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Small Biz Survival

The small town and rural business resource
  • Ribbons on a name tag read, "Speaker. Know-it-all."
    rural | success

    How I found my mission in three kinda-easy steps

    ByBecky McCray August 26, 2014July 2, 2021

      Because I have a pretty specific mission, people have asked me how I decided on it and my niche. So here’s a little of that story. Finding my mission was about taking away, not adding to. I had lots of overlapping circles of topics, areas of interest, markets. Some of my circles were rural,…

    Read More How I found my mission in three kinda-easy stepsContinue

  • community | rural

    Recruiting new residents: help them find out they’ll love your town

    ByBecky McCray August 19, 2014August 21, 2014

    Now that we have research showing that people are wanting to move to small towns, how do you let people know your doors are open? You can use these frameworks for thinking and online tools to help people find out that they will love your town. What matters in a town?  “What makes a community a desirable…

    Read More Recruiting new residents: help them find out they’ll love your townContinue

  • Store window that says, "Diversified Services."
    entrepreneurship | rural

    Should I charge by the hour or by the project?

    ByBecky McCray August 18, 2014November 2, 2015

    Pricing your services is a tricky business. Without a physical product and costs to start from, the answer always seems to be “it depends.” Let’s try to get a better handle on how to charge for your services and still make a living. My friend Scott Townsend asked on behalf of his son: @SBSurvival Matthew…

    Read More Should I charge by the hour or by the project?Continue

  • 7 best strengths of small town stores
    community | entrepreneurship | rural | success

    7 Strengths of Small Town Businesses #7: Benefiting the Local Community

    ByBecky McCray August 4, 2014August 8, 2014

    7 Biggest Strengths of Local Shops And how you can build on them. Remember the 7 Weaknesses of Local Shops? They were crazy popular because they touched a nerve. I acknowledged that some of our local businesses really need to step up to earn business today. This series is the flip side of that idea. Small…

    Read More 7 Strengths of Small Town Businesses #7: Benefiting the Local CommunityContinue

  • Redesign your downtown without breaking the budget
    economic development | rural | youth

    Redesign your downtown without breaking the budget

    ByBecky McCray July 29, 2014July 28, 2014

    Most small town downtowns could use some sprucing up. Different businesses have different styles from a bunch of different decades. None of the signs or facades match. Clashing is probably a better description than coordinating. What can you do to get updated designs without spending a ton on the project? Webster City, Iowa, is one…

    Read More Redesign your downtown without breaking the budgetContinue

  • 7 best strengths of small town stores
    entrepreneurship | rural | success

    7 Strengths of Small Town Businesses #6: Innovative

    ByBecky McCray July 28, 2014August 8, 2014

    7 Biggest Strengths of Local Shops And how you can build on them. Remember the 7 Weaknesses of Local Shops? They were crazy popular because they touched a nerve. I acknowledged that some of our local businesses really need to step up to earn business today. This series is the flip side of that idea. Small…

    Read More 7 Strengths of Small Town Businesses #6: InnovativeContinue

  • 7 best strengths of small town stores
    entrepreneurship | rural

    7 Strengths of Small Town Businesses #5: More knowledgeable

    ByBecky McCray July 21, 2014August 8, 2014

    7 Biggest Strengths of Local Shops And how you can build on them. Remember the 7 Weaknesses of Local Shops? They were crazy popular because they touched a nerve. I acknowledged that some of our local businesses really need to step up to earn business today. This series is the flip side of that idea. Small…

    Read More 7 Strengths of Small Town Businesses #5: More knowledgeableContinue

  • 7 best strengths of small town stores
    entrepreneurship | rural

    7 Strengths of Small Town Businesses #4: More flexible

    ByBecky McCray July 14, 2014August 8, 2014

    7 Biggest Strengths of Local Shops And how you can build on them. Remember the 7 Weaknesses of Local Shops? They were crazy popular because they touched a nerve. I acknowledged that some of our local businesses really need to step up to earn business today. This series is the flip side of that idea. Small…

    Read More 7 Strengths of Small Town Businesses #4: More flexibleContinue

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