Today we’d like to introduce you to Jesse Nelson.
Hi Jesse, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Yeah, so before I ever got into digital marketing, I was actually managing restaurants and nightlife spots out in Los Angeles. I loved it—it was fast-paced, creative, a lot of problem-solving. But when my wife and I found out we were expecting our first child, we made the decision to relocate to Georgia to be closer to family and slow things down a bit.
At that point, I transitioned into a digital role with the same company I was working for, overseeing their marketing and operations online. That’s really where I cut my teeth—I had to figure out what actually works in digital marketing, especially when it comes to local search. I started diving deep into SEO, Google Business Profiles, all of that.
Pretty soon, I noticed other businesses around me struggling to get found online. I offered to help a few of them as a freelancer—nothing big, just word of mouth—and one thing led to another. For the first couple of years, it was just me doing the work. But demand kept growing, and I reached the point where I needed to build a real company around it. That’s when Simpleman Digital Marketing was officially born.
Today, we’ve grown to serve over 20 local businesses. We’ve won “Best of Forsyth” four years in a row, and we’ve doubled our growth year over year. We’re known in the area as the go-to for local SEO and helping businesses get found on Google—and now we’re stepping into AI-powered search as well, like making sure businesses show up in tools like ChatGPT and other emerging platforms.
We’re still just getting started, but it’s been a wild and rewarding ride so far.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Definitely not. Growing from a one-man freelance gig into a real company with a team has had plenty of challenges—especially learning how to hire, delegate, and scale without losing quality.
At the same time, my wife and I were navigating a lot personally. We relocated from LA to Georgia, had three kids—all under seven now—and I was learning how to be a dad while running a growing business. There were a lot of late nights juggling client work, diaper changes, and figuring it all out as I went.
COVID didn’t make things easier, either. Even though we were set up to work remotely, helping local businesses adapt to a digital-first world and explaining why online visibility matters was a whole new challenge.
But honestly, the hardest part has been balancing work and family. I’m deeply committed to my clients, but I’m also a husband and a dad. That tension is real—missing time now to build something meaningful for the future. That’s been the biggest struggle, but also the biggest motivation.
We’ve been impressed with Simpleman Digital Marketing, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Simpleman Digital Marketing is a local-first marketing agency based in Georgia. We specialize in helping service-based businesses—like roofers, property managers, contractors, and brick-and-mortar shops—get found online through organic search, especially Google.
We’re known for being the go-to team for local SEO, Google Business Profile optimization, and helping businesses show up where their customers are already searching. Our work isn’t about hype or hacks—it’s about sustainable growth, showing up consistently, and making sure our clients dominate their local market online.
What really sets us apart right now is our early focus on AI-driven search. We believe 2025 and 2026 are going to radically change the SEO landscape. If your business isn’t showing up in platforms powered by large language models—like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and other AI-driven assistants—you’re going to miss out on leads. We’re already helping clients position themselves for that future by optimizing not just for traditional search engines, but also for AI search results and answer engines.
Brand-wise, I’m most proud that we’ve become a trusted name in our community. We’ve won “Best of Forsyth” four years in a row, and most of our business comes through referrals. That tells me we’re delivering real value.
If there’s one thing I’d want readers to know, it’s this: if you’re a business owner struggling to stand out online—or just tired of feeling invisible—we’re here to help. We make SEO simple, forward-thinking, and focused on helping you win both now and in the next era of search.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I think risk-taking is a requirement if you’re going to be a business owner or entrepreneur. I don’t know how you’d even get into this world without some level of risk tolerance. Just working for yourself is a risk—there’s no guaranteed paycheck, no insurance, no structure unless you create it. But if you want to grow, you’ve got to get comfortable being uncomfortable.
I’ve taken a lot of risks over the years. One of the biggest was moving across the country—from L.A. to Georgia—with my wife while we were expecting our first child. I left behind a stable job and started over, transitioning into digital marketing and eventually launching my own company. That move completely changed our lives, but it was a massive leap of faith.
Now that I’m older and have a family, I look at risk differently. I still take risks—but they’re more calculated. In some ways, the risks are actually bigger now because I have more people depending on me. But I also have a much deeper understanding of the why—the long-term reward of betting on yourself, investing in your business, and building something sustainable.
And honestly, staying in one place and doing the same thing forever isn’t safe either. Jobs aren’t guaranteed, corporations lay people off, and even so-called “secure” careers can vanish overnight. To me, that’s a risk too.
So my mindset is: if anyone’s going to steer the ship, it’s going to be me. I believe in creating your own fortune. Everyone has different circumstances and challenges, but at the end of the day, you get to decide how much you’re willing to risk to build the life you want.
Pricing:
- Custom SEO Packages Starting at $1000/mo
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.simplemandigitalmarketing.com/
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/SimpleManMarketing
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/SimpleManMarketing
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/simpleman-digital-marketing/
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jesse-nelson-seo/
