DXION-MARCH 2012-SAUK VALLY SUN

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Sauk Valley Sun ECRWSS

March 2012

SHOPPER

Vol. 1 Issue 1

Serving Dixon, Sterling & Rock Falls The little shopper with the big impact What’s Inside...

Why We Started This Community Shopper...

We are Ken & Katie Hauck, long time residents of the Sauk Valley area. As local business owners we know what it is like to struggle to get the word out about our company and get local shoppers in the door. Last Fall we started DayByDay Showcase Magazine in Dixon to help others just like us. It was a huge success, so we wanted to expand into more of the Sauk Valley. Creating this shopper was the most effective way to do this. We believe in supporting our community. Each dollar spent at a local business will return up to five times that amount within our community through city taxes, employees’ wages, and purchases of materials, supplies and services at other independent businesses. Local businesses are owned by people who live here, work here, and invest much more than just money into our community. Supporting them is the key to keeping our area strong. We choose to make a conscience decision to give our backing to where we live, because where we live is pretty important. We hope that you will join us! Our shopper will be printed monthly and will feature stories and articles written by local writers, information about community events, and advertisements showcasing local businesses. We appreciate any ideas or suggestions that will make your community shopper better. Email us at sauksun@gmail.com and be sure to be watching for us in your mailbox!

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CASA-15th Judicial Circuit (Lee, Carroll and Ogle counties) is seeking volunteers to advocate for children in the court system involved in abuse and neglect cases.

CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation that recruits, trains and screens community volunteers to serve the abused/neglected children who, through no fault of their own, have become wards of the juvenile court system in our local area.

Volunteers must be at least 21 years old, be willing to complete necessary background checks, provide references and participate in an interview, complete a minimum of 30 hours of pre-service training (spring and fall sessions available), be available for court appearances, with advance notice, and be willing to commit to the CASA program until your first case is closed.

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Pastor Scott’s Corner

Sauk Valley Sun

faith

by Scott Porter

Hello, my name is Scott Porter. I am the pastor of Abiding Word Church in Sterling, Illinois.

I have been in ministry at Abiding Word for 26 ½ years. I was born in Dixon, raised in Rock Falls, and I now live in Sterling. I have been invited to share with you each month, a column I call PASTOR SCOTT’S CORNER. I hope you enjoy it. You can send questions or comments to scottd16@aol. com or check out our church website at www.abidingwordchurch.org If you’ve ever studied the life of Jesus Christ, you’ll notice one thing. He always knew the right thing to do. If you studied His life, you’d find that sometimes Jesus avoided conflict, sometimes he resolved conflict and sometimes Jesus actually created conflict. Yes, Jesus provoked it. He induced & instigated it. In your life, all three of these responses are sometimes going to be appropriate. Sometimes you need to avoid conflict. Sometimes you need to resolve conflict. But sometimes you need to create conflict.

Most people have a misunderstanding that keeping the peace means avoiding confrontation at all costs. It means swallow my hurts, hide my feelings, repress the truth, ignore problems in my life, and pretend that everything is OK. But the Bible says that only causes more problems.

Repressing the truth rather than dealing with the truth causes trouble.

Proverbs 10:10 says, “Someone who holds back the truth will cause trouble. But the one who openly confronts works for peace.”

One of the biggest motivations that is very common in our lives, and we don’t recognize it, is we often criticize in other people the weakness we see in ourselves. Have you ever done this? I know I have.

If you know your weaknesses and you don’t like them in you, you also don’t like them in somebody else. So if you tend to be a gossip, you notice other people who gossip and you really don’t like it when they do that. If you tend to be prideful, you can pick out ego in a second. If you tend to be lazy, you notice other lazy people. We tend to criticize in other people the very thing we don’t like in ourselves.

That’s why Jesus says this in Matthew 7, “Why worry about a speck in your friend’s eyes when you have a log in your own?

First get rid of the log in your own eye and then perhaps you’ll see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.”

