• Survey of Rural Challenges
  • Small Town Speaker Becky McCray
  • Shop Local video
  • SaveYour.Town

Small Biz Survival

The small town and rural business resource

A row of small town shops
  • Front Page
  • Latest stories
  • About
  • Guided Tour
  • Subscribe
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • RSS

Last brag basket of 2012

By Small Biz Survival

The Brag Basket is our tradition of sharing. The basket is always free and open all weekend, this one Dec 28-30, 2012. This is the last one for 2012, so look through your year and think about what good news you’ll add to the brag basket.

junk drawer
Time to look through your year for the Brag Basket.
Photo (CC) by emdot

Don’t hold back because of that word, “brag.” When you hold back, you hide your good news and accomplishments that might inspire others. Even though I call this the Brag Basket, it’s not really about bragging. It’s about sharing.

What can you do in the Brag Basket?

  • introduce yourself
  • share some great news from this week
  • congratulate a friend
  • laugh about something wonderful that you tried that failed
  • applaud for each other

Speak up and add yourself or another deserving soul in the comments. It lets you meet each other a bit. Reading each others’ stories brings us a bit closer to being a community.

How does it work? You write a comment on this post. We all cheer, and everyone feels great.

This is not an ad. (I delete the ads.) If you talk more about the people involved than the things, you’ll be fine.

It’s a conversation with friends. So jump in. And remember to cheer for each other.

New to SmallBizSurvival.com? Take the Guided Tour. Like what you see? Subscribe.

  • About the Author
  • Latest by this Author
Small Biz Survival

The rural small business blog. We talk about small town business, with how-to articles, especially on social media marketing and making your community a better place. We use this “author” for announcements and other things you’ll want to know.

www.smallbizsurvival.com
  • Hands-on and experience-based businesses boost local economies
  • Young Americans Returning to Rural for More than Just Holiday Dinners
  • Rural marketing tip: the name is the claim

December 28, 2012 Filed Under: brag basket

Wondering what is and is not allowed in the comments?
Or how to get a nifty photo beside your name?
Check our commenting policy.
Use your real name, not a business name.


Don't see the comment form?
Comments are automatically closed on older posts, but you can send me your comment via this contact form and I'll add it manually for you. Thanks!

Comments

  1. NDSU Extension Small Biz says

    December 28, 2012 at 2:32 pm

    It was a good year helping small business owners. Small Biz Survival posted one of my articles. Together with Nebraska Extension colleagues launched http://go.unl.edu/DirectMarketingFood to help small foodpreneurs with their online marketing. Same colleagues and I have 2 more programs on the way, Agritoursim and eTailing. Social media reach growing both on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest plus e-newsletter subscriptions up.

    Loading...
    • Becky McCray says

      December 28, 2012 at 4:37 pm

      Glenn, thanks for all you do for small business owners in North Dakota and all over! And I am sure we’ll use many more of your articles in the future.

      Loading...
  2. Erin says

    December 28, 2012 at 4:40 pm

    Hi! I am new to the brag basket so I hope this is ok! I recently launched my new online business: http://www.doodleboxart.com We provide art supplies for kids of all ages! The first day we were online, I found a link to a blogger who is providing art supply kits for the kids of Newtown, CT after the tragedy to help with healing through art! I was so glad to hear about her project #drawntogether and I wanted to help. However, being a new business, money is basically non-existent! I offered to send 5 kits to her to send to the kids. I also volunteered to donate 10% of my sales to the cause! I immediately started getting a few orders, but not for people buying for their own kids, but people buying for the kids in CT! It’s great to see people so open to giving and helping where/when/ and how they can! Thanks for letting me share!

    Loading...
    • Becky McCray says

      December 28, 2012 at 5:04 pm

      Erin, congratulations on your new business, and for the way you’ve found to make a difference for kids. Good work!

