Bottom Line Up Front: Self-taught entrepreneur Brittany Caldwell transformed herself from a small-town dance teacher into the Season 2 winner of Amazon Prime’s “60 Day Hustle” by mastering the art of independent learning.
Her journey from chemical engineering graduate to Go Brazee energy drink founder demonstrates how online education and self-directed learning can turn entrepreneurial dreams into reality.
When Brittany Caldwell from Hartsville, South Carolina (population under 6,000) decided to launch her energy drink startup Go Brazee, she faced the same challenge that confronts countless aspiring entrepreneurs: how to learn business skills without formal training, mentorship, or an MBA.
Her solution? Becoming a master of self-directed learning and leveraging online educational resources to build the expertise she needed to succeed.
Today, Caldwell stands as the Season 2 winner of “60 Day Hustle,” Amazon Prime’s high-stakes business accelerator reality show, with a $100,000 prize and a thriving energy drink company.
Her learning journey offers a blueprint for any entrepreneur looking to build business skills through online education and independent study.
The Spark: When Opportunity Meets Preparation
Caldwell’s entrepreneurial journey began not in a boardroom or startup incubator, but during a stretch session with a professional baseball client. Working as a mobility specialist with athletes, she had been observing a recurring problem: her preseason baseball clients were struggling with hydration during grueling day games in Alabama heat, but the available options either tasted terrible or violated league regulations around performance-enhancing drugs.
During this particular session, her client voiced his frustration about the impossible choice between energy and compliance. He needed caffeine for performance but couldn’t exceed the 200-milligram limit, and combining it with other stimulants could qualify as a PED violation.
Meanwhile, he was dehydrated but hated the taste of existing hydration products. He loved BCAAs (branched-chain amino acids) for recovery, but couldn’t find anything that combined all these benefits in one palatable product.
That’s when the lightbulb moment struck. “So wait a minute, if I put all these things together into a can, would that be something you liked?” Caldwell asked him. When he responded enthusiastically, he had his own question: “Would it taste good?” Her answer sealed the deal: “Yeah, let’s make it taste like candy.”
In that moment, Brittany Caldwell realized she could solve multiple problems with one product—providing clean energy within league limits, delivering proper hydration for athletes in extreme conditions, and making it actually taste good.
The concept for Go Brazee was born not from market research or trend analysis, but from directly observing an unmet need in her daily work.
This conversation became the catalyst for Go Brazee, but Caldwell knew she lacked the specific knowledge to turn her product idea into reality.
With a chemical engineering degree from the University of South Carolina, experience in digital marketing and tech sales, plus a background in dance instruction, she had analytical skills and customer-facing experience—but zero experience in product development, manufacturing, or launching a consumer brand.
“I didn’t know a single person in my area, in my realm of life in general, who is a product owner,” she explains. “So like not having mentorship there, it was just kind of like, I was kind of just crap shooting.”
Brittany Caldwell’s Learning Journey: Building a Business Education Online
Rather than letting her lack of formal business education stop her, Caldwell embraced the role of a self-taught entrepreneur. She dedicated an entire month to research and development, immersing herself in online learning resources to build the knowledge base she needed.
“I basically just would literally Google search, research anything,” she says. “I joked that I was building my resume and at some point whenever I need to be hired by anyone or when it’s time for me to hire people, I know exactly what needs to be done on the job.”
Her independent learning journey covered every aspect of building a product-based business:
- Business Fundamentals: Understanding trademarks, legal structures, and regulatory requirements
- Product Development: Learning formulation processes, ingredient research, and manufacturing partnerships
- Digital Marketing: Building websites, creating landing pages, and developing go-to-market strategies
- Brand Building: Developing brand identity, storytelling, and customer connection strategies
This systematic approach to self-directed learning demonstrates how aspiring entrepreneurs can overcome the knowledge gap that often prevents people from starting their own businesses.
The 60 Day Hustle Experience: Accelerated Learning Under Pressure
When Brittany Caldwell applied for “60 Day Hustle,” she brought her commitment to continuous learning with her. The show, which condenses two years of business fundamentals into an intense 60-day competition, became an accelerated masterclass in entrepreneurship.
“I literally was like all day, every day on Udemy. I don’t think I listened to music aside from when I was in the dance studio while I was on the show, the entire time… No matter where I was, I was always listening and learning something new to me. That was my playlist for my life.”
As part of the show experience, contestants received access to a comprehensive learning path that covered essential business fundamentals—from pitching and branding to sales, marketing, and even leveraging AI to build a business.
