Jason
Frederickson.

I was the Site Manager at a locally owned car wash when I really found my passion for small businesses. The owners work harder than anyone I've ever seen. They're the first one in and the last one out. They're the HR department, the accountant, the marketing team, and the janitor — all at once. Watching that up close changed how I see things. These people deserve more support than they get. That experience is what pushed me to build something that actually helps them.

Because locally owned businesses are the backbone of every community. They're constantly fighting an uphill battle against big corporations and franchises that have marketing budgets most small business owners couldn't dream of. But here's what those big companies will never have — a real relationship with the people they serve. Supporting your neighbor will always matter more than padding the bank account of a millionaire who will never remember your name. Building relationships in your community is what Forward Trends is built around. That's not a tagline. That's the whole point.

Because it's the one thing every business needs and most never get right. Social media done right is the closest thing to a level playing field that exists. A small restaurant in Appleton can reach more people in a week than a local TV ad ever could — if they know what they're doing. Most business owners know they need to be on social media. They just don't have a clear plan for it. That's exactly what I built this to solve.

It taught me that showing up is not optional. In the Navy you don't get to have an off day and let your team down. You do the job, you do it right, and you do it every single time. That's the standard I hold myself to with every client. Veteran owned isn't just something I put on my website because it sounds good. It means my clients aren't just accounts on a spreadsheet — they're people I'm responsible for. I take that seriously.

Because this is home. The Fox Valley is where I'm planted and the community here means something to me. But social media has no zip code. A business in Texas or Florida or California has the same problem a business in Appleton does — they're posting consistently and not seeing results. The playbook I build for a restaurant in Nashville looks different from the one I build for a contractor in Phoenix, but the mission is the same. Help good businesses get seen.

That someone actually has their back for once. Small business owners spend so much time feeling like they're on their own — making every decision alone, figuring everything out themselves, carrying it all. I want the people who work with Forward Trends to feel like they have a partner who genuinely cares whether they succeed. Not just a vendor. A partner.