Melinda Colon joins me to talk about how small business owners—yes, even solopreneurs—can land government contracts without getting buried in red tape. We cover where to find the opportunities, what to expect, and why this overlooked revenue stream might be exactly what your business needs.

Enjoy the episode!

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

Stop second-guessing your to-do list and grab the Marketing Energy Matrix to focus on the tasks that actually get you results. 👉 ⁠⁠⁠https://compassdigitalstrategies.com/digital-marketing-services/marketing-energy-matrix/⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠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.

In this episode, I share the real reasons I’ve avoided publishing client case studies—and why I’m changing that. You’ll learn how to rethink my approach from “bragging” to “teaching,” plus five reasons case studies are one of the most powerful tools in your content marketing toolkit. If you’ve ever felt awkward talking about client wins, this one’s for you.

Enjoy the episode!

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

Stop second-guessing your to-do list and grab the Marketing Energy Matrix to focus on the tasks that actually get you results. 👉 https://compassdigitalstrategies.com/digital-marketing-services/marketing-energy-matrix/

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

Lovable.dev takes normal written word and turns it into a website page or full website. It will build a software as a service, an app, all without knowing code. I've used it to create a visual of a landing page. I took some information I prepared from ChatGPT about what I wanted on my landing page, the structure, the copy, the colors, uploaded it here and it built out the visual framework. It really took a lot of the pain out of developing a new website page.

Peek inside my toolbox for all my tools.

🎧 This week’s recommended podcast episode is one I saw on my friend Emily Aborn's IG stories. Titled The Clutter Habit You Need to Break, I was intrigued.

It talks a little bit about the psychology behind why when you de-clutter, it comes back. And it made me think how I have one of those junk drawers with things I barely use but yet when I was nomading around for a year, I didn't have any of that! The episode offers tips to stay clutter free. Have you especially enjoyed another podcast? Drop me a note and share!

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.

From the biggest mistakes new advertisers make to the three core ad types you should be testing (and when), Carol shares practical advice to help you understand how Facebook ads actually work—and how to use them with confidence.

Enjoy the episode!

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

Stop second-guessing your to-do list and grab the Marketing Energy Matrix to focus on the tasks that actually get you results. 👉 ⁠⁠⁠https://compassdigitalstrategies.com/digital-marketing-services/marketing-energy-matrix/⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠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.

AI is not going away despite how we feel about it. This week's episode is a little different. Hear from various business owners about their feelings around AI, how they are using it and my thoughts about how our insides might be contributing to our fear of using it.

Enjoy the episode!

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

Stop second-guessing your to-do list and grab the Marketing Energy Matrix to focus on the tasks that actually get you results. 👉 https://compassdigitalstrategies.com/digital-marketing-services/marketing-energy-matrix/

🧰 I love me a good digital marketing tool. This week’s recommended tool is Google Search Analytics for Sheets.

By far, one of my favorite tools. Get google Search Console data and create automatic backups right into Google Sheets. Google Search Console by itself doesn't allow you to really dig in to the data. With this sheets add-on, there are various ways to pull the data so that you can learn what's happening with our organic traffic.

Peek inside my toolbox for all my tools.

🎧 This week’s recommended podcast episode Art of Manliness.

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.

This episode is a bit of a real-talk session about all the AI tools being thrown at us and the pressure to find that “one magical solution” for marketing. I’m sharing a handful of tools I’ve been testing out, including the ones I genuinely love and use in my business—and a few that I’m still exploring. If you’re curious about which tools might actually make your life easier, this one’s for you.

Enjoy the episode!

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

Stop second-guessing your to-do list and grab the Marketing Energy Matrix to focus on the tasks that actually get you results. 👉 https://compassdigitalstrategies.com/digital-marketing-services/marketing-energy-matrix/

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.

In this episode, I chat with Christian Brim, author of Profit First for Creatives, about shifting money mindsets, implementing Profit First as a creative, and why small steps like saving 1% of your revenue can change everything. We, or rather, Christian, talks on how to price based on value, overcome inherited beliefs around money, and stop seeing profit as a trade-off for doing what you love.

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

🗞️ Newsletter - Digital Marketing Takeaway

If SEO feels overwhelming and like a different language and you want more traffic and leads, then my SEO Power-Up Plan is for you. It's a unique service designed to show you the traffic you’re missing out on and how that missed traffic translates to sales. You’ll get a clear look at what’s working, what’s not, and where you can focus for better SEO results. Head to this link to get your SEO Power-Up Plan.

