In this episode, I’m joined by Jessie Geroux, a serial entrepreneur, travel expert, and passionate advocate for families navigating life with special needs. Jessie shares her journey of pivoting from real estate into the travel industry, how she’s built businesses that align with both purpose and profit, and why she believes travel is one of the most powerful investments we can make in ourselves. Whether you're in the middle of a business transition or just dreaming about your next trip, Jessie’s story is full of wisdom, warmth, and real-world insight.

Enjoy the episode!

Timeline

00:00 Introduction and Guest Overview

00:58 Meet Jessie Geroux: Entrepreneurial Journey

02:01 Networking and Business Pivoting

03:10 Travel Business and Special Needs Advocacy

10:02 Faith and Community Involvement

14:34 The Value of Travel

18:46 Conclusion and Contact Information

👉 For all the links and resources mentioned in this episode, check out the supporting blog post here.

🌟 Wish your website pulled in more leads? The Website Power-Up Plan™ is built for service-based business owners who feel like their website should be doing more but aren’t sure what’s standing in the way. Let’s make that darned thing work!

🧰 I love me a good digital marketing tool.

Peek inside my toolbox for all my tools.

🗞️ Like newsletters? Digital Marketing Takeaway

About This Show

Small Business Sweet Spot is a podcast show created by Compass Digital Strategies LLC. Founder, Barb Davids, wanted to create a show that has actionable topics that grow our business and personal life. A self-professed podcast junkie, she listens to a variety of shows on her runs and road trips.

Small Business Sweet Spot is a place for business owners wondering what matters in growing their business. Episodes range from quick, tactical advice on improving website visibility, marketing and analytics to guest interviews with experts on topics like productivity, branding, and mindset to support the "whole" business owner. Let’s find the sweet spot between business and life so you can enjoy both.

Zero-click searches get tossed around a lot in the search world, usually in alarmist posts that make business owners feel like they’re behind. In this episode, I’m sharing what it actually means and how to factor it into your website marketing strategy.

Enjoy the episode!

👉 For all the links and resources mentioned in this episode, check out the supporting blog post here.

🌟 Wish your website pulled in more leads? The Website Power-Up Plan™ is built for service-based business owners who feel like their website should be doing more but aren’t sure what’s standing in the way. Let’s make that darned thing work!

🧰 I love me a good digital marketing tool.This week’s recommended tool is How To ClickUp.

If you're a fan of ClickUp, you're gonna love this! Learn ClickUp basics in just one day. Taught by ProcessDriven, one of the most knowledgeable teachers on the tool. It's one of the most comprehensive and easy courses I've ever taken. I took it when I first started using ClickUp.

Peek inside my toolbox for all my tools.

🎧 This week’s recommended podcast episode is Say "NO" to Awkward Networking with Special Guest, Ande Lyons on the Small Business Casual show.

Emily is doing a NO-vember theme and I really appreciate this episode. The word networking has such an icky connotation to it. This episode offers an angle to make it not-icky. Emily's questions are so great. Ande talks about how she follows up and Emily asked what I was exactly thinking, that's a lot of people! She asked how many do we follow up with. Ande also provides a way to help ease the anxiety before going into a magical meetup. When you listen to the episode, you'll understand why I call it a magical meetup.  

🗞️ Like newsletters? Digital Marketing Takeaway

About This Show

Small Business Sweet Spot is a podcast show created by Compass Digital Strategies LLC. Founder, Barb Davids, wanted to create a show that was more direct and to the point around topics that improve our small businesses and personal lives. A self-professed podcast junkie, she listens to a variety of shows on her runs and road trips.

Compass Digital Strategies is for people who are tired of their website being the thing that stresses them out. Around here, it gets simpler. We’re not here to add more to your plate. This is about having someone who sees what you’re dealing with and helps you sort it out. Clearly. Personally. In a way that doesn’t make you want to pull your hair out.

I was overwhelmed because my all-black, minimalist wardrobe didn't match where I was in my business, and I wanted a strategic, intentional closet. So I brought brand stylist Jackie Wheeler on the show to go through her entire process, starting with the core idea that your personal style is your most powerful nonverbal brand message. You'll hear us go through my color analysis and right into my closet, where Jackie showed me how to build combinations and a strategic shopping list. This episode is about ditching decision fatigue and gaining the kind of confidence that makes getting dressed feel like a strategic move.

Enjoy the episode!

👉 For all the links and resources mentioned in this episode, check out the supporting blog post here.

🌟 Wish your website pulled in more leads? The Website Power-Up Plan™ is built for service-based business owners who feel like their website should be doing more but aren’t sure what’s standing in the way. Let’s make that darned thing work!

🧰 I love me a good digital marketing tool.

