If you believe what you read or hear from the media, then all small towns are dying. But that’s not the real story. The real story is much too nuanced for a sound bite or 3 minute story: some small towns are dying, most are surviving, and some are prospering. And any town can choose to change its trajectory.
But the even bigger story is that huge sweeping trends are acting in favor of small towns. The end of geographic limits, how customers are changing retail, the local movement, and people moving in are all reshaping the future of rural and small towns. I’m convinced that this is the best time for small towns to truly prosper.
I presented on this topic at the Small Towns Conference put on by Oklahoma Main Street. I had an audience member (thanks, Dea!) shoot video of my talk just for my own review, but several people have asked me to share it to reach more people. So even though the brightness on my video camera was acting up, I’ve agreed.
If you’d like me to come to your town to present these positive stories live and in person, get in touch. If you’re reading this in your email, you can just hit reply and that comes to me directly. If you’re reading this on the website, drop by the contact form to talk to me.
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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.
Love your stuff, Becky…..just listened to the Small Town Have a Future and you are right on the money. I live in Gladstone, Manitoba aka Happy Rock with a population of 879…..pretty tiny….
My husband and I are starting a small store (Ginger General) – convenience to start with…and really want to be that Mom and Pop place you talked about.
Thanks again for your great insights!
Monica, congratulations on getting started, and here’s hoping it brings prosperity to you and your husband, and ultimately to your town!