Pretty good advice. He said make sure you’re not doing the same thing. Before you confront anybody in the spirit of love, make sure you’re not doing it yourself. But Pastor Scott, didn’t Jesus say, “Judge not lest you be judged.” Yes, He did. And that is probably one of the most misused and misunderstood verses in the Bible. When Jesus said don’t judge, He was not saying ignore problems in a friend’s life. He was not saying tolerate sin. He was not saying don’t be discerning, set your brain on a shelf and let anything go on around you, never make any observations or corrections about it. He was not saying allow evil to exist. People want to say, “Judge not lest you be judged” means just let anybody do what they want to do. No, that’s not what He was saying at all.

When Jesus said, “Don’t judge,” He was saying don’t hypocritically condemn in other people the very thing that you yourself are doing at that moment. That’s what He’s talking about. He’s saying you don’t build yourself up by tearing other people down when you’re doing the exact same thing. He’s not saying don’t be discerning and don’t point out something that’s wrong in a person’s life, a relationship or in our society. You start with the correct motivation.

What is the right motive? To help, and not to hurt. The reason you speak the truth in love is you confront with a loving attitude, is to help the person, not to hurt them. You’re doing it in love.

Proverbs 24:26 says this, “An honest answer is the sign of a true friendship.” Real friends speak the truth. They tell their friends what they need to hear not what they’d like to hear. Sometimes love must be tough. Sometimes love hurts. It hurt Jesus to die. That’s the kind of love Jesus had for you. But the end results were worth it.

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HAPPY 60TH ANNIVERSARY KREIDER SERVICES!!

Sauk Valley Sun Give Your Portfolio A “Spring John A. Haglund - Financial Advisor 735 N. Galena Ave - Dixon, IL 61021 Cleaning” (815) 285-3930

Springtime is almost here. If you’re like many people, the arrival of spring means it’s time to spruce up your home. But why stop there? This year, consider applying some of those same spring-cleaning techniques to your investment portfolio.

Here are some ideas you may want to put to work: •Get rid of clutter. You probably don’t have to look too far around your home to find things that are broken or simply no longer useful to you. If you poke around your portfolio, you might make similar discoveries: an investment that has chronically underperformed, duplicates another investment or met your needs in the past but is less relevant to your current situation and goals. Once you identify these types of investments, you may decide to sell them and use the proceeds to take advantage of opportunities that may prove more valuable to you.

•Consolidate. Over the years, you may have accumulated multiple versions of common household items — brooms, mops, hammers — which pop up mysteriously in various parts of your home. You might find it more efficient, and even less expensive, if you consolidated all these things in one centralized location. As an investor, you also might find that consolidation can offer you some benefits. Do you have one Individual Retirement Account (IRA) with one financial services provider and a second IRA with another?

Do you have a couple of old 401(k) accounts with former employers? And have you scattered investments here, there and everywhere? By consolidating all these accounts in one place, you can cut down on paperwork, reduce fees and, most importantly, unite your investment dollars so that it’s easier for you to see what you have and then follow a single, coherent investment strategy.

•Prepare for turbulent weather. As you know, springtime can bring heavy rains, hail, strong winds and other threats to your home. As part of your overall spring cleaning, you may want to check the condition of your roof, clear branches away from your house, clean your gutters and downspouts, and take other steps to protect your property from the ravages of Mother Nature. And just as you need to safeguard your home, you’ll want to protect the lifestyles of those who live in that home — namely, your family. You can help accomplish this by reviewing your life and disability insurance to make sure it’s still sufficient for your needs.

•Get professional help. You may find that you can’t do all your spring cleaning by yourself. For example, if your carpets and rugs are heavily soiled, you may need to call in a professional cleaner. Or if your tree branches have grown out of control, you might need to bring in a tree trimmer. Similarly, when you decide to “tidy up” your portfolio, you’ll need some assistance from a financial professional — someone who can study your current mix of investments and recommend changes, as needed, to help ensure your holdings are suitable for your risk tolerance, time horizon and short- and long-term goals.

Spring cleaning can reinvigorate your home and your overall outlook. And by tidying up your investment portfolio, you can help gain some of that same optimism — for your future.

