Most small business owners are spending hours every week on social media that isn't moving the needle. Marketing strategist Michele Palmer — who has run campaigns for Marriott and Ritz Carlton — explains why, and what to do instead.

Michele's mantra: "champagne and caviar marketing on a Coke and Cheerios budget." In this episode, she breaks down the marketing tactics small business owners actually need, and the ones they've been wasting time on.

You'll learn:

- Why most small business social media is wasted effort

- The first question every business owner gets wrong about their customer

- Free SEO most small businesses skip (it takes ten minutes to set up)

- How to use AI for content without sounding like AI

- What Marriott's design lab taught Michele about launching anything

- How Stanley pivoted from tradies to school mums and built a billion-dollar brand

- How to push past imposter syndrome and start

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CONTACT JO:

The Jo Show is for small business owners in their first one to five years — people doing the work, wearing every hat, and trying to figure out what's actually working in marketing right now.

Hosted by Jo McKee, founder of McKee Creative.

Subscribe to The Jo Show for more conversations with builders, inventors and operators → https://www.youtube.com/@the_jo_show

Apply to be a guest on The Jo Show → https://mckeecreative.store/the-jo-show-guest-application/

Hire McKee Creative for your marketing or AI systems → https://mckeecreative.store

LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/mckeecreative/

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CONTACT MICHELE PALMER:

Website → https://www.wakerobinmarketing.com/

LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelepalmer/

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CHAPTERS:

0:00 Champagne marketing on a Coke and Cheerios budget

0:46 Why most small business social media is wasted effort

1:42 Do you actually know who your customer is?

4:25 The first question every business owner gets wrong

6:51 Google Business Listing: the free SEO most people skip

9:58 How to use AI without sounding like AI

13:29 The $850 SEO tool I dumped (and what I use instead)

16:30 What Marriott taught me about launching anything

20:00 The 'dirty little secret' that became website copy

20:43 How Stanley pivoted from tradies to school mums

22:21 The fears stopping you from starting

24:44 When perfectionism becomes avoidance

26:33 One thing to do this week if you're stalled

27:53 How to reach Michele

#SmallBusinessMarketing #ContentMarketing #MarketingPodcast

Dr Rob Yonover spent 11 years bringing his See/Rescue® Streamer to market. It's now on US Navy submarines, fighter jets and SpaceX manned flights. It's saved at least four lives. Shark Tank passed.

He built it on his patio. His first PR break came from faxing press releases at 11pm. He spent 19 years as primary caregiver for his wife while raising two young kids and never quit his day job.

This is a conversation about inventing things that matter, getting media attention without a budget, why taking investor money can shorten your life arc, and the discipline of being a "polite pain in the ass" for 40 years until the world catches up.

If you're building something simple that nobody understands yet, this one's for you.

Find Rob's books on Amazon: Hardcore Inventing, Caregiver Survival Guide, Brainstorm Islands.

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CONTACT JO:

The Jo Show is hosted by Jo McKee, founder of McKee Creative — holistic digital marketing for small business. New episodes weekly.

Subscribe to The Jo Show for more conversations with builders, inventors and operators → https://www.youtube.com/@the_jo_show

Apply to be a guest on The Jo Show → https://mckeecreative.store/the-jo-show-guest-application/

Website → https://mckeecreative.store

LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/mckeecreative/

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CONTACT DR ROB YONOVER:

Website → http://seerescuestreamer.com/

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CHAPTERS:

00:00 The $100 Plastic Strip on a Billion-Dollar SpaceX Rocket

00:34 The Sputtering Cessna That Started Everything

02:54 Why It Took 11 Years (And Why He Refused to Quit His Day Job)

05:09 The Marketer's Nightmare: Selling Safety Nobody Wants to Buy

07:24 Why the Military Cared More When He Charged $1,000

09:54 Shark Tank Said No (They'd Rather Sell Cupcakes)

11:07 How He Got Free Press for 40 Years Starting with a Fax Machine

14:54 The Polite Pain in the Ass: Sales Tips That Actually Work

17:11 Don't Take Investor Money — Here's the Real Math on Time

20:24 Testing Inventions in Shark-Infested Waters at Night

21:17 19 Years a Caregiver, Two Kids, and Still Building a Business

26:48 The 20+ Patents (And the One That Got Him Sued by 50 Companies)

31:39 The Pocket Desalinator That Could Win a Nobel Prize

35:42 The Day SpaceX Took His Invention to Space

39:02 Two Miles Deep: From Florida Loser Kid to Volcano Scientist

43:30 Recipe for Resilience: Outwork Everyone, Compete With Yourself

43:44 Where to Find Rob's Books and Inventions

For his day job, he produces for talent such as Katie Perry and Alicia Keys. His co-founder works in casting. And somehow - without any marketing budget to speak of - they’ve built The American Reality Television Awards in their evenings.

