Guest post by Rick Skorupski Population migration – a net loss or a net gain for the The Plains States? Thanks to Grow Spink Inc. (an economic development non profit in north eastern South Dakota), I had the opportunity to go the Symposium on Small Towns at the University of Minnesota – Morris in June…
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…
Your assignment: include an element of how your organization changes the world for the better in every bit of communication that you create. That’s a tough assignment. It means you have to: Know how your organization is changing the world for the better. Know how to express it even in a few words. Remember it every time…
Small rural communities are here to stay! This should not shock anyone. If you read this blog on a regular basis, you have heard the message before. Yet a look at many news sources would suggest that thes message has not yet made it into the main stream. Not a problem. We will just continue…
At the AMIBA national conference, I captured a few of the sessions that I thought you might be interested in. This one is about community bankers and how they get involved in your town. If you haven’t started a relationship with a community bank, now is a great time to get out and meet one….
Two art projects that are kind of cousins caught my attention as tools for small towns. First is from reader Doug Mackenzie. It’s metal sign that, if you stand in the right place and line up the courthouse in the center, it shows the other historic buildings from the town of Marshall, North Carolina. (See the…
Jen Risley spoke on a panel with me at the American Independent Business Alliance Conference, and I want to share one or two smart tricks she uses. Jen represents Monadnock Buy Local, covering 35 small towns in the Monadnock Region of southwestern New Hampshire. Her members are all local businesses. She’s a one-person staff so she…
Next week, May 12th through the 16th, is National Small Business Week, recognizing “the critical contributions of America’s entrepreneurs and small business owners.” The Small Business Administration has lead this effort since 1963. It applauds this group of businesses. More than half of Americans either own or work for a small business and they create…
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