This article was written by Edward Jones for use by local Financial Advisor, John Haglund.

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Page 4

Sauk Valley Sun

m a e t e h meet t of the Sauk Valley Sun

Sunny - Dixon

Josh Hauck Sales Rep. Sterling

Jane Sheaffer Columnist Dixon

Scott Porter Columnist Sterling

Brad Monson Columnist Dixon

Katie & Ken Hauck Publishers Sterling

Free Live Concert

Josh Albrecht Writer Dixon

Jill Horn Columnist Dixon

Darlene Rego Writer Dixon

YOU Future Writer Email Us At SaukSun@ Gmail.com

Getting Older...

As a gift for Christmas about five years ago, one of our daughters gave my us a DVD player along with the DVD “Finding Nemo”. After my husband put our new DVD in our new player he sat down and we were ready to watch Finding Nemo. Soon two fish were swimming (as fish do). One of those fish (the boy fish) said to the other fish (the girl fish), it’s time to make a choice. They kept swimming and soon the girl fish said to the boy fish, or we could just keep swimming and swimming. My husband and I thought the fish and the effects were cute....so we just sat there watching, figuring the movie would start soon. Soon the boy fish said, it really is time to make a choice and again the girl fish said, or we could just keep on swimming and swimming. We sat there watching these two fish swimming for about ten minutes and then the phone rang. It was my brother in law. He wanted some information from my husband but before my husband found out what he wanted, he told him about the movie we were watching or trying to watch. My husband told him that we couldn’t figure out why these two fish just kept swimming and talking to each other and the movie didn’t start. It took us awhile but we did finally realize we were doing something wrong! My brother in law (probably laughing quietly) said, you have to press “enter”.

By Darlene Rego

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Sauk Valley Sun

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Sauk Valley Sun is published monthly by DayByDay Media, LLC. - 459 IL Rte. 2, Dixon, IL 61021. Publishers are Kenneth and Katie Hauck. Please contact us with any questions at sauksun@gmail.com

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2310 W. 4th St - Dixon (815) 440-3018 Supportive Living at Its Best in the Sauk Valley Area Heritage Woods of Sterling was brought to Sterling opening in March of 2009. Heritage Woods, a Supportive Living Facility for seniors 65 and older has 76 studio and one bedroom apartments.

Heritage Woods offers 3 meals a day, Certified Nurses Aids 24/7 with and RN and LPN on staff daily Monday thru Friday. The RN is on call 24/7.

We also have medication reminders, assistance with bathing, dressing, clean apartments and laundry weekly, activities and outings.

Each apartment is equipped with their own kitchenette and private bath with walk in showers that is easily assessable with a molded seat. And every apartment is equipped with an emergency call system.

Everyone at Heritage Woods retains their independence and dignity and are socializing with other residents daily. They are able to come and go as they choose and they can even keep their own car. Heritage Woods is not just “Another” assisted living facility.

NO ONE is turned away because of limited income or assets.

Heritage offers a financial assistance program that allows everyone of any income to live and enjoy the comforts of home yet providing any assistance they may need and giving families “Peace of Mind” and taking the worry out of their life and replacing it with quality time to spend with their loved ones.

• Our affordable, all inclusive, monthly price is geared towards seniors who live on a budget.

• Financial assistance is available for those who qualify. With assets and income under $2000 monthly.

• For those above $2000 in assets will never be asked to leave when assets are spent down rather then put on the financial assistance program so there is never another transition to another facility.

Heritage Woods offers a warm, caring environment and ensures the highest quality of life, while maintaining independence. Our superior professional staff is dedicated to the residents they serve, promoting core values and dignity for a healthy and active lifestyle is an “oasis” you can call home.

For more information, or to schedule a tour, please contact: Marketing Director, Diana Lopez @ 815-625-7045.

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Sauk Valley Sun

green living

by Jill Horn

Allow me to introduce myself. I am Jill Horn.