I wanted to merge some practical marketing wisdom with what I lovingly call a "woo woo perspective." I hope you enjoy this out of the ordinary episode.

Enjoy the episode!

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

Stop second-guessing your to-do list and grab the Marketing Energy Matrix to focus on the tasks that actually get you results. 👉 https://compassdigitalstrategies.com/digital-marketing-services/marketing-energy-matrix/

🧰 I love me a good digital marketing tool. This week’s recommended tool is Search Analytics for Sheets.

It's a Sheets Extension that connects to Google Search Console. It makes it way easier to see the data at a glance and use conditional formatting to find various things. For example, I was looking for pages on my website that ranked on the first page that have a lot of impressions for a test I was going to do. This extension brings all the data in and then I do filtering and formatting to find that way faster than clicking around inside Google Search Console.

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.

Have you ever landed on a website and immediately felt something wasn't quite right? Maybe it looked outdated, lacked personal touches, or just gave off questionable vibes that made you hesitate to enter your credit card information.

In this episode, I break down the subtle (and not-so-subtle) signals that might be making your own website look less than trustworthy to potential customers. We'll explore the concept Google uses to evaluate website quality and how those same principles directly impact whether real humans decide to do business with you.

I'll share 11 practical ways to boost your website's street cred. Plus, I'll reveal my digital marketing tool recommendation of the week and a podcast episode that's helping me understand my own surprising procrastination patterns.

Enjoy the episode!

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

Stop second-guessing your to-do list and grab the Marketing Energy Matrix to focus on the tasks that actually get you results. 👉 https://compassdigitalstrategies.com/digital-marketing-services/marketing-energy-matrix/

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

It's kind of like a virtual recording studio that lives in your browser. Originally, it got super popular with podcasters who wanted top-notch remote interviews. But really, you don’t need a podcast to get in on the action. If you’re doing webinars, virtual summits, online courses, or just want to record a rock-solid video chat with your team, Riverside’s all about making you sound and look pro.

Peek inside my toolbox for all my tools.

🎧 This week’s recommended podcast episode is The Real Reason You Procrastinate on the Worklife podcast with Adam Grant.

His guest was Margaret Atwood. I've been exploring procrastination even more lately. I didn't even see I was a procrastinator until about two years ago. And to the public, it didn't seem like I was either. But ooweeee I was a master! As I've been exploring it more, I've come to learn for me it's about avoidance. I'm still unclear what exactly I'm avoiding. I know it's not the tasks or projects themselves, but something that those tasks and projects get me closer to. Anyway, the episode with Adam Grant and Margaret Atwood is a good one I recommend.

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.

In this episode, I talked with Alicia from Devyne Business Consulting, and it was such a good convo. We went beyond digital marketing and got into the real reasons small businesses struggle—like cash flow, lack of strategy, and not knowing how to adapt. She shared how her business evolved from just marketing into full-on business consulting, including funding support. We also talked about using data better, staying innovative, and how important it is to keep learning as your business grows. Super insightful if you’re trying to scale sustainably and not just throw money at random marketing stuff.

Enjoy the episode!

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

Stop second-guessing your to-do list and grab the Marketing Energy Matrix to focus on the tasks that actually get you results. 👉 ⁠⁠⁠https://compassdigitalstrategies.com/digital-marketing-services/marketing-energy-matrix/⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠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.

Google Analytics (GA4) can feel overwhelming—but it doesn’t have to! In this episode, I’m sharing three simple ways to make GA4 easier to understand, so you can track what actually matters without wasting time.

Enjoy the episode!

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

Stop second-guessing your to-do list and grab the Marketing Energy Matrix to focus on the tasks that actually get you results. 👉 https://compassdigitalstrategies.com/digital-marketing-services/marketing-energy-matrix/

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

Setapp. For mac users. Multiple apps for your mac. All with only one subscription. I used it for a time for an app that provided shortcuts. So I would type say, unicorns pooping rainbows and it would replace that with a paragraph about how they don't poop rainbows. I kid of course. But the app is for real. There is a 7 day free trial if you want to see what it has and check it out. Find it at setapp.com.

Peek inside my toolbox for all my tools.

🎧 This week’s recommended podcast episode 7 Clever AI Deep Research Hacks by the Authority Hacker Podcast.

Some really great examples of real use cases for business owners. They go through the example and which AI tool they thought did the better job.

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.