The Business That Almost Didn't Survive and What Greg Hylers of Jolly SEO Did About It

The Business That Almost Didn't Survive — And What Greg Hylers of Jolly SEO Did About It

Here is something most entrepreneurs will not say out loud.

The version of your business that exists today is probably not the version you started with. And if it is — that might be the problem.

That thought sat with me after my conversation with Greg Hylers, founder of Jolly SEO, on a recent episode of the You're the Boss podcast. Because Greg's story is not a straight line from idea to success. It is a story about watching what you built start to crack — and choosing to rebuild before it collapsed entirely.

A Background That Made No Obvious Sense

Greg did not come from the world of digital marketing. His background was in agriculture and conservation. There was no obvious thread that led to founding an SEO company.

What there was, was a new baby, a need for financial stability, and a willingness to figure things out fast.

I find this pattern in so many Gen X entrepreneurs. The leap was not made from a position of certainty. It was made from necessity — and then shaped into something real through sheer persistence and a willingness to keep learning.

Greg started small, worked with people he already knew, and built from there. Which brings me to the first thing he said that I want every person reading this to take note of.

"It is much easier to pitch people you are already working with than a complete and total stranger."

Your existing relationships are your first market. Not your social media following. Not cold outreach. The people who already know what you are capable of. That is where you start.

The Pivot That Saved Everything

Jolly SEO started as a content agency. Three years in, Greg and his co-founder Morgan Taylor made a decision that changed the trajectory of the business entirely. They pivoted to focus on offsite SEO — specifically, outreach to other websites for endorsements and link building.

That pivot was not comfortable. But it was necessary.

"If we hadn't changed with the times," Greg told me, "we wouldn't exist in the next couple of years."

That is the kind of clarity that only comes when you are willing to look honestly at where your industry is heading — not where it has been. And in SEO, that is not optional. The landscape shifts constantly. What worked three years ago may actively hurt you today.

The businesses that survive are not the ones with the best original idea. They are the ones willing to let go of what is no longer working and rebuild around what is.

The AI Question Nobody Wants to Answer Honestly

The elephant in every SEO conversation right now is artificial intelligence. And Greg does not dodge it.

AI is changing how people search. It is changing how content is produced, how results are ranked, and how businesses need to think about their online presence. The companies that are treating this as a threat to manage are behind. The ones treating it as a landscape to understand and adapt to are building for the future.

For Gen X professionals — many of whom built their businesses before AI was a daily reality — this is worth taking seriously. Not with panic. With curiosity and intention.

The question is not whether AI will affect your visibility online. It already is. The question is whether you are paying attention.

How to Actually Get Found — The Part Most People Skip

Greg's advice on building visibility was practical and direct, and it is the same advice I give about personal branding.

Show up consistently in the places where your audience already is. Create content — video, audio, written — that demonstrates your expertise over time. Participate in communities where your potential clients are asking questions and looking for guidance.

This is not a shortcut strategy. It is a long game. But the long game is the only one that builds real authority. And real authority is what converts browsers into buyers and strangers into clients.

The professionals who wonder why they are not getting found are usually the ones who are not consistently showing up anywhere. One brilliant post every six months does not build a presence. A consistent, specific, intentional body of work over time does.

The Lesson Underneath All of It

Greg Hylers built a business by starting with what he had, adapting when the model stopped working, and showing up consistently enough to build real authority in a crowded and rapidly changing field.

He is nine years in. Still learning. Still adjusting. Still building.

That is what longevity in business actually looks like. Not a perfect strategy executed once. A willingness to keep reading the room and responding to what is real.

Listen to my full conversation with Greg Hylers on the You're the Boss podcast.

👉 [Click here to listen to the full episode]

And if this episode made you think about how visible you actually are — and whether the right people can find you when they go looking — start here.

👉 Take the free Personal Brand Power Scorecard → powerbrand.scoreapp.com

Unchained. Unapologetic. Unstoppable.

— Ange Dove, Personal Brand Coach & Message Strategist