I live in Dixon and have been interested in preserving the earth and using as few toxins as possible for many years now. I also try to avoid polluting the planet if I can. I am going to talk about an issue related to this topic each month for as long as I have topics. My first topic is “green” transportation.

Not only does “green” transportation save our planet, it also saves us money. If you see a woman on a bicycle riding around town, sometimes with a tennis racquet in her bike basket, that’s me. I ride my bike everywhere I can most months of the year. I am a math teacher at Sauk Valley Community College and live only three miles from where I work. I have ridden my bike to work twice this year already. I have considered going much longer distances during these warm spells but have opted against it since it’s still pretty cold out for long bike rides. I have seen many others around town on their bikes all winter long. This is definitely a “green” form of transportation. In fact, I encourage all of you to either walk or ride a bike somewhere this month instead of taking the car. Even if it’s only a few blocks, it’s a start. I also take my bike into Green River Sports for any repairs. I am sorry to hear that business is closing but the owner will still do bike repair and sell bikes and kayaks until he has sold them all. Right now, he is having some sales so now is a good time to go in and find a bike or kayak or accessories.

One of my coworkers at SVCC took her kayak to work. She lived across the river and would kayak to Sauk on weather permitting days. Again this is good exercise and also very “green”. More recently I have started to learn more about electric and hybrid vehicles. I did some investigating about what is available right here in the Sauk Valley area since I don’t plan on purchasing any gas only cars again. I went to Ken Nelson Chevrolet in Dixon and met with Jamie Curia. He took me for a ride in the Chevy Volt.

I had heard much about it and was anxious to see it for myself. The Volt uses both electricity and gas. One of the first things I noticed is when the car is on, there is no engine noise. The car can go up to 40 miles on the electric charge of the battery. The car automatically changes to gas when needed. There is no danger of running out of battery and being stranded (at least no more than with any other car) since if the charge in the battery runs down, the engine automatically switches to the gas engine. The charging cord has one end that plugs into the car and the other end that plugs into a 110 outlet in the house or garage of your home. Ken Nelson has 220 volt charging stations that anyone can use and the car comes with the charger for this as well. The Volt takes all night to completely charge at home on a 110 outlet but can be charged in half the time at Ken Nelson on the charging station. Pete Harkness Chevrolet in Morrison also has the Volt for sale and a charging station. Ken Nelson also sells the Toyota Prius. The Prius is a hybrid and does not need a charging station. The technology used in the Prius is called Hybrid Synergy Drive. This engine switches back and forth between electric and gas all the time using whichever is more efficient.

The friction used in braking the tires also recharges the battery and is the reason in town driving actually gets better gas mileage than highway driving for the Prius. The federal and state government are giving tax credits for purchasing “green” vehicles. I haven’t mentioned carpooling. I don’t do this as often as I should but that is also another way to save our planet and save money. So there are many different options for “green” transportation including things I didn’t write about in here. I think going green does require some imagination and oftentimes exercise but both are things we need to practice on a regular basis. I encourage you to use your imagination and find alternate ways of transportation.

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Page 7

Faith Christian School Presents:

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Page 8

green scene

“Those Of Us”

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Please send your information to sauksun@gmail.com.

by Jane Sheaffer

“There are some who can live without wild things, and some who cannot.”

These are the opening words to a book called Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold, an Iowa native, Yale graduate, and early U.S. Forest Service employee.

“Like winds and sunsets,” he goes on to say, “wild things were taken for granted until progress began to do away with them.

Now we face the question whether a still higher ‘standard of living’ is worth its cost in things natural, wild, and free. For us of the minority, the opportunity to see geese is more important than television, and the chance to find a pasque-flower is a right as inalienable as free speech.” Although these words were written in 1948, they remain as relevant as if they were written today.

“These wild things,” Leopold continues, “had little human value until mechanization assured us of a good breakfast, and until science disclosed the drama of where they come from and how they live. The whole conflict thus boils down to a question of degree. We of the minority see a law of diminishing returns in progress; our opponents do not.”