Peek inside my toolbox for all my tools.

🗞️ Like newsletters? Digital Marketing Takeaway

About This Show

Small Business Sweet Spot is a podcast show created by Compass Digital Strategies LLC. Founder, Barb Davids, wanted to create a show that was more direct and to the point around topics that improve our small businesses and personal lives. A self-professed podcast junkie, she listens to a variety of shows on her runs and road trips.

Compass Digital Strategies is for people who are tired of their website being the thing that stresses them out. Around here, it gets simpler. We’re not here to add more to your plate. This is about having someone who sees what you’re dealing with and helps you sort it out. Clearly. Personally. In a way that doesn’t make you want to pull your hair out.

 You've probably seen like 47,000 posts about how social media is ruining everything, how the algorithms are trash, and how we should just all delete our accounts and return to carrier pigeons. I even saw a headline from Marketing Brew that said, quote, social media use is plateauing as users face scroll fatigue.

Despite that and how I've been feeling personally, I'm not quite ready to poo poo social media as a marketing channel. For some businesses, it works for coaches, creators, and service providers who sell what they know. It can be incredibly strategic, and even for the rest of us, it serves a purpose. Just maybe not one that's commonly shared.

Enjoy the show!

👉 For all the links and resources mentioned in this episode, check out the supporting blog post here.

🌟 Wish your website pulled in more leads? The Website Power-Up Plan™ is built for service-based business owners who feel like their website should be doing more but aren’t sure what’s standing in the way. Let’s make that darned thing work!

🧰 I love me a good digital marketing tool.This week’s recommended tool is SE Ranking
There are many apps out there claiming they are an SEO tool. This is one of them. My preferred one. It has a simple interface. Support has been responsive when I use it. I use it for site audits, page specific audits, and finding back links for client websites. I definitely underutilize this tool. (They claim they are an agency tool, but solopreneurs can benefit from it as well.)

Peek inside my toolbox for all my tools.

🎧 This week’s recommended podcast episode is Why Do You Always Feel Like You're Struggling on the Sabrina Zohar show.

🗞️ Like newsletters? Digital Marketing Takeaway

About This Show

Small Business Sweet Spot is a podcast show created by Compass Digital Strategies LLC. Founder, Barb Davids, wanted to create a show that was more direct and to the point around topics that improve our small businesses and personal lives. A self-professed podcast junkie, she listens to a variety of shows on her runs and road trips.

Compass Digital Strategies is for people who are tired of their website being the thing that stresses them out. Around here, it gets simpler. We’re not here to add more to your plate. This is about having someone who sees what you’re dealing with and helps you sort it out. Clearly. Personally. In a way that doesn’t make you want to pull your hair out.

 I've been noticing more and more of you experimenting with Google ads, which is exciting and a question keeps coming up. Should you send that traffic to your homepage or create a dedicated landing page? It's a great question because it affects your ad spend and your return. So let's talk about it.

Enjoy the episode!

👉 For all the links and resources mentioned in this episode, check out the supporting blog post here.

🌟 Wish your website pulled in more leads? The Website Power-Up Plan™ is built for service-based business owners who feel like their website should be doing more but aren’t sure what’s standing in the way. Let’s make that darned thing work!

🧰 I love me a good digital marketing tool.This week’s recommended tool is ClickUp.

For projects and tasks, I have used this in the past for my own business and for clients. I love their support. I don't think there's anything it doesn't do. The bit I like the most about it was the ability to email right from inside a task. I haven't used it for awhile but of course like to recommend it because everyone has varied tool preferences. It's worth a test run.

Peek inside my toolbox for all my tools.

🎧 This week’s recommended podcast episode is AI Manipulating Your Mental Health on the Jordan Harbinger Show. This is a disturbing albeit educational episode. My jaw kept dropping.

🗞️ Like newsletters? Digital Marketing Takeaway

About This Show

Small Business Sweet Spot is a podcast show created by Compass Digital Strategies LLC. Founder, Barb Davids, wanted to create a show that was more direct and to the point around topics that improve our small businesses and personal lives. A self-professed podcast junkie, she listens to a variety of shows on her runs and road trips.

Compass Digital Strategies is for people who are tired of their website being the thing that stresses them out. Around here, it gets simpler. We’re not here to add more to your plate. This is about having someone who sees what you’re dealing with and helps you sort it out. Clearly. Personally. In a way that doesn’t make you want to pull your hair out.

Strategic Business Coach, Marci Rossi, spills the beans of systems and processes, the benefits of proper onboarding, and the challenges of solo entrepreneurship. She shares her favorite digital tools along with tips for using templates and documenting procedures. She also reveals why she quit social media and how shifting her focus to collaborations and email marketing significantly grew her business. Tune in for actionable advice on optimizing your workflows and increasing productivity.

