Is your bank doing more than just processing transactions?

In Part 2 of this episode, we spotlight how Horicon Bank’s “heart” sets it apart, fueling community transformation, supporting arts and education, and championing a CARE-driven mission. Community impact isn’t a talking point here; it’s woven into every decision, from building athletic fields and supporting hospitals, to empowering staff for 40 hours of volunteer service a year.

Ever wondered why some local banks become the glue that holds communities together? Hear stories that reveal more than just business success—they showcase a legacy of partnership and trust.

Tune in to hear from Fred C. Schwartfeger, Frederick F. Schwertfeger, and Alex Solanki as they unpack what truly makes Horicon Bank “The Natural Choice” for over 130 years.

Episode Highlights

01:06 – We're trying to be a community bank that participates in a meaningful way in each community. I would like to say, Becki, that one of our kind of mnemonics that we work toward at Horicon Bank is our CARE mission. Our CARE mission is defined as having an interest in our communities. And we use this word CARE and build it out to communities who value our presence, associates who are getting growing in their skills and success, and relationships that we have with customers who trust us. And then we have expectations to meet with regulators and shareholders and all that. And so that care mission is one reason why we think customers should bank with us. Someone asked me, a consultant asked me a number of years ago, well, why would I want to bank with you? And so it's quite easy to explain. We have a care mission.

07:14 – I would say that the fact that we empower our bankers to make the local decisions, it means we're making business decisions quicker than perhaps a bigger bank that has to go up the ladder of this approval process. But also, we invest in our communities, but we do that also with time. We allow every employee to have 40 hours of volunteer time to give back to their communities. So I think that's another sort of testament that we're making to our communities.

22:28 – And I think I have a good example of that one with a customer I started in his own business in probably the late '90s or the early '90s. And he started a manufacturing company in Horicon. And went on to sell it for a nice price. But along the way, I had an opportunity to, especially in retirement, to work with him and tell him the good news about the gospel, really, that Jesus died for his sins and he could trust in Jesus because he was ill, Eric, at that time, and he was in the Beaver Dam Hospital. He contributed to the new hospital that I talked about earlier, and I was invited to be the officiant at his funeral. So talk about from inception to grave kind of banking care.

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Some banks chase profits; Horicon Bank builds legacies.

Erik Waisanen and Becki Schimpf sit down with Horicon Bank’s Chairman & CEO Fred F. Schwertfeger, President Fred C. Schwertfeger, and Strategic Financial Analyst Solanki for a deep dive into 130 years of community banking, resilience, and forward-thinking leadership. Fred shares powerful family anecdotes, pivotal milestones, and timeless values that continue to shape both the bank and the region it serves.

From surviving industry upheavals and economic downturns to expanding into the Milwaukee area, Horicon Bank’s story is one of adaptability, visionary risk-taking, and authentic local engagement. The team also explores how fun—yes, inspired by river otters—drives innovation and purpose at Horicon.

Episode Highlights:

01:17 - Fred F. Schwertfeger: “I'm here with my son and my daughter, and we're really blessed to be part of Horicon Horicon Bank over these years. I've been with Horicon Bank coming on 50 years. Can you imagine that? And my son's been with us since the turn of the century, more or less. Once he did a parade with us and had to follow the horses through the parade as a Horicon Bank representative. So we've all kind of grown in our own way at Horicon Bank.”

17:41 - Fred C. Schwertfeger: "I think being in this one in Wauwatosa crossing into Milwaukee County was possibly one of the bravest things we've done. A lot more obligations to the community, a lot more competition. So that, that one is still fresh. Recency bias is affecting that answer there. But we've started a trust division and that was a new, new thing for us and, you know, over 130 years never having trust powers, but getting into that business was another milestone moment, I would say. Acquiring a fintech was another."

21:16 - Alex Solanki: "And that branch in particular involved a few extra risks that we took, including we built it to be geothermal, and this was a new idea for us to use geothermal heat to power the heat, to heat the building. And that was kind of went in line with our theme of being a natural bank centered on the marsh with enjoying nature and such things. And in addition to that, we also built the branch to include our very own coffee shop, which we called the Blue Goose. You know, our logo is a blue goose. And so we branded our own coffee and trained baristas for a while. And that was a fun way to enter that community and get some excitement and foot traffic coming into the branch to get their coffee."

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Connect with Fred C. Schwertfeger

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Connect with Alex Solanki

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Grace Bruins sits down with travel specialist and neurodiversity advocate Angela Gorske to uncover how transformative experiences and educational travel can empower communities.

Angela shares her inspiring mission to “improve the world” through hands-on adventures and uniquely tailored trips, especially for those with extraordinary needs. From field trips that bring history to life to creative business funding ideas, Angela takes us behind the scenes of her brand’s soft launch and how love—passed down from her grandmother—drives everything she does.

