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Small Biz Survival

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Small Biz Survival

The small town and rural business resource
  • Covers of the Idea Friendly Guide as ebook and paperback
    community | economic development | rural

    How to be Idea Friendly – book review

    ByRob Hatch November 21, 2025December 15, 2025

      I grew up in a small town in Maine, but I don’t think of myself as a small-town guy. My parents were involved in local community service groups. My Dad was the Cub Scout leader, a member of the Jaycees and the Elks club. And I remember helping him and other volunteers build a…

    Read More How to be Idea Friendly – book reviewContinue

  • A very busy, full planner with many notes, highlights and scribbles.
    entrepreneurship | management | planning | rural | Small Biz 100

    You don’t have 52 weeks this year

    ByRob Hatch December 9, 2024December 9, 2024

    By Rob Hatch Thirty-six weeks. Part of my process for planning my business for the New Year is to do a little reality check on exactly how much time I have to work with. What are you talking about, Rob? You have a year. Technically, that’s true. However, on closer inspection, I only have 36…

    Read More You don’t have 52 weeks this yearContinue

  • Holyoke Hummus Company cart
    entrepreneurship | management | rural | survivors | trends

    How one food business keeps adapting, from table to cart to truck, to restaurant and back again

    ByRob Hatch April 28, 2022November 25, 2024

    Guest post by Rob Hatch My dear friend John Grossman and his wife Dawn own the Holyoke Hummus Company in Holyoke, Massachusetts. I’ve marveled at how they grew from setting up a small folding table at a local park selling falafel sandwiches to acquiring a cart. Next, they outgrew the cart and bought a food…

    Read More How one food business keeps adapting, from table to cart to truck, to restaurant and back againContinue

  • How to remember customer names: write them down
    customer service | marketing | rural | Small Biz 100

    How to remember customer names: write them down

    ByRob Hatch May 28, 2021May 17, 2021

    Guest post by Rob Hatch Chris Brogan recently shared a story of a local bookstore in his hometown. He asked them to order a specific book for him that wasn’t in stock. The owner wrote down his name and phone number and told him she’d order it. The next week, when he walked in the…

    Read More How to remember customer names: write them downContinue

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