In case you haven’t guessed, I am one of those who cannot live without wild things. This column, Green Scene, will be exploring, scrutinizing, deliberating, and sharing observations of the natural world that surrounds us – no! – that sustains us, each and every one. This won’t be just a walk in the Northern Illinois woods. In addition to presenting some of the magical encounters I experience right outside my back door in northwestern Lee County, I’ll be setting out in many directions, taking some hard looks under all sorts of rocks, traveling along some “less-traveled” paths, making you uncomfortable, and probably getting myself lost a few times, as well. And I will be asking for your input on a variety of subjects. You will be able to email me at GreenSceneColumn@gmail.com. I hope you will join me every month. Author’s note: Reprints of A Sand County Almanac are available from local booksellers.

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Sauk Valley Sun

Page 9

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Page 10

Sauk Valley Sun

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Sauk Valley Sun

we want your news

The Sauk Valley Sun aims to publish news stories featuring local people, places and businesses. If you have information about a local business success story or a local person who has acheived something great we would love to hear about it. If you know about an event that is going on, we would like to help spread the word. The Sauk Valley Sun would like to highlight valuable work being done by people in the community or for the community. Many local people have great stories and are eager to share them so that’s why we are inviting you to send us your news, stories, opinions and photos. We want to support local people and local businesses. Thank you for helping us to do so. Please email sauksun@gmail.com.

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Page 12

Sauk Valley Sun

service directory

To See Your Business Advertised Here Please Call 815-888-4403.

A/C HEATING SP Heating & Cooling Serving the Sauk Valley Sales & Service Call Today 815-916-0189 APPLIANCE REPAIR Prescott’s 3610 East Lincolnway SterlingSales—Service– Delivery 815-626-2996

BANNERS/ SIGNS S & B Signs Sterling 815-625-7153 BOAT REPAIR J & J Marine 2407 W 4th St, Dixon, IL 61021 815-288-2080 CARPENTRY Your ad here ONLY $19/ month

CARPET CLEANING Kennay’s Carpet Care Dixon 815-288-7336

DUMPSTER RENTAL Dumpster Rental For clean-ups and construction Small & Large Containers available Tidy Bug Inc. Dixon, IL 815-456-3001

COMPUTER REPAIR DC Computers Network, wireless, PC, Security 742 N Galena ELECTRICIAN Ave. Dixon, IL 61021 Your ad could 815-288-4695 be here ONLY $19/ month

GUTTERS

PAINTING

Seamless Gutters American Energy Savers Dixon & Sterling Dan Maloney 815-288-4525

Mel’s Painting Experienced Insured 815-625-2707 815-441-2126

HOME IMPROVEMENT Your ad could be here ONLY $19/ month - Ask About Bold Type & Logos

PET SERVICES Pampered Pawz - Dog & Cat Grooming. Any Breed and Any Size.

We do it all!

Sterling. 865255-6388.

PET SERVICES Need Someone to watch your pet while you are on vacation or at work all day?

Call Pet Nanny. Located in Sterling, serving the whole Sauk Valley Area. Don’t leave your pets home alone!

815-230-1898

TREE SERVICE Brad’s Tree Service, Inc Amboy, IL Topping, Trimming Complete Removal Lot Clearing Fully Insured Free Estimates Call Today.

