Redefining “Done Right” in Business with Sarah Gemmell Artwork

Here's What I Learned: Ditching Biz-as-Usual for Values, Freedom, and Doing It Your Way

Welcome to Here’s What I Learned — the podcast for progressive entrepreneurs who want to grow their businesses without sacrificing their values, creativity, or capacity. I’m Jacki Hayes: systems strategist, unapologetic smutty romantasy fan, and D&D geek. Around here, we get real about what it actually takes to build a business that fits your life.

Every episode offers something to take with you — sometimes through conversations with values-driven founders, sometimes through solo episodes where I dig into the lessons I’m learning inside my own business. We explore the choices we’re testing, the questions that create clarity, the experiments that move us forward, and the systems that stay simple on purpose.

If you value integrity, curiosity, and time freedom—and you’re looking for inspiration that’s as practical as it is empowering—you’ve found your people. Hit play, and let’s rewrite the rules together.

All Episodes

Here's What I Learned: Ditching Biz-as-Usual for Values, Freedom, and Doing It Your Way

Redefining “Done Right” in Business with Sarah Gemmell

August 12, 2025 • Jacki Hayes • Season 9 • Episode 2

Send us a text

What if the way you’re “supposed to” grow your business… doesn’t actually work for you?

In this episode, I’m joined by marketing strategist and entrepreneur Sarah Gemmell for a conversation that goes beyond funnels and frameworks. We talk about what it really means to build a business around your strengths, your season of life, and your capacity—especially if you're neurodivergent, caregiving, or just done with the noise.

Sarah gets real about breaking up with the industry norms around offers, marketing, and communication—and how embracing synchronous support and simplified strategy completely changed the game for her and her clients.

If you’ve been trying to follow the “right” path and still feeling stuck, this episode will give you the clarity and permission to do things your way.

Here’s what we cover:

Starting and scaling while parenting full-time (5:03)
How life challenges create unexpected business clarity (6:45)
Redefining what a “successful” offer looks like (8:44)
Why asynchronous communication doesn’t work for everyone (12:25)
The difference between coaching frameworks and true strategy (20:47)
The root of most marketing problems: unclear messaging (25:10)

About Sarah Gemmell:

Sarah Gemmell is a marketing strategist who helps small business owners—especially those who are experts in their field—start marketing like it. She guides her clients from scattered to strategic using custom approaches that work with their brain, business model, and bandwidth. Through her DIY workbooks, 30-day lead generation challenge, and high-level one-on-one consulting (with both done-with-you and done-for-you options), Sarah makes it easier to build marketing that actually lands.

You can find Sarah at:

Website: sarahjeanco.com

Instagram: @sarahgemmell_

What next?