Today Andrew Ward reveals exactly how he built the American Reality Television Awards from scratch, and turned it into a nationally recognised award show that now gets millions of votes worldwide

In this episode you’ll discover:

• How to launch a prestige brand with almost nothing

• The “free trial” model that now brings in paying submissions from networks & producers

• Why spending $400 on a physical statue creates more organic PR than paid ads

• How to make your website AI-ready (and rebuild it for under $1,000 using Perplexity)

• Out-of-the-box thinking that removes roadblocks when you have no budget

• The #1 marketing mistake most small businesses make with their ad spend

If you’re a business owner who wants to do more with less, build authority, and create something that lasts — this is your blueprint.

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CONNECT WITH ANDREW

Website → https://ProducingHollywood.com

Submit your show for the ARTAs → realitytelevisionawards.com

The Peter Frampton documentary Andrew produced is premiering at Tribeca Festival this June 4, 2026 for its world premiere.

In this crazy ride, Andrew met some amazing people in interviews like Ringo Starr, Kate Hudson, Sheryl Crow, Cameron Crowe and so many incredible talents. 

_________________________________________

CONTACT JO:

The Jo Show is hosted by Jo McKee, founder of McKee Creative — holistic digital marketing for small business. New episodes weekly.

Feedback → give feedback to Jo: [email protected]

Apply to be a guest on The Jo Show → https://mckeecreative.store/the-jo-show-guest-application/

Website: https://mckeecreative.store

_________________________________________

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 – Building a National Award Show on a Shoestring Budget

01:48 – How They Get Millions of Global Votes

03:02 – How Success & Strategy Evolved Over 12 Years

04:19 – The Moments They Almost Quit (and Why They Didn’t)

05:52 – The “Free Trial” Model That Funds the Awards

06:09 – SEO & AI-Ready Websites: What’s Working Now

08:05 – Unconventional PR That Actually Works

10:38 – The $400 Statue That Generates Free Marketing Gold

11:41 – Time Management & Running a Side Project After Hours

13:32 – Avoiding Burnout When Juggling Multiple Projects

14:38 – What Reality TV Teaches About Business & Storytelling

16:15 – Using Perplexity AI to Rebuild Their Entire Website

19:17 – Biggest Early Mistake (and How to Avoid It)

20:20 – Doing More With Less: Out-of-the-Box Thinking

23:32 – How to Submit Your Show for the 13th Awards

24:06 – Rapid Fire Questions with Andrew Ward

#RealityTV #AwardShow #Bootstrapping #SmallBusinessMarketing #AIforBusiness #peterframpton #producinghollywood #americanrealitytelevisionawards #realitytv 

Melena Costello runs a smoke shop doing $300K a year, a food truck booked across Michigan, and a handcrafted product line built on her late grandmother's recipes. She's a single mum of three. She's never paid for advertising. And she nearly quit this morning.

In this episode, Melena walks through the $250/month text system that returns $1,400 in a week, why she deliberately hires friends and family (and how she handles the hard conversations), and the product filter she uses that no business school would ever teach you.

We also get into where networking actually beats paid ads, how routine holds three businesses and three kids together, and her next move into Detroit real estate.

If you've ever been told you need a bigger budget to grow, this one will annoy you in the best way.

_________________________________________

CONTACT JO:

The Jo Show is hosted by Jo McKee, founder of McKee Creative — holistic digital marketing for small business. New episodes weekly.

