The Wise Why, Jo Shaer talks with Kirsty van den Bulk

Jo Shaer, talks about her journey from lollipop lady to founding a internet marketing and social media agency. Jo like many of us has pivoted to where she is today:

After 12 years working as a PA to executives in the City of London, Jo left to have her own baby. For the next 18 years, Jo was a stay-at-home Mum to two kids who are now old enough to buy her cocktails.

During that time, she also worked as a part-time lollipop lady (school crossing patrol guard), studied internet marketing, and earned a karate black belt. As a lollipop lady, she also helped local business owners across the road. They told her about their problems with their websites and trying to market online. In 2010 Lollipop Local Ltd was born.

The idea was a hi-viz online marketing agency helping local businesses use the internet and social media to get more traffic, leads and customers. Underpinned by the guiding ethos of a black belt lollipop lady... rather than the traditional sharp-suited digital marketers. The first retainer customer was a Fire & Security company whose sales director Jo had met through karate.

By 2018, Lollipop was a seven-person agency, but it was spinning its wheels. In a hugely competitive market, it was hard to grow. Jo invested big in training from experts. Just like she had when she wanted to get her karate black belt at the grand old age of 45. As a member of Perry Marshall's Round Table Europe, the advice was to specialise. So, Lollipop turned its focus exclusively to its core customer base of Fire & Security companies.

All the success, experience and data that had been gathered since 2010 helped to build a Black Belt Sales Framework for Fire & Security Professionals.

And so the adventure really began...