What if we could change investing from a gamble in the stock market into a local development tool? That’s the basic question behind Amy Cortese’s book “Locavesting: The Revolution in Local Investing and How to Profit From It.” This book does a great job of explaining the problems in the current financial system, and laying…
Dave Shideler is a fellow rural entrepreneurship-aholic from the Oklahoma State University Agricultural Economics Extension service. After he spoke at the recent Oklahoma Governor’s Conference on Small Business, I sat him down for a couple of quick interviews. Rural small business tips Dave shares some things any small business could do to improve their chances…
What if your town council, your chamber of commerce, and your school board sat down together for a public meeting just to compare calendars? What if these leaders started talking about possible cooperation, shared projects, or mutual goals? What if more local boards and leaders began to participate, aligning their own goals and efforts with…
Every state has some capital funds, special loan programs, and other interesting business financing tools. Most are available only in some locations, and many that are widely available, like USDA funding, have different contact people in different places. How do you make sense of all that? Kansas put it on a map. A Map to…
With small business lending incredibly tight, more innovative alternatives to financing are coming up. This one has a big string attached: a complete change in how you manage your business. Springfield Remanufacturing Company is a small city success, based in Springfield, Missouri. They got famous for using completely open book management, calling it the great…
[Small town business is competitive, but we’re also cooperative. That’s why Shelby French’s presentation at the 140 Characters Conference in Central Sierra caught my attention. It’s her job to get local businesses cooperating even though they are nominal competitors. -Becky] Shelby French promotes “coopetition” at the Angels Camp Farmers Market. Being tasked with marketing the…
A big trend in urban real estate is coming to small towns, to create a new opportunity to retain more young people. Young real estate buyers have made an epic shift, away from big suburban homes, and toward smaller spaces in walkable neighborhoods. I read about this first in Grist: Millennials not looking for McMansions…
Rural sourcing is a trend I love. It leverages technology to bring more high tech, higher paying jobs to rural areas. But it’s a small trend, and I’d love to see it spread to more places and more people. What does a small town need to do to support rural sourcing? How can you get…
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