815-857-3674 or Cell 815-4999009

Healthy Aging - By Jill Horn - Shaklee Independent Distributor I am 48 years old but look much younger. Many people think I’m in my 30’s or 20’s. I recently had someone say she thought I’d just graduated from high school. There are some things I do that slow down the aging process and two things I do that actually have shown to reverse the effects of aging. I recently listened to some published research (on the Nov. 2011 Hotline CD distributed by Shaklee) that said exercise does, in fact, reverse some effects of aging. The research showed that exercise increases muscle stem cells and the genetic profile of those subjects in the study who exercised actually reverted back to that of someone younger. This was an unexpected finding. The researchers expected to see no aging but not a reversal of aging in those subjects who exercised. I was so happy to hear this since I regularly exercise a few hours every day. There is also much research on resveratrol (found in grape skins), which corrects “typos” in our cells and then we regenerate healthy cells instead of unhealthy cells. Resveratrol is known to have antioxidant, anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-aging properties. Some changes I’ve noticed since I started using Vivix (the Shaklee product that has resveratrol and is 10Xs more powerful than resveratrol alone); are increased memory, and my scars are disappearing or have already disappeared. My sister noticed age spots have gone away. Some other things I do to slow down the aging process are I use skin care products that have Vitamin C and E in them and also have nothing toxic in them (most skin care products do so be careful). I have noticed my skin does look younger and when I look at pictures of myself, sometimes my skin seems to glow. I also use a soy protein to give me more energy and it also eliminates acne. Along with putting antioxidants on my skin, I take them internally. Again it is good to make sure the supplement you are taking is not genetically modified and doesn’t contain anything bad, like many do. Antioxidants reduce inflammation. Eating a healthy diet is very important as well as proper supplementation. All of the things I’ve listed above I started at different times and each time, I noticed improvement in my skin appearance, except exercise. I know some of the reason I look young is because my mother also does but I can definitely see the Shaklee difference in my skin since using these products.

Look for the Shaklee coupon on page 7 for Vivix, Enfuselle skin care products or nutrition products including soy protein shake mix or bars.

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Sauk Valley Sun

A Bit Of Irish In Downtown Dixon

Page 13

street beat

Upcoming Event & Activities In Dixon

by Josh Albrecht

Dixon Main Street has launched a concept of creating a One Dixon Culture which would allow for greater partnerships within the community and would allow for greater opportunities for teamwork to make our community great.

That is why we were delighted when the Lee County Irish Heritage Society asked DMS to be a part of their annual St. Patrick’s Day festivities. In an effort to create a unified idea to present to the community, we came up with the concept for the Irish Family Fleadh. The title comes from the Gaelic word “Fleadh” which means a festival of music, dancing and culture. Since the event would take place on the same evening as the March Second Saturdays events in the downtown, we knew we wanted the event to have a cultural and artistic theme. Thus, the “Fleadh” was born.

The Irish Family Fleadh event features The Matt Stedman Band playing a mix of traditional and contemporary music for the whole family, with an extra Irish twist. Jeremy the Amazer is know for his all-ages magic shows and for providing kids with balloon animals at Scarecrow Festival and the Christmas Walk. And, the Eastman School of Dance will delight the crowd with an opening number that will feature 28 dancers. The event is just $10 for adults and $4 for kids and seniors. And, if you order your tickets online at www.dixontheatre.com, you can save $2 per ticket. Along with the great entertainment that will be showcased during the Fleadh, it is also a great opportunity to experience the Historic Dixon Theatre. For those of you that haven’t had the chance to experience this fantastic theatre in a while, I urge you to do so as soon as possible. The theatre is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year and has been beautifully restored by a very dedicated group of volunteers. Notably, Tom and Jodi Elmendorf and their family work tirelessly to keep the theatre running smoothly, along with a dedicated board that includes Linda Brantley, who has worked as a volunteer with the theatre for more than 25 years. Just a week later, come celebrate on St. Patrick’s Day Eve on Friday, March 16 at The Stables in downtown Dixon. Volunteers will be guest bartending throughout the night to raise money for Dixon Main Street events and programs.

Other Dixon Main Street Events

March 21 -- Lunch and Learn at the Post House Ballroom at Noon. Guest Speaker is Dixon Schools Superintendent Michael Juenger. Cost is just $3 and includes lunch.

April 11 -- Founders’ Day Celebration at the Dixon Historic Center. Enjoy a soup and sandwich supper from 5-6:30 p.m. and a program on local history at 6:30 p.m. DMS will name this year’s PRIDE Award for downtown revitalization and the Langan Award for Excellence in Local Historic Preservation.

April 27-28 -- Save the date for the Spring City-Wide Garage Sales event. Call 815-288-2308 to register your sale.

Around the Community ...