01:19 Marcy Rossi's Business Coaching Insights
03:22 Importance of Systems and Processes
05:33 Defining Your Audience and Business Pivoting
12:12 Favorite Tools and Software Recommendations
17:58 Choosing Between Zapier and PLI
18:53 The Importance of Templates and SOPs
20:27 Managing and Storing SOPs
21:38 Finding the Right System for You
24:37 Balancing Multiple Tabs and Windows
28:35 The Case for Systems and Documentation
30:04 Stepping Away from Social Media

Enjoy the episode!

👉 For all the links and resources mentioned in this episode, check out the supporting blog post here.

🌟 Wish your website pulled in more leads? The Website Power-Up Plan™ is built for service-based business owners who feel like their website should be doing more but aren’t sure what’s standing in the way. Let’s make that darned thing work!

Peek inside my toolbox for all my tools.

🗞️ Like newsletters? Digital Marketing Takeaway

About This Show

Small Business Sweet Spot is a podcast show created by Compass Digital Strategies LLC. Founder, Barb Davids, wanted to create a show that was more direct and to the point around topics that improve our small businesses and personal lives. A self-professed podcast junkie, she listens to a variety of shows on her runs and road trips.

Compass Digital Strategies is for people who are tired of their website being the thing that stresses them out. Around here, it gets simpler. We’re not here to add more to your plate. This is about having someone who sees what you’re dealing with and helps you sort it out. Clearly. Personally. In a way that doesn’t make you want to pull your hair out.

I thought nomading was care-free and spontaneous. I envisioned a massive amount of freedom. I didn't realize how much planning was involved nor did I realize the amount of self reflection that got slapped into my face. 

This is my story of nomading for 14 months and what I got out of it in the event you have been considering it and want to hear one unstoppable woman's perspective; that's me.

Enjoy the episode!

👉 For all the links and resources mentioned in this episode, check out the supporting blog post here.

🌟 Wish your website pulled in more leads? The Website Power-Up Plan™ is built for service-based business owners who feel like their website should be doing more but aren’t sure what’s standing in the way. Let’s make that darned thing work!

🧰 I love me a good digital marketing tool.This week’s recommended tool is Time Management Made Simple. It's put on my productivity specialist Amber De La Garza.

I've always wanted to get more organized with my calendar and tasks and have a clean inbox. When I have a clean inbox, oh baby. That's a good day. This is a direct course, you can go at your own pace. If you're looking to find more time, this course will help you find it.

Peek inside my toolbox for all my tools.

🎧 This week’s recommended podcast episode is  by Dan Koe. It's called Social Media Keeps Getting Worse, how Your Dopamine Is Being Hijacked. I found this one pretty interesting. And it goes into a little bit of history as well, but I had some good takeaways and just, I like getting more information around this whole social media thing.

Especially it seems like the whole collective, like everybody, there's just like this big change in how social media is being looked at. And as business owners it's even more concerning or more confusing because how do we use social media and maybe stay away from it sometimes personally.  if you listen to the episode, let me know how you like it. I've saved this and other episodes I like into a playlist on Spotify.

Visit Episodes I Like Playlist for other recommended episodes I've enjoyed.

🗞️ Like newsletters? Digital Marketing Takeaway

About This Show

Small Business Sweet Spot is a podcast show created by Compass Digital Strategies LLC. Founder, Barb Davids, wanted to create a show that was more direct and to the point around topics that improve our small businesses and personal lives. A self-professed podcast junkie, she listens to a variety of shows on her runs and road trips.

Compass Digital Strategies is for people who are tired of their website being the thing that stresses them out. Around here, it gets simpler. We’re not here to add more to your plate. This is about having someone who sees what you’re dealing with and helps you sort it out. Clearly. Personally. In a way that doesn’t make you want to pull your hair out.

And as business owners, sometimes we feel like we have to be on all the time or like we have to be there. And sometimes it just doesn't quite work like that.  I am so glad to have Karen Jones on the show. She is a grief, recovery and resilience coach, and we talked about some myths around grief and what to say to people, what not to say to people, and also understanding it a little bit more because there was a lot, I felt like grief and people going through a lot of stuff recently.

Enjoy the episode!

Timeline

00:45 Karen Jones' Background and Approach to Grief
01:37 Starting the Conversation on Grief
03:13 Debunking Myths About Grief
05:36 The Process of Healing and Coping Mechanisms
08:56 Addressing Different Types of Grief
10:43 Supporting Others Through Grief
19:16 The Importance of Witnessing Grief
22:24 Final Thoughts and Resources

If you’d like to learn more about Karen or download her guides...
Website: iamkarenjones.com
Guides: Download here
LinkedIn

👉 For all the links and resources mentioned in this episode, check out the supporting blog post here.

