Finding funding for tourism projects is always a challenge. One set of funds that gets overlooked for tourism is the USDA Rural Business Enterprise Grants (RBEG) for towns of fewer than 50,000 people. The Kansas Flint Hills region is working togetheron tourism training. Photo (CC) by TravelKS. RBEG funds are intended to support rural entrepreneurs…
Many small businesses can’t qualify for a small business loan from a traditional local bank. A bad credit record disqualifies many. Lending standards have tightened. Some small towns are limited by local banks that don’t support small business; others don’t have locally-owned banks any more. The good news is that alternatives are available. We are…
This downtown art project comes from Waynoka, Oklahoma, population 927. Far from a dressy, stodgy downtown, they have a casual attitude. It’s a working class town with history as a railroad community. The wooden utility poles downtown were in bad need of a new coat of that boring silver paint. What happened instead is far…
As small town business people, we don’t give ourselves enough credit. What we learn in the tough environment of small towns gives us a valuable perspective. We know what it’s like to survive an uncertain economy and through times with zero income. Just like the national economy today. We know how to manage multiple lines…
PayPal, a huge name in accepting online payments, is jumping into the world of local small businesses accepting credit cards with PayPal Here. It’s a new service, not fully rolled out yet (as of March 2012). The PayPal Here triangle reader is sure to remind you of the Square reader. It strikes me as quite similar to Square, but…
Many small businesses can’t qualify for a small business loan from a traditional local bank. A bad credit record disqualifies many. Lending standards have tightened. Some small towns are limited by local banks that don’t support small business; others don’t have locally-owned banks any more. The good news is that alternatives are available. We are…
A “cash mob” is a group of regular people who decide to all support the same local business on the same day. Today is International Cash Mob Day. If you don’t have a cash mob in your town, now is the time to organize one. What are the rules? There are no rules, or each…
Tony Guidroz, Director of Economic Development from San Saba, Texas, (population 2,600) shared his idea for a Blue Collar Career Fair at the LCRA Economic Development Forums, and I think every small town needs to start one. He is bringing heavy equipment operators, an HVAC contractor, a stone mason, a plumber, an electrician, a welder,…
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