March 10 -- Second Saturdays Art Happenings throughout downtown Dixon from 6-8 p.m. Get all the details on venues and artists participating at www.second-saturdays.com. And stay for the after party at The Studio.

March 10 -- Art for Art’s Sake Fundraiser for the Next Picture Show at Sauk Valley College. Includes live art, auctions, music, hors d’oeurves and much more. Tickets are $35 per person. For details, call 285-4924.

March 17 -- Don’t forget about the Shamrock Club’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade starting at .... Following the parade, you can wander over to their annual bash at the Knight’s of Columbus Hall for music and food. Just bring a donation for the food pantry to join the party.

March 18 -- The American Roots/Celtic Soul duo, Switchback, will be returning to Dixon for their 7th annual Irish Music concert at the Dixon High School Auditorium on March 18 at 4pm. Tickets are $10 for anyone 13 and over. The Kosier Studio of Dance Irish Dancers will be performing.

March 30 -- LCCOA/Post House Ballroom Community Prom event. Relive the magic of time gone by at this 2nd Annual event. Call 288-0892 for details.

March 31 -- Kiwanis Club of Dixon Annual Pancake and Whole Hog Sausage Day at Dixon High School Cafeteria from 7 a.m. - 1 p.m. Donation is $6 for adults, $3 for kids.

ADVERTISE HERE If you are reading this, so are your potential customers.

CALL FOR DETAILS 815-888-4403

Page 14

THE PAPER ESCAPE Used Paperbacks & Comics, Trading Cards, Supplies, Role-Playing Games & Accessories, Pewter & Fantasy Collectibles and More...

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205 W. First St-Dixon (815) 284-7567

Bright Beginnings Christian Daycare & Preschool Where Love, Education & Christianity Meet

1033 Franklin Grove Rd-Dixon (815) 285-1033

small business

What’s Brad Talking About?

by Brad Monson

5 Key Questions For A Successful Business Hello, I am Brad Monson, someone like you.

I do not pretend to know all the answers to all the questions for building a successful small business. By taking the success I and others have had in business and sharing with you how we did it, you can avoid some of the pitfalls that may occur. At the same time, you can gravitate toward the healthier aspects of being a true winner as an entrepreneur.

This column will attempt to accomplish that.

Most successful entrepreneurs enjoy what they do. Spending up to 66% of your lifetime working on what you love to do is important. If you can be successful doing what you love to do, doing it the way you want to do it, then you are one of the lucky few. “Luck” is where preparation meets opportunity. Sometimes, we all have to go back to the basics. When something is going on in our business which is either positively or negatively affecting it, we usually start with the basics to determine what that “something” is. It is vital to investigate where we are with our business at various intervals on a regular and consistent basis. It is very easy to lose a grasp of where we are as change is a constant. It is hard to find a business that remains “suspended in time”. Usually, most businesses are either moving forward or backward. The key is to “stay ahead of the game” and prevent your business from moving backward and (or) improve upon your business by maximizing what it is that is propelling it forward. There is always room for improvement. Most successful entrepreneurs are never satisfied with where their “bottom line” is. Planning and goal setting is essential for determining a “road map” for success. In the previous paragraph, I alluded to business basics. 5 areas concerning your business basics should include who, what, where, when, and how. Of course, these will all be “subject to change”.

For example, “the how” might be reflected as how you measure the success of your business at any point in time, whether it be number of units sold or amount of net revenue taken in a week or a month. The plans should remain flexible and fluid and priorities should be given for each objective. I do not know of too many successful business who do not have a business plan, a marketing plan, a good bookkeeper and (or) tax-accountant, and possibly an attorney. Some of the more enjoyable aspects of running a small business come when we can “tweak” or adjust certain key variables that relate to increasing our net profit.

However, sometimes we need to take 2 steps back before we take 3 steps forward and look at the big picture. In this way, we can better prioritize what we need to do to bring our business closer to where we want it to go. Who better (besides the customer) to control the parameters and criteria for growing your business than you, the small business owner? Timing is important. For example, when are the most productive times for our business?