Feedback → give feedback to Jo: [email protected]

Apply to be a guest on The Jo Show → https://mckeecreative.store/the-jo-show-guest-application/

Website: https://mckeecreative.store

Subscribe to The Jo Show → https://www.youtube.com/@the_jo_show

LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/mckeecreative/

_________________________________________

CONTACT MELENA:

Bakeshop Betty's → bakeshopbettys.com

Batter Up Buttercup → https://www.instagram.com/batterupbuttercup_/

House of Smoke → https://www.instagram.com/houseofsmoke.fl/

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TIMESTAMPS

0:00 — Meet Melena: Three Businesses, Three Kids, Zero Excuses

0:25 — How Routine Holds Everything Together

1:44 — The Origin Story Behind Bakeshop Betty's

4:26 — Networking vs Paid Ads: Where Growth Actually Comes From

5:05 — The $250/Month Text System That Returns $1,400 a Week

6:48 — Getting New Customers Without Spending on Ads

7:14 — Why She Hired Friends and Family (And Why It Works)

8:19 — Having Hard Conversations With People You Love

10:28 — Building Businesses That Fit Your Life

11:29 — The Day She Almost Quit

11:56 — The Lesson She Wishes She'd Learned Sooner

12:34 — "Would Grandma Have Loved It?" — The Product Filter

13:01 — What's Next: Detroit Real Estate and Giving Back

14:23 — Where to Find Melena

Dr. Anna Di watched her immigrant parents work 7 days a week in their gift shop… only to lose everything because nobody knew they existed.

She refused to repeat that story.

Instead, she built Unity Chiropractic Wellness into a premium practice where high-value clients choose her — not because she chases them, but because her marketing makes them want in.

In this episode, Dr. Anna reveals:

→ How she creates Instagram ads that don’t “sell chiropractic” — they make people envision stepping into a luxurious, life-changing experience

→ The “temple” mindset shift that removes the emotional resistance to investing in marketing (and turns your business into an infinite money machine)

→ Why most chiropractors and service providers get their ads and videos completely wrong — and the simple fixes that attract kings instead of bargain hunters

→ The power of making the patient the hero of the story (plus her exact “Arrive as a king, be treated like ____, be remembered as a gentleman” hook)

→ What TV appearances actually deliver (spoiler: not what most people expect)

→ The one quick, free thing every business owner should fix today for instant credibility

If you’re a chiropractor, wellness practitioner, or service business owner who wants to stop trading time for money and start attracting premium clients who value what you do, this conversation will rewire how you think about positioning and advertising.

_________________________________________

CONTACT DR ANNA DI

Founder of UNITY Chiropractic Wellness (NYC)

Instagram → @unitychirowellness

Website & Booking → https://unitycw.com (Insurance accepted)

_________________________________________

CONTACT JO:

The Jo Show is hosted by Jo McKee, founder of McKee Creative — holistic digital marketing for small business. New episodes weekly.

Feedback → give feedback to Jo: [email protected]

Apply to be a guest on The Jo Show → https://mckeecreative.store/the-jo-show-guest-application/

Website: https://mckeecreative.store

Subscribe to The Jo Show → https://www.youtube.com/@the_jo_show

LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/mckeecreative/

_________________________________________

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 – The Temple Mindset for Marketing

01:04 – Lessons from her parents’ failed business

05:21 – When & why she started paid Instagram ads

07:40 – Building StoryBrand: Make the patient the hero

10:25 – Common marketing mistakes that repel ideal clients

15:11 – “Arrive as a king…” – Filtering for premium patients from the first second

16:34 – Overcoming the fear of spending on ads

22:04 – Instagram ads for retention & brand authority

26:48 – The real ROI of TV appearances

31:03 – The #1 quick win every business should do

36:49 – What’s next for Unity in 2026

#PremiumClients #InstagramAds #HighTicketBusiness #WellnessPractice #AttractIdealClients #DrAnnaDi

Mo Abouelsoud came up with the idea for a non-invasive brain stimulation company while eating a burrito at Chipotle.

Now he's running clinical trials, leading a team across six countries, and shipping a $350 consumer device that enhances focus and cognition — no surgery required.

In this episode, Mo and I get into the real mechanics of building a neuroscience company from scratch in your twenties: how he convinced world-class scientists to back him, why he openly names his competitors (and what's wrong with their science), and how the same clinical-grade research behind his Parkinson's and Alzheimer's work powers the consumer product you can buy today.

We also talk about the transition from founder hustle to CEO thinking — doing less, systemising more — and why selling is easy when you genuinely believe in what you've built.

CHAPTERS

00:00 — A Burrito That Started a Brain Science Company

00:56 — "This Technology Saved My Life"

01:13 — Founder Mode vs CEO Mode

02:34 — Running a Team Across Six Countries

03:09 — How a 20-Something Convinced World-Class Scientists

04:01 — The Neuralink Comparison (Without the Surgery)

05:55 — A $350 Consumer Brain Device — Available Now

06:49 — Biohackers, CEOs and the Cognitive Edge

07:39 — Marketing Medicine and Consumer Tech at the Same Time

09:22 — Mohawk Mo Goes to School

10:08 — One Marketing Channel — Which One?

