CF
Colin Fraley
Founder • Advisor • Podcast Host
🎙️ Season Two of “STARTUP or SHUTUP!” Podcast Starts Tuesday May 28th 2026!
Advisory & Tech for Small Business Owners

You built a real business. Now stop being its bottleneck.

I'm an advisor and operator for established small business owners. We start by figuring out what's actually broken in your business — not what looks broken on a spreadsheet. Then we fix it, together, with operational changes first and technology second.

Who this is for

You've built something real.

Revenue is coming in. But you're working 60-hour weeks, you're the bottleneck in every decision, your margins could be better, and your evenings and weekends belong to your business instead of your life. You don't need a course. You don't need a 40-page strategy deck. You need someone who's been there, will look at how you actually run, and will help you fix it.

How we work

Operations first. Technology second.

Four steps. Each one earns the next. No lock-in at any stage.

01

Free 15-min call

Quick fit check. I find out what’s going on, you find out if I can help. Zero pressure.

02

Shop Diagnostic — $500

Half a day on-site if you’re in the area (I’m Chicago-based and cover the Midwest), or a deep virtual session if you’re outside it. I see how the business actually runs — phones, scheduling, quotes, follow-up, pricing, cash flow. You walk away with a written 30/60/90 plan ranked by ROI. This is a real deliverable, not a sales call. Most clients say this alone was worth it. If you go on to a larger engagement, the $500 is credited toward it.

03

Advisory engagement

If we both want to keep going, we work the plan together over 60–90 days. Working sessions as needed (not a forced weekly cadence). Operational changes first — pricing, hours, who-does-what, how the day flows. This is the part that actually moves the needle and the part most tech vendors skip. Engagements typically run $2,000–$15,000 depending on scope, agreed up front, no subscription lock-in.

04

Optional tech build through BizTechy.ai

If your plan calls for an AI receptionist, scheduling automation, a CRM build, or a website refresh, we build it together through my technology arm BizTechy.ai. You pay at cost, not at agency markup. You own what we build.

Learn more about BizTechy.ai
What I won't do

Sell you software you don’t need. If a $0 fix works, that’s the fix.

Push a 12-month retainer. You pay for outcomes, not subscriptions.

Talk to you like a consultant. I’ve been the bottleneck. I get it.

Hand you a 40-page strategy doc you’ll never read.

Take you on if I can’t help. The free call is also where I disqualify.

Featured case study

What this looks like in practice.

Zamu Tints — Chicago

Edward owns Zamu Tints — an established window tint shop in Chicago with a great reputation and a full schedule. He was also answering quote DMs at 11pm and losing booking opportunities to slow response times. We refreshed the website, automated the scheduling and intake, and built him an after-hours follow-up flow. He runs the front of his business on autopilot now and got his evenings back. Auto specialty has become a featured niche because of work like this.

If you run an auto detail, tint, wrap, or PDR shop, see the dedicated page

Why work with me

I'm not a consultant. I'm an operator who helps other operators.

I've actually done the things I advise on. I've run a place with staff, margins, and angry customers. I've built and exited a service business. I've helped scale two startups and lived through the things you read about on Reddit. I know what it costs you to be the only one who can do everything — and I know what it takes to stop.

Managed a coffee shop to #2 out of 217 stores — staff, margins, real ops
Built and exited a Superhost Airbnb — service business with thin margins
Rebuilt Zamu Tints’ tech stack and operations
Host of Startup or Shutup podcast — hundreds of operator conversations
Founded PeerFounder.com — when the tools small businesses need aren’t affordable, I build them
Helped scale two healthcare marketplace startups
Organizer of Chicago’s Side Hustle → Solopreneur Meetup
More than advisory

More than advisory.

Private community access

A community of current and past advisory clients. Resources, intros, peer support.

Lifetime PeerFounder membership

Every engagement includes lifetime free access to PeerFounder — community, learning, and micro-funding tools.

Featured on the podcast

Engaged clients get featured on Startup or Shutup for exposure to a growing audience of operators and small business owners.

My professional network

Intros and connections from a network built across healthcare, fintech, trades, and the Chicago entrepreneur community.

FAQ

Common questions.

Ready to figure out what's actually broken?

Everyone starts with a free 15-minute call. I find out what's going on, you find out if I can help. Zero pressure. If we're a fit, we'll talk about next steps from there.