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Small Biz Survival

The small town and rural business resource
  • Store window that says, "Diversified Services."
    entrepreneurship | rural

    Resources for Service Businesses

    ByBecky McCray November 28, 2016November 13, 2016

      Service-based businesses are critically important in small towns. But downtown retail businesses get a lot more attention in rural revitalization discussions. Since my background includes a lot of work in rural service businesses, I’ve written about service businesses here at Small Biz Survival. Add that to contributions by our many guest authors, and we’ve built…

    Read More Resources for Service BusinessesContinue

  • RuralOmniLocal: Selling virtual products in a bricks-and-mortar store
    entrepreneurship | marketing | rural

    RuralOmniLocal: Selling virtual products in a bricks-and-mortar store

    ByBecky McCray November 21, 2016November 20, 2016

    Jerry Miles, BookFeller.com, wrote in with a great question about making the most of the customers who visit his retail store. I want to be able to sell online products in my bricks-and-mortar store, whether physical or affiliate. In other words, I’d like to sell items listed on Amazon, eBay, etsy, etc., in my store…

    Read More RuralOmniLocal: Selling virtual products in a bricks-and-mortar storeContinue

  • RuralOmniLocal: How a local business can sell online
    entrepreneurship | marketing | rural

    RuralOmniLocal: How a local business can sell online

    ByBecky McCray November 14, 2016November 20, 2016

    Have a local business that wants to sell online? Focus first on the existing customers. That’s one of the lessons with Rural OmniLocal. This article is adapted from an interview I did with Bob Dunn. Hear the whole interview or read the transcript at BobWP.com Every independent business has customers right now who visit them…

    Read More RuralOmniLocal: How a local business can sell onlineContinue

  • RuralOmniLocal: the advantage for small town retailers
    customer service | entrepreneurship | marketing | rural

    RuralOmniLocal: the advantage for small town retailers

    ByBecky McCray November 7, 2016November 20, 2016

      Rural OmniLocal. It’s the new buzzword. I know because I made it up. It means small town retailers using multiple channels to reach their customers. This article is an excerpt from an interview with Bob Dunn. Hear the whole interview or read the transcript at BobWP.com In the world of big retail companies, “omni…

    Read More RuralOmniLocal: the advantage for small town retailersContinue

  • 3 actions to start a local business
    entrepreneurship | management | rural

    3 actions to start a local business

    ByBecky McCray October 24, 2016October 24, 2016

      In a recent conference call by the Orton Family Foundation, one of the listeners asked a great practical question: What are 3 actions most effective at starting a local company? —Jay B., KS   My answer was: Try 3 small scale tests. That’s how you’ll build knowledge of what works, build an initial following…

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  • What restaurant franchises and chains work in small towns?
    economic development | entrepreneurship | rural | shop local

    What restaurant franchises and chains work in small towns?

    ByBecky McCray October 17, 2016October 9, 2016

      One of your fellow readers wrote in to ask what franchises and chain restaurants know how to survive in small towns. His town with a population under 2,000 had a franchise pizza restaurant. The franchisee lived not only out of town, but actually out of state, really making ties to the community thin. Blaming the poor economy,…

    Read More What restaurant franchises and chains work in small towns?Continue

  • Your customers want you to change the world
    entrepreneurship | marketing | rural

    Your customers want you to change the world

    ByBecky McCray October 10, 2016October 9, 2016

      There is overwhelming evidence that the key to getting consumers’ attention today is to change the world and let them know about it. The Lempert Report says, “More and more, individuals are seeing themselves as playing a critical role in driving positive change, consumers truly believe they can change the world, every day, with the…

    Read More Your customers want you to change the worldContinue

  • Two musicians play guitar while seated on the sidewalk outside a brick storefront during a community event, with pedestrians stopped to listen and watch
    customer service | entrepreneurship | mistakes | rural

    Making evening hours profitable for small town retail stores

    ByBecky McCray September 26, 2016September 26, 2016

      Small town store owners, does any of this sound familiar? “I feel bad when customers tell me they can’t come during my hours. We have had a couple successful events in the evenings that brought customers in, but most attempts have been a bust. A shop I follow on Facebook recently tried for a…

    Read More Making evening hours profitable for small town retail storesContinue

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