Jackie Hermes – Wild Business Growth Podcast #162: Unknown Figure-Outer, Founder of Accelity

Sometimes you need to just figure things out. Ok, maybe all the time. This week’s Wild Business Growth Podcast guest, Jackie Hermes, is a pro at identifying the unknown and making it known. Jackie is the Founder and CEO of Accelity. Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and your other favorite podcast platforms.

• Episode Summary & Player
• Show Notes
• Wild Business Growth Podcast Summary

Episode 162: Jackie Hermes – Unknown Figure-Outer, Founder of Accelity

Jackie Hermes, the Founder and CEO of Accelity, joins the show to share her journey from selling her cookie business for barely any profit to scaling her B2B SaaS marketing agency from $0 to multiple 7-figures without funding. Hear how to approach unknowns, capitalize on what makes your company different, ensure frequent communication, improve your content and influence on LinkedIn, and properly embarrass your kids. This episode covers everything from bootstrapping to Shania Twain. Here’s a small sample of what you will hear in this episode:

• How do you make a great profit when selling low-priced items
• What did Jackie figure out early on that shaped the course of Accelity
• Her core values
• What key decisions helped Accelity get to millions in revenue
• How did Jackie figure out the services they offer
• What is a tip for getting your pilot’s license
• PR lessons from Kim Kardashian
• What is a quirk Jackie has

Connect with Jackie on LinkedIn, JackieHermes.com, and AccelityMarketing.com.

Enjoy the shoooooow! Check out the show notes below for much more detail.

Show Notes

• Intro & Sweet Monkees
  • [0:32] Email me at to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool
  • [0:42] Connect with Jackie on LinkedIn, JackieHermes.com, and AccelityMarketing.com
  • [2:14] Super duper!
  • [2:30] Where did the idea for Sweet Monkees come from
  • [3:11] MBA (Masters of Business Administration)
  • [3:25] Craigslist
  • [4:02] Outsourcing, Licensing
  • [4:06] Advertisements (Ads), ULINE, Microsoft Word
  • [5:05] Vegan
  • [5:34] Sweet transition
  • [5:42] Profit
  • [5:49] How do you make a great profit when selling low-priced items
  • [6:14] Clients
  • [6:21] SaaS (Software as a Service)
  • [7:28] What is the biggest lesson Jackie learned from Sweet Monkees that’s helped her with Accelity
• The Accelity Story
  • [8:25] How did Jackie go from cookies to starting Accelity
  • [8:39] Marketing
  • [8:49] Private Equity (PE)
  • [9:17] Consultant
  • [9:47] How do you approach unknowns
  • [10:07] Agency, Mentors, HubSpot Ecosystem, Business Coach
  • [10:25] Google
  • [10:44] Podcast
  • [11:43] YouTube
  • [11:50] What are Jackie’s core values
  • [11:57] The Art of Showing Up: How to Be There for Yourself and Your People by Rachel Wilkerson Miller
  • [12:45] What did Jackie figure out early on that shaped the course of Accelity
  • [13:10] Bootstrapping
  • [13:38] Freelancers, Contractors
  • [14:07] Payroll, Sales, HR (Human Resources), Finance
  • [14:41] My podcast production business
  • [15:08] How did Jackie figure out the services Accelity offers
  • [15:23] Website
  • [15:30] Digital Marketing
  • [16:19] WhatsApp Marketing
  • [16:35] Productizing
  • [17:57] Went out on a limb there
  • [18:11] What makes Accelity different
  • [18:42] Turnover
  • [19:14] Employee, B2B (Business-to-Business)
  • [19:36] No Ego Amigo, Jess Sims, Peloton
  • [20:03] How do you ensure your team and clients have frequent communication
  • [20:24] SLA (Service-Level Agreement)
  • [21:03] What key decisions helped Accelity get to millions in revenue
  • [21:29] Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
  • [21:46] Pop Culture
  • [23:09] LinkedIn
  • [23:14] Content, LinkedIn Creator Program
  • [23:55] Stress
  • [24:28] Ryan Foland on Episode #34 of the Wild Business Growth Podcast
  • [25:34] What would Jackie have done different if she started Accelity all over again
  • [25:49] Services
  • [26:09] Income, CFO (Chief Financial Officer)
  • [26:19] Networking
  • [27:07] Social Media
  • [28:16] Save time with your high-quality podcast. Email me at to bring your podcast to life and use it as a business-building tool

• Wild Business Shoutout of the Week
  • [29:53] Creative Marketing
  • [30:08] Kim Kardashian
  • [30:15] Kim Kardashian at the Met Gala, Gullah Gullah Island
  • [30:52] Instagram
  • [32:18] Kris Jenner, PR (Public Relations)
  • [32:47] Billie Eilish at the Met Gala, Marilyn Monroe
  • [33:20] Entrepreneur
  • [33:38] Bunny Footy Pajamas from A Christmas Story

• Rapid-Fire Q&A
  • [33:57] What is Jackie’s favorite creative hobby
  • [34:33] What is a tip for getting your pilot’s license
  • [34:42] Ground School
  • [35:02] How do you improve your content and following on LinkedIn
  • [35:23] Amy Volas, Morgan Ingram
  • [35:40] LinkedInfluencers
  • [35:51] What is a quirk Jackie has
  • [36:16] Shania Twain
  • [36:39] “Man! I Feel Like a Woman” by Shania Twain
  • [36:59] No-Bake Cookies
  • [37:18] The Un-Answer
  • [37:32] Connect with Jackie on LinkedIn, JackieHermes.com, and AccelityMarketing.com
  • [37:58] Follow Jackie’s new podcast, The Art of Entrepreneurship!
  • [38:02] What are Jackie’s Final Thoughts
  • [38:49] Follow the Wild Business Growth Podcast and tell a friend about the podcast
  • [39:07] Check out the Wild Business Growth Podcast on GoodPods, where you can see what your favorite people are listening to
  • [39:09] Connect with me on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn at @MaxBranstetter
  • [39:10] Save time with your high-quality podcast. Email me at to bring your podcast to life and use it as a business-building tool
  • Theme music: Freestyle Percussion Magik – “Jungle Tribe” – provided by Jamendo

What is the Wild Business Growth Podcast?

Wild ideas. Wild growth. Every Wednesday morning a new entrepreneur or innovator joins the Wild Business Growth Podcast to share the crazy creative and unusual ways they grew their business, and provides tips for you to do it, too. Hear the woman who became the voice of Siri, the man who’s reinventing the sandcastle, how GaryVee’s partners are turning the wine world upside down, and more wild stories. Hosted by Max Branstetter (that’s me), Founder and Podcast Producer at MaxPodcasting.

How do you start a podcast?

Interested in starting a professional-sounding podcast for your brand, but don’t want to deal with the time commitment? I’ve got you covered. Email me at to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool.

Thanks for listening to Jackie Hermes on the Wild Business Growth Podcast. To hear more Wild stories like this one every Wednesday morning, follow the Wild Business Growth Podcast and tell a friend about it. They will hug you and thank you. Until next time, Let your business Run Wild…and Bring on the Bongos!!