This intensive learning approach paid off. Not only did it help her develop Go Brazee, but she also became a resource for fellow contestants.
“Even some of the contestants on the show, I was like, y’all this, this episode, right here, like go to this one, like learn that. I thought it was pretty cool to have all of those resources. Cause it felt like mentorship that I hadn’t had.”
Want to explore the learning path Brittany and the other 60 Day Hustle contestants used on the show? Check it out here.
Key Learning Insights: What Online Education Taught Brittany Caldwell
Through her experience with Udemy courses and self-directed learning, Caldwell discovered several crucial business insights that transformed how she approached entrepreneurship:
1. The Power of Emotional Branding
One of Caldwell’s most significant learning breakthroughs was understanding emotional connection in branding.
“Online education taught me a lot of things that I wasn’t necessarily tapping into. Like when people think marketing and branding, they think Instagram ads or billboards. They’re not necessarily thinking about connections that go deeper than what you can see.”
This insight revolutionized her approach to Go Brazee. “I’d say that Udemy definitely taught me how to create emotional connections to customers,” she explains. “If you don’t make them feel like they need to be a part of the brand, they’re not going to buy the product.”
She shifted from product-focused marketing to brand-centered storytelling: “It’s literally changed the way I market Brazee. It’s less of selling a product and more of selling an energy that just happens to be something you can buy in a can.”
2. Storytelling as Business Strategy
Through her online learning journey, Caldwell identified storytelling as the most critical skill she wished she’d mastered earlier.
“I would say storytelling and really understanding the value of storytelling when building a brand. Had I realized from the jump that people buy into the founder before they buy into the product, I think I probably could have sold more Brazee than I’ve sold to date.”
3. Expanding Customer Vision
The 60 Day Hustle experience taught Caldwell to think beyond her initial target market. “The experience opened my eyes to the fact that everyone can be a customer,” she reflects. “In my mind, you know, like… dance moms who needed an after-school pickup, people going to the gym, people who are going out on the weekends. But realistically, what I was forgetting is the fact that there are so many other people that also probably need this energy too.”
This broader perspective led to unexpected business opportunities, including a potential major sale to a pest control company—a customer segment she never would have considered without her expanded mindset.
Related: How Michelle Delamor Built a Media Empire
8 Essential Skills and Resources for the Self-Directed Learning Entrepreneur
Brittany Caldwell’s journey highlights several key areas where aspiring entrepreneurs should focus their educational efforts, along with practical approaches to skill development:
Core Business Competencies
- Legal and Regulatory Knowledge: Understanding business registration, intellectual property protection, and industry-specific compliance requirements forms the foundation of any successful venture. For product-based businesses like Go Brazee, this becomes even more critical due to FDA regulations and labeling requirements.
Want to dig deeper? Here’s a course you might find useful: U.S Startup & Small Business Registration And Business Law
- Financial Literacy: Learning to manage cash flow, understand unit economics, and make data-driven decisions becomes crucial as businesses scale. Caldwell’s engineering background helped with analytical thinking, but she still had to master business-specific financial concepts.
Looking to master these skills? This course is worth exploring: Finance for Entrepreneurs & Small Businesses
- Digital Marketing Fundamentals: Modern entrepreneurs must understand how to build an online presence, create compelling content, and develop authentic brand connections with customers. This includes everything from website development to social media strategy.
Ready to level up? Check out this course: Digital Marketing Masterclass:Get Your First 1,000 Customers
Advanced Strategic Skills
- Sales and Customer Development: Learning to sell effectively—not just products, but the vision and values behind them—remains essential for any business owner. Caldwell discovered that emotional storytelling often proves more effective than feature-focused pitches.
Want to dig deeper? Here’s a course you might find useful: How to Sell Anything to Anyone
- Adaptability and Problem-Solving: Perhaps most importantly, successful entrepreneurs must learn to pivot, adapt, and find creative solutions when faced with unexpected challenges. This skill set can’t be taught through traditional coursework alone—it requires practical application and experience.
Serious about developing these abilities? This course is helpful: Business Model Innovation: Differentiate & Grow Your Company
Practical Learning Approaches
- Audio-Based Learning for Busy Entrepreneurs: Caldwell discovered that audio-based learning worked best for her demanding schedule as a dance instructor and mobility specialist. This allowed her to absorb business knowledge while commuting, between client sessions, and during other daily activities without sacrificing her existing commitments.
- Learn-and-Apply Methodology: The most effective learning happens when new concepts get applied immediately to real business challenges. Caldwell’s approach of learning something new and immediately implementing it in Go Brazee’s development accelerated both her education and her business growth.
