02 | Meet Megan — Teacher, Home Organizer, and Huron Small Business Hype Woman

Nov 20

If you’ve ever looked around Huron and thought, “There are so many good ideas here… why don’t we hear more of the real stories behind them?”, this episode of the Huron Spotlight Podcast is your sign to hit play. In this conversation, we flip the mic toward co-host Megan Smith so you can really get to know the teacher, organizer, and systems-brain behind the show. Megan is a longtime elementary teacher in Huron, South Dakota and the 3rd grade English Learner teacher who spends her days helping kids grow in reading, writing, speaking, and listening. She’s also the founder of Stress Less Organizing, a home organizing and systems business that was born out of her own ADHD diagnosis and years of quietly building coping strategies that turned into full-blown strengths. In this episode, we talk about what it’s like to juggle a full-time teaching career, a growing side business, a farm family schedule, and still answer the call to start something new for our community: a podcast dedicated to Huron small business owners, rural business growth, and women entrepreneurs who want their businesses to actually work in real life. You’ll hear how the idea for Huron Spotlight hit Megan like a lightning bolt one night in August, why she immediately thought of partnering with brand photographer and studio owner Malwina Aviles, and how their two very different brains—one visual and marketing-driven, one obsessed with systems and backend logistics—came together to build a platform that can highlight local businesses while also talking honestly about what’s working, what’s not, and what needs to change for small businesses in rural towns like ours. If you’re tired of generic advice aimed at influencers with 20,000 followers and you’re craving conversations about what actually moves the needle for a brick-and-mortar shop in a town of a few thousand people, this episode will feel like a deep exhale. We get into why systems and marketing are the two most underrated pieces of running a business, how messy backends and “Venmo-only” setups can quietly cap your growth, and why you don’t need to be a viral content creator to have a thriving, sustainable business in Huron. We also talk about intuitive time and energy management, why everything from your home routines to your business workflows are connected, and why Megan believes organizing—at home and in business—really comes down to knowing yourself and what you can actually manage. At the heart of it all is our shared belief that everything is figureoutable, success is never truly “overnight,” and you deserve a space where you can admit that this year has been tough without feeling like you’re failing. If you’re a Huron business owner, a service-based entrepreneur, a woman dreaming of starting something of your own, or just someone who loves this town and wants to support local, this episode will give you both encouragement and practical language for what you’re feeling. Tune in to hear Megan’s story, the bigger “why” behind Huron Spotlight, and how we plan to use this podcast to support and celebrate the people building Huron’s future.

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What We Dive Into in This Episode

Who Megan is beyond the mic
Her 14 years of teaching in Huron, what it looks like to support over 100 third-grade English Learners, and how education shapes the way she thinks about business, systems, and foundations.
The lightning-bolt moment that sparked Huron Spotlight
How a late-night idea in August turned into a real podcast, why Megan immediately thought of Malwina as the perfect co-host, and what they hope this show will do for local businesses and the wider Huron community.
Why systems and marketing can quietly make or break a small business
A candid chat about messy backends, payments, taxes, and why “just using Venmo” can stall your growth—plus how simple, connected systems can free up capacity to actually serve more clients.
Megan’s Stress Less Organizing origin story
From a 2017 idea to a 2023 launch, how her ADHD diagnosis reframed her love of organizing as a superpower, and why she’s so passionate about helping families make home management feel lighter and more doable.
Time management, energy management, and knowing yourself
How Megan uses alarms, routines, and energy awareness to juggle teaching, business ownership, and family life—and why she believes organization in both home and business starts with knowing what you can realistically manage.
Why rural business strategy is different (and why that matters)
The gap between “big city” marketing advice and what actually works for a small-town brick-and-mortar or service provider, and the questions they want to ask about what truly works for small businesses in rural South Dakota.
Creating a space for honest business conversations in Huron
The mission behind Huron Spotlight: holding space for business owners to say, “This year has been hard,” sharing what’s working and what isn’t, and reminding each other we’re not alone while we keep figuring it out.