Many people think that my only job at the radio station is being a sports broadcaster. My main job is sales. I spend most of my time visiting small businesses within a sixty mile radius of Madison.

My passion is sales. I love selling my product which is KLQP radio. I really enjoy helping small business owners grow their business by advertising on Q-92. Radio works and it gets results! I have created relationships over the years with many business owners and have gotten to know their business. One thing has changed drastically over the years with me, I don’t go into big box stores or shop online to spend my hard earned money. I look to buy from small business owners in the area. Small business owners are the backbone of this country. I want to buy local and do. If a business owner doesn’t have what I am looking for they usually go out of the way to get it. Will it cost more? Sometimes it does, but I would rather pay a little bit more than throw my money at the big box stores. I could tell you story after story of small business owners going out of there way to get what I am looking for.

Shopping at a small business in your community is so important. It is not easy running a small business especially in a small community. I hear the struggles they have, but these owners love what they do. I get really excited when I hear of a young person in our area starting their own business. A good example is Emma Weber from Dawson. Marc Thoen retired from Marc’s on Main and Emma has transformed it into Gnometown Grounds. She has plans to put in a kitchen. She’s so excited about what she is doing.

Then there are people that don’t have a store front on main street but work out of their home. Ronda Helgemo started R & Z Creations. A few years ago I gave Ronda a bunch of t-shirts that I had sitting in my closet and she made a beautiful quilt. I still use it today.

This week I bought dozens of holiday cookies from McKenna Yost from Kenna Sweets in Minneota. She was nice enough to deliver them to me in the parking lot of Maccray High School after a basketball game.

Dan and Cheri Tuckett and their son Isaiah have three small business ventures. Dan sells freeze dried candy, Cheri has done purses for many years and Isaiah is world famous for his cupcakes. Isaiah was featured on national television about his cupcakes a few years ago. My good friend Monica Bothun, who I do Fashionista Fridays with on KLQP, is a great example of someone who has a passion for fashion and making a living from it.

So this holiday season shop small and have a ball as Monica would say. Remember behind every small business there is a person or a family that depends on us. Support local, shop local.