Angela delivers heartfelt stories and practical advice on starting a mission-driven company, offering insights that entrepreneurs and changemakers won’t want to miss.

Episode Highlights:

01:16 - That's what I started off with in January when I said, okay, I'm going to start a business if I don't get a job. And that's where we're at.

03:19 - We have a trip that is getting rescheduled. It was supposed to be next Thursday, but now I'm going to a conference. So it's getting rescheduled to next month to The Dome in Milwaukee.

05:21 - Right now, I'm working on a bucket list trip for a gentleman whose Parkinson's is currently not doing bad, so.

07:29 -  So if you're feeling like you've got a raven on your back or someone who's bringing too much negativity to the table, fly higher.

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Angela Gorske

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Grace Bruins sits down with web design strategist and former event planner Kristin Adkins to uncover how asking for help—and expanding her perspective—became the defining catalyst for her entrepreneurial journey.

Kristin gets candid about transitioning from custom work to high-demand packages, building a client base by leveraging her unique industry experience, and embracing collaboration as the ultimate growth hack.

This episode is a must-listen for subject matter experts seeking practical advice on scaling their business and turning vulnerability into their superpower.

Episode Highlights:

01:38 - I'm not doing so much custom work right now. I'm doing more of a package of. This is what I know most people in my clientele need, and I'm able to offer it to them and get it to them really quick.

02:18 - I work with them to position them online to get those gigs. And why they would come to me is because I actually have eight years of experience in the event planning side of things. So I used to hire speakers, so now I use that experience and I make them websites.

05:41 - I think getting help is some of one of the hardest things to do as an entrepreneur and asking for help. And so I wish I would have done that sooner in the hiring process and helping people or helping my designs get out there and everything. So I finally have a designer that works under me, and I finally have a copywriter that works under me. And it's just, if I would have started out with that, I think I could have just really launched even more than I did.

07:44 - If we look at things from a different direction or a different different or widen our lenses a little bit, I think there's a lot of opportunities out there that maybe we're not seeing.

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Kristin Adkins

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Legendary Women In Business

Grace Bruins sits down with Money Masters founder Barbara Fausett for a candid conversation about building a legacy business, the real risks small owners overlook, and how collaboration—not competition—unlocks true growth.

Barbara shares wisdom from decades in finance and operations, revealing why a holistic approach to business advisory makes all the difference.

Episode Highlights:

02:30 - At the end of the day, if you're not bringing money home, you're not going to stay in business.

03:28 - I really wanted to take that to the small business to help them way beyond just the transactional pieces of bookkeeping, to really help them with the entire scope of their business, anything that relates to the finances.

04:26 - They're just at a point where they want more time. They know they can get more money out of the business, or maybe they have a specific goal, something that they want to achieve, and they're really looking for somebody to provide some insights that they know they're missing.

07:00 - It is not competition. There's other people that do what I do, but they might serve a different type of client or a different type of client might be interested in working with them.

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Barbara Fausett

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Grace Bruins sits down with the ever-inspiring Sara Deacon of 360° Emcee to unpack what it truly means to thrive as a small business owner. Fresh off a year of business evolution,

Sara shares her insights on building resilient networks, learning from setbacks, and finding the “smoothest pebble” to stand out—wisdom she now brings to her clients and her new book. Together, they explore the power of supportive communities, the art of emceeing legendary events, and unconventional advice every entrepreneur needs.

Sara brings candor and humor to her story, revealing why nurturing authentic relationships is game-changing for business founders and how broad experience is often more valuable than deep specialization.

Episode Highlights:

02:53 - I'm not a business owner that has found the riches in the niches. I have more of a wider range of experience than a deeper one.

03:17 - A lot of newer business owners are not necessarily ready to invest $5,000 plus in something they are not sure is going to work for them.

05:17 - Legendary Women in Business has been rebranded from her former event called Warrior Unchained. Warrior Unchained was personal to her and meaningful to her, but it didn't really translate marketing wise to what we were actually doing in that room.

06:45 - So I wish I would have known then how important networking is and how important it is to have a community around you who understands what you're doing when you're trying to build a business and understands the ups, the downs, the sideways and upside downs of it. Because it's really important to have support in all of those ways.

Grace Bruins

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Sara Deacon

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Legendary Women In Business

Grace Bruins welcomes powerhouse pitch master Precious Williams, CEO of Perfect Pitch Group, for an episode packed with energy, insight, and practical advice for entrepreneurs ready to stand out.

Broadcasting live from the Small Business Owners Community Conference, Grace and Precious dive into the art and science of pitching, the power of owning your uniqueness, and the journey of celebrating success beyond boundaries especially for women over 40.

