous and are ready to put in the right kind of work.

Got questions for Charles and Seth? Submit them HERE.

Tired of the 9-to-5 grind and ready to start, acquire, or grow a business? In this episode of Unsexy Entrepreneur, Charles Harris (CPA) and Dr. Seth Jenson (PhD in Business Strategy) unpack the second half of their powerful MOSAIC framework—the must-have characteristics of a business that’s built to last.

In Part 2, they dive deep into:

• Advantage: How to stand out from competitors and create real differentiation—even in “boring” industries.
• Indispensability: How to solve a “shark bite” problem so customers can’t live without your product or service.
• Clean Closet: The unsexy legal, financial, and ownership issues that silently kill businesses—and how to clean them up early.

Whether you’re starting from scratch, buying your first small business, or scaling what you already have, this episode will help you make smarter decisions, avoid common pitfalls, and build something you can be proud of (and maybe even sell one day).

👉 Like what you hear? Subscribe, leave a review.

Got questions for Charles and Seth? Submit them HERE.