It’s the essential entrepreneurial skill that is under appreciated: knowing what not to do. In small towns, entrepreneurs tend to have more than one line of business. Some have seasonal businesses, and some just have different lines of income within their business. Where we have fewer people in our local market, it makes sense…
Recently I was reviewing the different Income Producing Activities we do at SaveYour.Town, and divided them into these three buckets. I thought the same structure might help you in reviewing your own business. The Big 3 IPA’s: Discovering, Nurturing and Delivering The 3 key income-producing areas of your business are discovering, nurturing and delivering….
Podcasting is a powerful way to build a connection with people. They hear your voice and feel like they get to know you. The problem with podcasting is it seems like a big hassle. You’re going to need equipment like a good mic, software to record and edit your audio, and some way to host…
Every small town has empty buildings downtown. Whether they are completely empty or just used for storage, they can make your downtown look vacant. If the building has windows, though, there’s an opportunity to dress them up a bit and maybe even promote another business at the same time. In the picture above, a…
Many small towns face an incredibly expensive hurdle to saving and using their downtown buildings: code compliance costs. Most municipalities have adopted one of the standard international building codes. Which are, well, standard. And no matter who does the inspections or enforcement, everyone thinks their compliance person is over-zealous. I can relate. One smart move…
Want to add a new level of interest to your downtown? Take advantage of your rooftop spaces. I was on a walk-though of the small town of Kendrick, Idaho, and a young man pointed up to the top of a one-story building and said, “I bet we could make a cool hangout spot up…
I’m not a big fan of business plan or startup competitions for small towns. I especially don’t like shark-style pitch competitions. I do love that you’re taking action to support more startups and entrepreneurs. I like that you’re including training and support for everyone who participates. (You are, aren’t you?) I can even live…
Next year, Kristina Vonberge’s town is going to face bridge construction and a major traffic detour. She asked for ideas during the discussion session of our SaveYour.Town webinar on the arts. People coming to town are going to have to detour 17 miles out of the way to get to town. How can she draw…
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