Precious, a 13-time national pitch champion, shares the secrets behind her bold brand, her global speaking career, and the importance of building real connection over quick wins. This episode is for anyone who’s tired of playing small and ready to shake up their business narrative.

Episode Highlights:

02:38 - Being 327 pounds and walking into that tank and thinking, where did I get a load of money? And then walking out victorious, you know what I mean?

04:04 - But if you don't have a community, if you don't have people who want to work with you or want to buy from you, that's gonna be your major problem.

10:17 - But when you dream big and you mobilize your troops and your community, you can run circles around big companies.

10:49 - Why not go big or go home? Why not do the unexpected? Why not interrupt the pattern?

Grace Bruins

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Precious Williams

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Grace Bruins sits down with business growth strategist Tyler Nielsen, founder of VAST Insight Partners, to unpack the actionable strategies that mid-market manufacturers can use to make more and keep more, all without sacrificing speed for perfection. Fresh from the Small Business Owners Community Conference, Tyler shares why ditching the pursuit of perfection and embracing rapid, data-driven decisions is vital for business growth.

Tyler’s real-world experience—spanning decades in the corporate sector and now as a hands-on entrepreneur—offers a rare glimpse into going from W2 to running his own thriving consultancy. He gets real about founder challenges, the power of actionable data, and building a sustainable business that lasts.

Episode Highlights:

02:52 - I knew I needed to reset and get more engaged with the Family, create some ownership, create some guidance that I can control.

03:48 - Don't wait for perfection. It's not going to be perfect. It's not going to be exactly what you want when you want it.

04:59 - So a lot of complexity, a lot of decision making, but then simplifying what we're doing so that we know what we're deciding now, how we see that playing out and then having levers or insights to is it working or is it not working so we can get there faster?

09:17 - I think it plays into just something I've focused on personally and in the business. Part of why I'm doing it is to gain freedom and ownership of what we do and help other businesses do it in the right manner.

Grace Bruins

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Tyler Nielsen

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Grace sits down with business strategist Brad Herda for a candid look inside the challenges and triumphs of family-run businesses, leadership across generations, and blue-collar grit.

Brad shares why asking tough questions is essential for successful family transitions, the surprising strengths of Gen Z leaders, and his philosophy for authentic business growth. With hard-earned insights from Vision Forward Business Solutions and his award-winning Blue Collar BS podcast, Brad delivers fresh strategies for small business owners ready to level up.

Brad’s pragmatic yet empathetic approach brings clarity to complex transitions, leadership development, and the evolving multi-generational workforce.

Episode Highlights:

01:50 - There's a lot of usually blunt questions that need to be asked that the family tiptoes around and does things and it's like, yeah, no, we need to have that conversation and may not like it, but yet you still got to go to dinner tomorrow night at the same time and celebrate the birthday, the anniversary or whatever it might be.

03:33 - Now I got to figure out how to pay mom and dad differently so I can hire somebody to do the work that mom and dad were doing.

08:11 - Other dynamic that's happening that we have older Gen Z's that are now going to be leading much older people than themselves in these teams, which is going to create a very large different dynamic, particularly in the service world and even in the blue collar world.

Grace Bruins

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Brad Herda

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Grace sits down with Mackie Diedrichson, branding and operations manager at LC Marketing Corp, along with Rick and Beth, founders of Great Plate, to unravel the secrets behind their meteoric Walmart success and the art of bold business pivots.

Mackie shares how a surprise buyer meeting flipped their business plan upside down—turning a reusable party plate into a viral, eco-friendly disposable that hit Walmart shelves in a million-unit order.

The episode dives into sustainable innovation, the importance of staying agile, and the energizing reality of getting “bootstrappy” in a rapidly changing market.

Mackie’s first-hand retail expertise and the relentless spirit of the Great Plate founders will inspire anyone who dreams of seeing their product in major retailers, or is facing a make-or-break business crossroads.

Episode Highlights:

10:20 - I can only imagine what the inside of his brain is like trying to configure all of these various components. But I think that is entrepreneurship in and of itself—going into a meeting with a product you’re looking to sell and coming out with a completely different product that doesn’t exist with an ask. And coming from the retail side, that’s all you can ever ask for is to be a buyer’s answer.

14:49 - When one of the comments that was just made when we were at Costco, one of the new design iterations, the buyer looked at us and said, now you're sure that this doesn't exist out there? I said, no, it's brand new. Something that's out there.

38:14 - It's being open-minded, open to changes, open to the uses of it. And as Rick and Mackie were open to that meeting, so saying open to making it a disposable product. And now that we have it, we look at all of those positive things that occurred by being open-minded.

39:16 - Don't underestimate any of the type of things where you have.It's a word. You can do it, you can do it, you can do it.

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Rick Kellow and Beth Kuehl

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Mackie Dideriksen

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