🌟 Wish your website pulled in more leads? The Website Power-Up Plan™ is built for service-based business owners who feel like their website should be doing more but aren’t sure what’s standing in the way. Let’s make that darned thing work!

Peek inside my toolbox for all my tools.

Visit Episodes I Like Playlist for other recommended episodes I've enjoyed.

🗞️ Like newsletters? Digital Marketing Takeaway

About This Show

Small Business Sweet Spot is a podcast show created by Compass Digital Strategies LLC. Founder, Barb Davids, wanted to create a show that was more direct and to the point around topics that improve our small businesses and personal lives. A self-professed podcast junkie, she listens to a variety of shows on her runs and road trips.

Compass Digital Strategies is for people who are tired of their website being the thing that stresses them out. Around here, it gets simpler. We’re not here to add more to your plate. This is about having someone who sees what you’re dealing with and helps you sort it out. Clearly. Personally. In a way that doesn’t make you want to pull your hair out.

A lot of business owners skip conversion tracking, assuming their inbox is enough, but without those numbers in your analytics, you can’t really see which marketing efforts are paying off. In this episode, we’ll walk through simple ways to set up tracking so you can make smarter decisions about where to spend your time and energy.

Enjoy the episode!

👉 For all the links and resources mentioned in this episode, check out the supporting blog post here.

🌟 Wish your website pulled in more leads? The Website Power-Up Plan™ is built for service-based business owners who feel like their website should be doing more but aren’t sure what’s standing in the way. Let’s make that darned thing work!

🧰 I love me a good digital marketing tool.This week’s recommended tool is Streamyard.I use Streamyard for lives that I wanna do and sometimes for my podcast guesting because it has extra elements that I can put on the video while I'm doing it. So mostly the lives, but I can put banners down at the bottom. I can also share my screen and have somebody else come with me on the entire video. I can have snippets of like things to pop up in advance and ready to show on the screen. So for me, it's mostly for lives , but it can also be used for like workshop type presentations.

Peek inside my toolbox for all my tools.

🎧 This week’s recommended podcast episode is Self-Discipline is Easy, Actually by Dan Koe.

🗞️ Like newsletters? Digital Marketing Takeaway

About This Show

Small Business Sweet Spot is a podcast show created by Compass Digital Strategies LLC. Founder, Barb Davids, wanted to create a show that was more direct and to the point around topics that improve our small businesses and personal lives. A self-professed podcast junkie, she listens to a variety of shows on her runs and road trips.

Compass Digital Strategies is for people who are tired of their website being the thing that stresses them out. Around here, it gets simpler. We’re not here to add more to your plate. This is about having someone who sees what you’re dealing with and helps you sort it out. Clearly. Personally. In a way that doesn’t make you want to pull your hair out.

This was a great conversation with Kathryn Yarborough because I had questions. We talked about payment or paying for speaking engagements, we talked about whether or not to use slides. We talked about the time involved. We talked about the backgrounds of speaking, and she had a lot of great advice and perspective on how she runs her. Speaking and what she's done and things that we can think about.

Enjoy the episode!

Timeline

01:20 Getting to Know Kathryn
03:29 Kathryn's Sweet Spot
04:48 Hosting Summits: Kathryn's Passion
08:15 The Women Loving Life Summit Series
09:36 The Origin of 'Small Business Sweet Spot'
11:47 Benefits of Speaking for Small Businesses
14:37 Getting Started with Speaking
19:32 Engaging Your Ideal Audience
21:25 Payment for Speaking Engagements
26:41 Overcoming the Fear of Public Speaking
28:53 Effective Use of Slides and Backgrounds
34:13 Optimal Presentation Lengths
37:25 Final Thoughts and Takeaways

👉 For all the links and resources mentioned in this episode, check out the supporting blog post here.

🌟 Wish your website pulled in more leads? The Website Power-Up Plan™ is built for service-based business owners who feel like their website should be doing more but aren’t sure what’s standing in the way. Let’s make that darned thing work!

Peek inside my toolbox for all my tools.

🗞️ Like newsletters? Digital Marketing Takeaway

About This Show

Small Business Sweet Spot is a podcast show created by Compass Digital Strategies LLC. Founder, Barb Davids, wanted to create a show that was more direct and to the point around topics that improve our small businesses and personal lives. A self-professed podcast junkie, she listens to a variety of shows on her runs and road trips.

Compass Digital Strategies is for people who are tired of their website being the thing that stresses them out. Around here, it gets simpler. We’re not here to add more to your plate. This is about having someone who sees what you’re dealing with and helps you sort it out. Clearly. Personally. In a way that doesn’t make you want to pull your hair out.