I think the definition of “small business” is just too broad. It covers everyone from the part-time self-employed to the 500-employee business, and every government agency in every country has their own definition.
Our advice here at Small Biz Survival is targeted to businesses based outside of big cities. We try to be the rural and small town business resource. I thought about several different ways to divide our info within that mission: by industry, by size, by topic. I finally decided stages make the most sense.
I’ve compiled our advice into these three stages:
- Dreaming. For those who are dreaming or planning to start a business of their own.
- Doing and Growing. For those who have a business and have grown to the point that it’s time to hire that first employee.
- Leveling Up. For those who have a business, but are looking to step up to a new level.
I’ve set up a separate page for each of these stages, and I’ve compiled some of the best of our advice into these three groups. If you’re just starting, head to Dreaming. If you’ve been around the block, you’re Doing and Growing. And if you’ve seen it all, done it all, maybe you’re Leveling Up.
Dreaming.
This is an exciting phase. You’re dreaming of starting something new. You’re full of excitement and also apprehension. You need ideas to inspire and a checklist to get moving.
Doing and Growing.
You’ve been on your own for awhile, and through some ups and downs, you’ve hung in there. Now it may be time to add someone to help you. But should it be an employee, or an independent contractor? And how hard is it? How does your role change?
Leveling Up.
You’ve built something successful. You probably have some people working for you, making it happen. Now you’re thinking about stepping up to a new level. Maybe it’s exporting, maybe a new line of business, maybe a new way of marketing. It may even be selling the business or transitioning to new owners. What you need most is to connect to the right resources.
Each page has tons of links to stories we’ve written over the past seven years. But instead of having to comb through the archives or search endlessly, you can find it all together. I hope you’ll find it helpful.
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Becky started Small Biz Survival in 2006 to share rural business and community building stories and ideas with other small town business people. She and her husband have a small cattle ranch and are lifelong entrepreneurs. Becky is an international speaker on small business and rural topics.