Asking ourselves the tough questions can lead us to the answers we seek. For more information about Brad Monson, go to www.bradmonson.com

Change - By Darlene Rego

Save Money

Call Now To Find Out How

Sauk Valley Sun

I can’t change you and you can’t change me. Change comes from the inside, not from one another. If I could change you, then you could change me, and we each would end up as the other!

As the old saying goes, you can please some of the people all the time, all the people some of the time but you can’t please all the people all the time. I decided to tell you a little story I heard a long time ago about trying to please people. I’m telling this in my own words as I recall the story.

“An old man, a little boy and a donkey” Because the road was rough, the old man put his little grandson on the donkey’s back while he walked down the road holding on to the donkey’s rope to lead him. On the side of the road several people were pointing at them... The old man wondered why they were pointing until he overheard one person say, “will you look at that! That boy is strong and able to walk! That old man should be riding on the donkey, certainly not the boy!” The old man thought they might be right so he took his grandson off the donkey and he climbed on. There ahead on the side of the road was another group of people.... They were much louder than the last group and they were very upset. The old man heard one of the people clearly say in an angry voice, “both the old man and the boy should ride on that donkey!

There’s no reason to have the little boy walk!” The old man figured that person was probably right so he pulled his grandson up on the donkey’s back and set the little boy in front of him. This seemed good for awhile but there ahead of them on the side of the road was another group of people.... They were pointing at the old man and they were almost shouting, “look at that poor donkey! That is a terrible way to treat a donkey!!” The last scene shows the old man walking alongside his grandson and the old man was carrying the donkey!! Thanks for stopping by!

Story taken from Aesop’s Fables.

Sauk Valley Sun

Page 15

local churches

DIXON Immanuel Lutheran Church ELCA - Pastor Frank Langhoff 1013 Franklin Grove Road.

(815) 284-2804 Saturday Service at 5:30 p.m.

Sunday Services at 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

Immanueldixon.org

DIXON

STERLING

Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church LCMS - Pastor David Andermann 2035 IL Rt. 26 N (815) 284-4554 Sundays Service at 9 a.m.

Abiding Word Church Pastor Scott Porter 806 E. Lynn Blvd.

(815) 626-1827 Saturday Service at 6:00 p.m.

Sunday Services at 10:00 a.m. abidingwordchurch.org

Want to see your church listed? Only $99 per year. Call 815-888-4403.

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Page 16

New Company...

Same Excellent Service DIXON 815-288-3366 ~ 489 Il Rte. 2 ~ Dixon, Il 61021 www.dixonflm.com

Sauk Valley Sun

Eric Bird - Broker/Owner Bird Realty 1688 Brandywine Lane Dixon, IL (815) 288-0998 (815) 973-6768 ericbird2004@yahoo.com

When was the last time you walked into a car dealership and saved thousands of dollars without having to ask for it?

Hello. My name is Valerie Ford-General Manager of Dixon Ford, Lincoln, Volkswagen, Mazda. As a lot of you may have seen, we recently introduced our GREEN TAG PRICING and a lot of you may or may not understand what it really is, or what it really means to you as a consumer.

GREEN TAG PRICING takes the HASSLE and the FRUSTRATION out of car buying.

Clearly marked in Every Vehicle, Every Day, we put our Very Best Price for everyone to see (including our competition). That’s how confident we are in our pricing. Let’s face it PRICE SELLS and we know it. That’s usually the first thing you say to me when you walk into our store.

WHAT’S YOUR BEST PRICE OR HOW SHARP IS YOUR PENCIL. Make no mistake about it, if I thought someone else could beat my best price I wouldn’t put it in the window. Our everyday $12.95* oil change has had huge success and not one of our competitors has been able to Meet or Beat our price.

We feel you should not OVER PAY for your next vehicle either.

Stop in and visit us. See what GREEN TAG PRICING can save you.

I PROMISE - you won’t be disappointed.

Visit us at WWW.DIXONFLM.COM *Oil change includes up to 5 quarts of oil. Diesel & synthetic extra. Does not include tax & disposal.

Valerie L. Ford General Manager