Taking credit cards used to be a big deal for small businesses. It involved setting up a merchant account, passing a credit check, leasing or buying equipment and agreeing to a multi-year commitment. That was just the getting started part. The traditional merchant processing industry standard seemed to be lots of fees, and little…
The 7 Most Common Weaknesses of Local Shops And what we’re all going to do about them. As we head into the busy holiday shopping season, we’ll see lots of Shop Local messages working to get customers to think about shifting their shopping more to local stores. I want to add another layer, and get…
Luther Snow may have grown up in the big city, but he found his stride in small towns. His work with Asset Based Community Development for rural has been extremely influential in rural development. Currently, he lives in Decorah, Iowa. He and I felt a connection in our approaches and a strong pull to work…
Is your small town ready for the explorers? Travel expert Wendy Perrin presented these changing travel motivations from the Condé Nast Traveler Research Center at an event in Australia. I had to share them with you. THEN: Planned “cultural experiences” NOW: Local immersion In small towns, visitors can dive into local events and experiences. Help them with…
The 7 Most Common Weaknesses of Local Shops And what we’re all going to do about them. As we head into the busy holiday shopping season, we’ll see lots of Shop Local messages working to get customers to think about shifting their shopping more to local stores. I want to add another layer, and get…
The 7 Most Common Weaknesses of Local Shops And what we’re all going to do about them. As we head into the busy holiday shopping season, we’ll see lots of Shop Local messages working to get customers to think about shifting their shopping more to local stores. I want to add another layer, and get…
When was the last time you had barbecue? Can you remember the smoky smell of roasting meat wafting out of the smoker? It’s delightful, let me tell you. Which is why it’s so smart of Shady Oak Barbecue and Grill in Fort Worth, Texas, to channel all the customers so they have to walk right…
At the 2010 Oklahoma Entrepreneurs Conference, a panel of communities shared how they had become more entrepreneurial. Artists are entrepreneurs, too, and Mangum, Oklahoma, is home to several arts businesses. “If you count every man, woman, child and chicken, we have 2500,” Maxine Thomason said. She was the Mayor of Mangum, a former program manager…
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