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Seasonal business: How to beat the annual “no bookings!” panic

By Becky McCray Leave a Comment

Do you tend to panic about a lack of business at a certain point during the year? Do you always feel like you’ll never get enough bookings for the fall? I know several independent professionals who feel like this: a professional photographer who always worries in late summer that there won’t be enough bookings for […]

August 8, 2022 Filed Under: entrepreneurship, management, planning, rural, Small Biz 100 Tagged With: annual planning, calendar, mindset, optimism, service businesses

Recession? Practical steps from 3 international peers

By Becky McCray Leave a Comment

Becky McCray, in a small town downtown

I have a monthly call with 2 international business friends where we share our work and mentor each other. Last week, one of them asked how we felt and what we planned for possible recession. Decide for Impact coach Erno Hannink studies the stoic philosophy and says not to worry about this kind of issue. Focus […]

August 3, 2022 Filed Under: entrepreneurship, global, rural, survivors

How cooperatives improve small town economies

By Becky McCray

Signboard on a sidewalk says, "Oneota Co-op, a community owned grocery featuring local, whole and organic foods

Cooperatives can play a big role in small towns, providing products and services to fill gaps as well as giving local people a share of ownership. Rural cooperatives go way back Rural areas have a long history with cooperatives through cooperative telephone service, electricity, and agriculture. My husband is a member of the Alva Farmers […]

May 8, 2022 Filed Under: community, economic development, entrepreneurship, rural Tagged With: business formation, business structure, co-ops, cooperatives, small business

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

By Rob Hatch

Holyoke Hummus Company cart

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 […]

April 28, 2022 Filed Under: entrepreneurship, management, rural, survivors, trends Tagged With: business success, food business, guest post, small business success

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