Tracy Champagne is a high-energy, creative entrepreneur, and dedicated advocate for small businesses in Milwaukee. With an extensive professional network and an innate ability to see the potential in every project, Tracy has spent her career creating opportunities for business owners to thrive.

Her entrepreneurial journey began after studying hotel and restaurant management and receiving an Associate’s Degree. While she loved the industry, she quickly realized that her true calling was building something of her own. Over the years, she has founded multiple businesses, each shaped by her drive and commitment to community.

For 20 years, Tracy owned and operated a licensed daycare center, where she honed a set of essential business skills. Never a woman to do just one thing at a time, she also explored direct sales, served on the Board for the Madison Area Girl Scouts, and earned an Associate’s Degree in website development and social media marketing.

In 2018, Tracy made the leap into full-time digital marketing, leading to the creation of Small Business Milwaukee.

Tracy’s influence extends far beyond Small Business Milwaukee. She is the founder of the Friday Fish Fry Guide, a website celebrating Wisconsin’s beloved fish fry tradition, and UpNorth Wisconsin, a directory supporting small businesses in the Northwoods. She also leads networking events—including Smallbizmke Think Tanks and a regular Game Night—and serves as President of the Greater Greenfield Community Chamber.

A firm believer in lifelong learning, Tracy stays ahead of industry trends through her love of business books, book club discussions, and many, many collaboration with other professionals. She previously co-hosted and helped produce The Connect Show, a podcast dedicated to educating and supporting small business owners.

About six years ago, she formed Divi Society, a Milwaukee meetup for website WordPress users of the Divi Theme by Elegant Themes. She continues to co-host this meetup.

When she’s not working on her businesses, Tracy enjoys line dancing, traveling, and spending time with friends and family. However, what drives her most is her ability to build relationships, support entrepreneurs, and create spaces where small businesses can flourish.

Kimberly Hand brings decades of writing, editing, and community storytelling experience to the SmallBizMKE team. A former newspaper columnist and contributing magazine writer, Kim has built her career around helping small businesses find their voice and share it with the world. She’s the founder of Kimmunitee, LLC, a creative communications studio focused on digital newsletters and compelling content for entrepreneurs.

At Small Business Milwaukee, Kim serves as Senior Writer, where she crafts feature articles, client blog posts, member bios, and our monthly newsletter. She’s especially passionate about writing business spotlights and interviewing entrepreneurs to uncover the heart of their stories.

Kim’s background includes managing beloved local shops like Village Bookstore and Timeless Treasures, editing an Amazon #1 bestselling business book series, and mastering tools like Constant Contact to help businesses stay connected. Whether it’s a press release, a client newsletter, or a thoughtful interview piece, Kim has a gift for making small business stories shine.

Bill Sargent is the owner and artist at Milwaukee Headshots. He specializes in creating excellent, stunning, and impactful headshots to help people stand out from their competition on their websites and social media. All his headshots are created on location, saving his clients time, travel, expense, and productive downtime. Bill says, “I bring Hollywood to you!” Milwaukee Headshots can serve individuals as well as teams, events, and large conventions.

Bill also creates wonderful branding images for your business.

What We’re Up To

We don’t just support Milwaukee small businesses—we’re out there with you. From attending networking events to launching new initiatives, our team is always working behind the scenes (and sometimes right out in the open) to connect, collaborate, and celebrate Milwaukee’s small business community.