11:20 — Selling When You Actually Believe in the Product

13:51 — Brain Scans Before and After Stimulation

14:47 — Why the Fundamentals of Persuasion Never Change

15:21 — Making Neurotech Accessible Globally

16:46 — Cheap Devices and Nefarious Claims

18:30 — Calling Out the Competition by Name

19:32 — Rapid Fire: Worst Advice, Chipotle Orders and AI Utopias

22:00 — "In Five Years, Brain Stim Will Be as Normal As..."

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CONTACT MO

U The Mind → https://uthemind.com

Mo on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/mohammed-abouelsoud-6876a6126/

_________________________________________

CONTACT JO:

The Jo Show is hosted by Jo McKee, founder of McKee Creative — holistic digital marketing for small business. New episodes weekly.

Feedback → give feedback to Jo: [email protected]

Apply to be a guest on The Jo Show → https://mckeecreative.store/the-jo-show-guest-application/

Website: https://mckeecreative.store

Subscribe to The Jo Show → https://www.youtube.com/@the_jo_show

#neuroscience #brainstimulation #neuralink #neurotech #entrepreneurship #thejoshow

One of my clients recently watched me explain the AI systems running behind her marketing. Her response? "I don't understand a word of what you just said, but thank you."

Honestly, best review I've ever received.

In this episode I'm pulling back the curtain on how I actually run McKee Creative. One strategist, eight AI agents, and a system I built from my home office in the Whitsundays that monitors rankings, writes content, watches ad performance, and keeps everything connected.

My clients don't interact with any of it. Most barely know it exists. They just see the results.

I'm also being straight about what building this actually took. Months of things breaking, agents confidently getting things wrong, and a lot of muttering at my screen. The gap between using AI casually and having it do real work inside a business is enormous. I think you deserve to know that.

If your marketing feels scattered, if you've got five dashboards but no real answers, if your email list is gathering dust and your SEO was done 18 months ago and left to starve, this one's for you.

_________________________________

Subscribe for weekly conversations with entrepreneurs, marketers, and people building something real.

The Jo Show is hosted by Jo McKee, founder of McKee Creative — Australia's all-in-one marketing partner for small business owners.

🌐 mckeecreative.store

_________________________________

CONTACT JO:

Feedback → give feedback to Jo: [email protected]

Apply to be a guest on The Jo Show → https://mckeecreative.store/the-jo-show-guest-application/

_________________________________

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 "I don't understand a word of what you just said"

01:30 The scattered marketing problem most product businesses know too well

02:55 How one person runs all of it (meet the AI team)

04:57 The AI credibility problem and why building this was genuinely hard

07:00 What working with me actually looks like, made concrete

08:30 Joined up marketing and why small businesses never normally get it

09:45 Wrap

Michael Yeung went from veterinary surgeon to burning out on a highway at 80 miles per hour. That crash was the wake-up call that changed everything.

Now he works with founders across 14 countries — helping them stop being the bottleneck in their business so they can travel, switch off, and scale without burning out.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why 2 hours of deep work beats 10 hours of reactive task-switching (the research is compelling)
• The 'Freedom Flywheel' — a simple operating model that compounds your output over time
• Why most founders think they need more tools, but actually need something else entirely
• What 'broken systems break good people' really means for delegation
• The 6-stage client journey framework you need before you can delegate anything
• How AI-enabled assistants are replacing traditional VAs — and what that means for your business

Free resource — Michael's End-to-End Client Journey Framework:

Get Michael Yeung’s Playbook at https://mypolaris.io

Connect with Michael:

• Website: mypolaris.io
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@realmichaelyeung
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelyeunghk/

— — —

About The Jo Show

Honest conversations with business owners who are doing the work. Hosted by Jo McKee, founder of McKee Creative — a digital marketing agency based in the Whitsundays, Queensland.

New episodes every Wednesday (AEST). Subscribe so you don't miss one.

Subscribe for more: https://www.youtube.com/@the_jo_show

______________

CONTACT JO:

Feedback → give feedback to Jo: [email protected]

Apply to be a guest on The Jo Show →

https://mckeecreative.store/the-jo-show-guest-application/

Full-time engineer. Former professional football player. New dad. And he's building an online business after hours — using AI, affiliate marketing, and systems that work while he sleeps.