- Community-Based Learning: During “60 Day Hustle,” Caldwell found value in sharing knowledge with fellow entrepreneurs and learning from their experiences. This collaborative learning environment became particularly valuable for entrepreneurs who lacked traditional business networks or mentorship opportunities in their local communities.
Overcoming the Entrepreneurial Learning Curve
Caldwell’s story demonstrates that the lack of formal business education doesn’t have to be a barrier to entrepreneurial success. However, her approach required discipline, consistency, and strategic thinking about skill development.
“There is just so much that I need to learn. Like, I feel like I’m constantly on this steep hill of scaling and building sideways, trying to learn as much as I can to build the brand,” she acknowledges.
This perspective—viewing learning as an ongoing process rather than a one-time event—characterizes successful self-taught entrepreneurs. They understand that business education doesn’t end with a degree or certification; it continues throughout the entrepreneurial journey.
Lessons for Modern Entrepreneurs
Caldwell’s success story represents a broader trend in how people approach business education. Traditional pathways—MBA programs, formal business training, corporate experience—no longer represent the only routes to entrepreneurial knowledge.
Online learning platforms have democratized access to business education, making it possible for someone in a small South Carolina town to access high-quality instruction previously available only in major metropolitan areas or expensive graduate programs.
This shift has profound implications for entrepreneurship, potentially unlocking talent and innovation from previously underserved communities.
For aspiring entrepreneurs navigating this new landscape, Caldwell’s approach offers practical guidance. What sets her apart isn’t just her commitment to learning, but her willingness to take action despite incomplete knowledge.
She emphasizes the importance of starting before you feel completely prepared: “There’s never going to be a right time, but just go for it. It’s always going to be a scary road.”
This mindset challenges the common entrepreneurial trap of over-preparing and under-executing. While education and skill development remain crucial, they shouldn’t become excuses for avoiding the inherent risks of starting a business.
The key lies in balancing continuous learning with decisive action: acquiring knowledge while simultaneously applying it to real business challenges.
Building Resilience Through Learning
One of the most valuable aspects of Caldwell’s approach was her ability to maintain momentum despite setbacks and criticism.
“As an entrepreneur, you have to have really thick skin,” she notes. This applies not just to handling criticism and setbacks, but to being comfortable with not knowing everything and continuously learning in public.
The intense pressure of “60 Day Hustle” tested this resilience. Caldwell experienced what she describes as one of her lowest moments: a chaotic 24-hour period that left her emotionally drained.
“I had a really chaotic 24 hours back in Charlotte… my dad actually told me, he was like, ‘you gotta stop crying. You’re gonna make yourself look older,'” she recalls with humor about how much she cried during that difficult phase.
It was during this vulnerable moment that her younger brother offered advice that became her guiding mantra: “Do what you have to do now, so you can do what you want to later.” This wisdom helped her push through the difficult periods by keeping her focused on the bigger picture and long-term goals rather than immediate discomfort.
The Future of Independent Learning
The key, as Caldwell demonstrates, lies not just in accessing educational resources, but in approaching learning with the same entrepreneurial mindset that drives business success: curiosity, persistence, and a willingness to take action despite incomplete information.
For entrepreneurs inspired by Caldwell’s path, the journey begins with honest self-assessment. What skills do you currently have? What knowledge gaps might prevent you from executing your business idea? How can you systematically address these gaps through structured learning?
The resources exist across multiple platforms and formats. The question isn’t whether you can access quality business education—it’s whether you’ll commit to the consistent, disciplined approach that transforms knowledge into results.
As Caldwell puts it: “I feel like I’m constantly learning and that’s the secret to success.” Her journey from small-town dance instructor to energy drink entrepreneur and reality show winner proves that with the right learning approach, determination, and willingness to apply new knowledge, anyone can build the business skills needed for entrepreneurial success.
The path from idea to execution doesn’t require an MBA or years of corporate experience. It requires commitment to continuous learning, the courage to start before you feel completely ready, and the discipline to turn education into action.
Caldwell’s story with Go Brazee demonstrates that for the self-directed learning entrepreneur, the classroom is everywhere, the curriculum is limitless, and the only graduation ceremony is the one you create for yourself.
To follow along with Brittany and Go Brazee, check out her channels: GoBrazee.com, Instagram and Tiktok.
Related: Ready to start your entrepreneurial journey? Check out the courses “60 Day Hustle” contestants used on the show, all available within Personal Plan by Udemy.