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Life and Work with Cheryl Todd

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Cheryl Todd.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Cheryl. So, let’s start at the beginning, and we can move on from there.
My husband, Danny and I have been small business owners for the entire 34 years we have been married. We have owned everything from a Baseball Card Shop to a small Mail & Shipping Store. Nearly 12 years ago, we opened both an auction house, Pot Of Gold Estate Auctions, and a gun shop, AZFirearms, under one roof. Both businesses are vibrant, interesting, and ever-changing, but we found over the years that there was, and is, a true hunger for reliable information about firearms, the laws governing firearms, the politics that swirl around the topic of firearms, and the people who own them. This is what caused us to create Gun Freedom Radio. Through our connections in the Firearms Industry we have a wealth of knowledge and information to bring to the airways, and through our interview-format, weekly, two-hour show we are able to bring together a worldwide listening audience with experts in every aspect of the Firearms Industry and Second Amendment-supporting Community.

From the earliest days of our radio show, I immediately began receiving invitations to do other media and speaking engagements across the nation. Among those opportunities were events where I was invited to speak on the west lawn of the Capitol Building and another on the steps of the Supreme Court Building in Washington, DC.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Owning one’s own business is exciting and challenging, but there are always obstacles that threaten to interrupt or end your journey. There are unforeseen problems with finances, with contracts, with people who will disappoint you, and no matter how well you have planned there will be something that slipped your attention until it rears its ugly head and requires all of your attention because you weren’t expecting it. For those inevitabilities, one of the best pieces of advice I ever received was to “normalize difficulty.” Just know difficult things are going to happen when they do it doesn’t mean you aren’t good at your job and don’t allow those things to knock you off your center.

Another timeless truth is that sometimes the things that look like obvious difficulties or shortcomings are your stepping stones to success. The firearms industry is a male-dominated industry, but rather than let that discourage me in any way; I have used that to my advantage. I was able to fill gaps in the industry with a female’s perspective and a feminine voice. This allowed me to stand out in networking events and almost any event that I attended. On our radio show, the fact that a woman’s voice is talking about guns makes people stop and listen just long enough for me to hold and keep their attention to hear what I have to say.

The main piece of advice I can offer to the next generation of women who are just starting their journey is to resist the urge to pull yourself up by pushing your male counterparts down. I was raised with three brothers and a single dad. I learned a lot from these wonderful men, and in all areas of our lives, I have competed with them as fiercely as they have competed with each other. I mention this because there is a trend I hear in the media lately that says, in short, women are good *because* men are bad. That is a false and hollow compliment. I hope the men in my industry are amazing, because then when I shine, it is due to the talent and energy I have brought to my craft. If I am only good because my counterparts are lacking in some way, then the bar is pulled down pretty low. I want that bar placed high at all times, and I move my bar higher on a regular basis and compete with my own personal best every day.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Gun Freedom Radio – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Each one of our businesses is service-driven and relational, the ways we express this in our radio show is through connecting people with experts in the Firearms Industry and Pro-Rights Community one topical interview at a time.

We are also known for beginning each one of our shows with a quote by President Ronald Reagan in which he spoke the powerful truth that, “Our Freedom is never more than ONE GENERATION away from extinction.” And we at Gun Freedom Radio feel the responsibility to pass that baton of freedom along to our fellow citizens and therefore the next generation. Our slogan is “We engage, we educate, and we inform.”

Two of the things I am personally known for is my encouragement to other firearms owners that we are all Ordinary Warriors. Being a wife, mom, and grandma gives me a unique perspective on the world, and my passion to protect myself and my family as well as preserving our American Values and Rights makes me a powerful and effective Every Woman. Going along with that is my hashtag #PolkaDotsAreMyCamo which is a way of expressing that I do not fit the stereotype of the American Gun Owner, but I do represent the fastest growing demographic in the firearms industry.

Often it feels as if the media, by and large, is only focused on the obstacles faced by women, but we feel it’s important to also look for the opportunities. In your view, are there opportunities that you see that women are particularly well positioned for?
Women are influencers simply by the fact that we tend to be highly social. After all, we even recruit a friend to accompany us to the powder room.

As significant-others, we tend to make the bulk of decisions in major financial expenditures in our homes. As mothers, we raise and teach the next generation. As friends, we tend to collaborate with our social circles. The world is more ours than we often realize. Those who choose to be self-employed fill voids and feed hungers the world has. We live in a time and place in history when we can tap into millions upon millions of people via Social Media for nearly free and on a moment’s notice and 24-hours a day, 7-days a week. We can gain financing for our business plans via crowd-sourcing sites such as GoFundMe and others. We are limited only by our creativity.

Pricing:

  • Advertising opportunities available to reach our nationwide audience starting as low as $30 / week

Contact Info:

Image Credit:
Cassie Todd-Jameson, Joel Quimbley, VictoryFotos

Getting in touch: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

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