John Prather joins Jo on The Jo Show to share the exact playbook he uses to run a side hustle in the hours between 5pm and 10pm — without burning out, without quitting his job, and without a huge budget to start.

In this episode:

• Why "time management" is the wrong goal — and what to do instead

• The first thing John built to start generating leads (and why it works even if you have zero audience)

• The AI tools he actually uses (and the ones he doesn't bother with)

• How to decide what to automate vs. what needs your human touch

• The mindset shift that changed everything — and what professional football taught him about rejection in business

• The quick-fire round: best AI tool, biggest myth, side hustle advice in 10 seconds

John's free guide — Plug & Profit:

→ https://bit.ly/plugprofitguide

Contained within this guide you’ll discover why now is the best time to start your automated online business, how to leverage simple digital tools, and the key steps to create a steady income that works for you—no experience needed.

Find John:

🌐 johnprather1.com (http://johnprather1.com/)

📱 @johnprather_1 on all platforms

───

Subscribe for weekly conversations with entrepreneurs, marketers, and people building something real.

The Jo Show is hosted by Jo McKee, founder of McKee Creative — Australia's all-in-one marketing partner for small business owners.

🌐 mckeecreative.store

───

#sidehustle #onlinebusiness #AItools #entrepreneurship #smallbusiness #thejoshow

───

⏱️ Timestamps

0:00 "Schedule your priorities, not your time"

0:11 Meet John — engineer, pro footballer, new dad, side hustler

0:42 The 5-to-9 rule that changed everything

1:38 Stop managing your time. Start managing this instead.

2:40 "I don't have time" — what John actually says to that

3:37 The one AI tool that runs his business while he sleeps

5:09 The exact tools he uses (names, no fluff)

6:55 Never used AI for business? Start here.

7:39 The lead magnet strategy that fills your list for free

11:37 What to automate — and what to never hand to AI

13:41 When AI gets it wrong (and how to fix it fast)

15:12 The mindset that made all of this possible

17:46 Building systems vs. just working harder

19:57 The belief about money he had to unlearn

22:18 When nothing's working — how John troubleshoots

23:49 ⚡️ Quick-fire round

26:36 How to find John + free guide

What happens when a 30-year PR veteran walks into a luxury consignment store — and ends up buying the whole business?

Beth McRae runs two completely different businesses: The McRae Agency (PR and marketing) and High Society Resale Boutique in Scottsdale, Arizona. She bought the boutique because she was a loyal customer who couldn't bear to see it close down.

In this episode, Beth shares how she balances both businesses, why blogs outperform product pages for ad returns, how she turned Instagram and TikTok Lives into weekly community events, and why her team "doesn't even need her" anymore.

Whether you're running one business or thinking about starting a second, this conversation will change how you think about marketing, delegation, and following what you love.

Subscribe for more: https://www.youtube.com/@the_jo_show

______________

CONTACT JO:

Feedback → give feedback to Jo: [email protected]

Apply to be a guest on The Jo Show → https://mckeecreative.store/the-jo-show-guest-application/

CONNECT WITH BETH:

LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/beth-mcrae-mba-3914522/

The McRae Agency → https://themcraeagency.com

High Society Resale Boutique → https://highsocietyresale.com

📋 CHAPTERS

00:00 — "That's how you end up owning a women's clothing store"

00:11 — Meet Beth McRae: PR veteran turned boutique owner

00:47 — How Beth accidentally bought a boutique

03:27 — The transition from customer to owner

04:32 — Starting from scratch with no retail experience

06:36 — Building the marketing flywheel: blogs, email, social, SEO

08:10 — Why blog posts outperform product pages for ad ROAS

09:57 — Instagram and TikTok Lives as weekly events

12:35 — Building a team that doesn't need you

13:51 — Balancing two completely different businesses

17:20 — Customer service philosophy and "falling on the sword"

19:20 — Luxury consignment meets sustainability

21:03 — What Beth would tell her younger self

24:35 — The smile philosophy: choosing kindness in business

27:29 — Wrap up

#luxury consignment #PR agency #women in business #boutique owner #ecommerce marketing #small business podcast #scottsdale arizona # resale boutique #marketing flywheel #blog marketing #instagram live strategy #tiktok live selling #delegation tips #running two businesses #the jo show #jomckee #bethmcrae #sustainable fashion #content marketing