Skip to content
  • Survey of Rural Challenges
  • Small Town Speaker Becky McCray
  • SaveYour.Town
Small Biz Survival

Small Biz Survival

The small town and rural business resource

Small town main street
  • Front Page
  • Latest stories
  • About
  • Guided Tour
  • Subscribe
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • RSS
Small Biz Survival

The small town and rural business resource
  • finance

    Have you used a merchant advance?

    ByBecky McCray June 3, 2008August 27, 2014

    If you accept credit cards, you can’t avoid receiving offers for a merchant cash advance. Seems like every day someone calls our store to offer one! But have you ever actually used one? If you have, Marketplace would like to talk with you. Marketplace is the business show on public radio. They are researching these…

    Read More Have you used a merchant advance?Continue

  • announcement

    Contributor Zane Safrit

    ByBecky McCray June 1, 2008August 27, 2014

    Don’t let Zane Safrit’s Iowa cornfield backdrop fool you. He’s a sharp CEO-level business guy. In the cornfields. Since 2006, Zane has been exchanging ideas with us. We seem to write about many of the same topics: failure, innovation, small towns, customer service. But he also brings great knowledge on word of mouth, health care,…

    Read More Contributor Zane SafritContinue

  • rural

    Contributor Jon Swanson

    ByBecky McCray June 1, 2008August 27, 2014

    I don’t need to introduce Jon because you’ve already met him. He’s been a regular reader and occasional contributor around here since 2006. Now he’s contributing regularly, so I thought I’d tell you a bit more about him. Jon works as a pastor, but he understands business better than many so-called business people. He may…

    Read More Contributor Jon SwansonContinue

  • community | rural | workforce | youth

    $50k/year and no takers: the rural workforce shortage

    ByBecky McCray June 1, 2008August 27, 2014

    Rural areas with sparse population, like western Oklahoma and Kansas, are up against a brick wall that is a workforce shortage. G.L. Hoffman has the story of his cousin Craig, offering $50,000 a year, health care, and home, for farm workers. No takers. Too far out in the country. Too much hard work. Too little…

    Read More $50k/year and no takers: the rural workforce shortageContinue

  • marketing

    Discussion question: getting follow up sales right

    ByBecky McCray May 29, 2008August 27, 2014

    I downloaded a free ebook. A week later, the publisher followed up with a 50% off offer for a closely related (more advanced) print book, plus a free gift or two. Limited time offer and a money back guarantee. PS: Get FREE SHIPPING when you add a second book to your order! I thought it…

    Read More Discussion question: getting follow up sales rightContinue

  • Best of | entrepreneurship | marketing | Small Biz 100

    Apply the Simplified Marketing Plan to Online Tools

    ByBecky McCray May 28, 2008August 27, 2014

    With 89,567* online tools for connecting, sharing, networking, etc., how do you ever prioritize and keep online socializing from taking over your work?[*I made up that number, of course] Our Friend Glenda Watson Hyatt set me to work on this topic, and explained what she meant via email: My quandry is: I have all these…

    Read More Apply the Simplified Marketing Plan to Online ToolsContinue

  • entrepreneurship

    Health Care’s Innovation Lock-Down

    ByBecky McCray May 26, 2008August 27, 2014

    By Zane Safrit Do you stay at your job for the health care benefits? You’re not alone. Lots of American workers are held hostage by their company-sponsored health care benefits. This employee hostage scenario is more and more common: Your company’s changes have marginalized your contribution, maybe your income, definitely your happiness. You’d like to…

    Read More Health Care’s Innovation Lock-DownContinue

  • community | rural | social media | survivors

    Shawn Kirsch is changing Elgin, ND, forever

    ByBecky McCray May 25, 2008August 27, 2014

    This post is the fourth in a series on social media and social networking tools for small towns. By Shawn Kirsh Well I was born in a small townAnd I live in a small townProbly die in a small townOh, those small communities All my friends are so small townMy parents live in the same…

    Read More Shawn Kirsch is changing Elgin, ND, foreverContinue

Page navigation

Previous PagePrevious 1 … 159 160 161 162 163 … 239 Next PageNext

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.

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.

The Best of Small Biz Survival

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

Get started as an outdoor outfitter without breaking the bank

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

Read more of the Best of Small Biz Survival

Partners

We partner with campaigns and organizations that we think best benefit rural small businesses.

Logo with "Shop Indie Local"
Graphic of US currency with the text Move Your Money, bank local, invest local
Multicolor logo with text that says "Global Entrepreneurship Week"
Save Your Town logotype

Copyright © 2006–2026 Becky McCray • Site by Webdancers

  • Front Page
  • Latest stories
  • About
  • Guided Tour
  • Subscribe
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • RSS
  • Survey of Rural Challenges
  • Small Town Speaker Becky McCray
  • SaveYour.Town