      Loading...
  3. Michael Jones says

    December 28, 2012 at 6:34 pm

    My first adventure into blogging began in May of this year telling stories of mostly small town entrepreneurs who are building consumer products called http://www.productpioneers.blogspot.com The stories and encouragement gained from talking to these folks was really fantastic. Many new friendships and experiences made for a terrific year.

    Loading...
    • Becky McCray says

      December 28, 2012 at 8:49 pm

      Michael, congratulations! Sounds like an interesting group to connect with. Here’s to another terrific year in 2013.

      Loading...
  4. Jason Hull says

    December 31, 2012 at 3:21 pm

    I got featured in Morningstar for my use of technology to connect to clients beyond my small town (13,131 counts, right?) – http://www.morningstar.com/advisor/t/68115610/2012-s-best-tech-for-advisors.htm.

    More importantly, I got kudos from the queen of small town businesses herself, Becky McCrary, on Twitter! https://twitter.com/SBSurvival/status/285181530349903872

    Loading...
    • Becky McCray says

      December 31, 2012 at 4:02 pm

      Jason, yes, your town counts as a small town. :) Congratulations on the MorningStar mention. Your mention from me was very well deserved. I recommend everyone take a look at your financial planning newsletter. Good stuff!

      Loading...
  5. Wayne McEvilly says

    December 31, 2012 at 9:42 pm

    Becky –
    I’m here to say thank you for this one of a kind resource – a kind of internet coffee house open certain hours during the week, with generous spirited hosts who allow that this is the last day of the year – last chance to brag big where that’s what’s expected, so I’ll just say it clear as I can, the big good news in my life this year has been to see my sister Lynne thrive with her two children –
    that is like sunshine –
    Thanks Becky

    Loading...
    • Becky McCray says

      December 31, 2012 at 10:23 pm

      Wayne, I love the idea of this as a coffee house. :) And cheers to your sister Lynne! Thank you for all you do for children yourself, Wayne.

      Loading...
  6. Cheryl Lawson says

    January 1, 2013 at 12:15 am

    Becky – Want to thank you. It’s not easy to get people to pay attention to you while you’re in a growing phase, so I’m grateful for your support of #SMTulsa.

    Even though I started Social Media Tulsa to find other geeks like me, I’m very proud of the community we have become.

    I put together a year in review video montage from all of our meetups, tweetups and the 2012 conference. I hope you enjoy!

    http://socialmediatulsa.org/2012/12/31/2012-smtulsa-year-in-review/
    Happy New Year!
    Cheryl

    Loading...
    • Becky McCray says

      January 1, 2013 at 2:41 am

      Cheryl, thank you for paying attention to me, even though I’m too local to be an “expert”. :) Thanks for sharing the review, too!

      Loading...

Howdy!

Glad you dropped in to the rural and small town business blog, established in 2006.

We want you to feel at home, so please take our guided tour.

Meet our authors on the About page.

Have something to say? You can give us a holler on the contact form.

If you would like permission to re-use an article you've read here, please make a Reprint Request.

Want to search our past articles? Catch up with the latest stories? Browse through the categories? All the good stuff is on the Front Page.

Partners

We partner with campaigns and organizations that we think best benefit rural small businesses. Logo with "Shop Indie Local"Move Your Money, bank local, invest localMulticolor logo with text that says "Global Entrepreneurship Week"Save Your Town logotype

Best of Small Biz Survival

A few people shopping in an attractive retail store in refurbished downtown building.

TREND 2025: Retail’s Big Split: what small town retailers can do now

99% of the best things you can do for your town don’t require anyone’s permission

Three kids in a canoe

Get started as an outdoor outfitter without breaking the bank

A shopkeeper and a customer share a laugh in a small store packed full of interesting home wares.

How to get customers in the door of small town and rural retail stores

Rural Tourism Trend: electric vehicle chargers can drive visitors

Wide view of a prairie landscape with a walk-through gate in a fence

Tourism: Make the most of scant remains and “not much to see” sites with a look-through sign

More of the best of Small Biz Survival

Copyright © 2025 Becky McCray
Front Page · Log in
%d