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Small Biz Survival

The small town and rural business resource
  • entrepreneurship | Small Biz 100

    Say NO gracefully

    ByBecky McCray April 22, 2008August 27, 2014

    Part of being a successful entrepreneur is saying “no.” Small businesses are constantly hit with offers from potential suppliers, hopeful partners, and even potential customers. Then there are the constant requests for free help, volunteer work, donations, and even jobs. You can’t possibly do it all. Let’s face it. Being in business means saying “no”…

    Read More Say NO gracefullyContinue

  • entrepreneurship | marketing | resources

    Resource: Sparkplugging and a rebranding story

    ByBecky McCray April 20, 2008August 27, 2014

    Our friend Wendy Piersall is now CEO of Sparkplugging :: Thinking Big in the New Work at Home Generation. Sparkplugging is a complete rebranding of eMoms at Home. The new brand makes it clear that her site and network of blogs are focused on entrepreneurial content. Wendy’s eMoms at Home started as her personal blog,…

    Read More Resource: Sparkplugging and a rebranding storyContinue

  • entrepreneurship | rural

    Small Biz Survival: Small town advantages

    ByBecky McCray April 18, 2008August 27, 2014

    Running a small business is tough enough. But if you’re running a small business in a small town, there’s a secret you need to know… it’s more fun than being in the big city! You don’t believe me? Well here’s the top 5 small town advantages …1. You don’t need GPS Navigation2. Out network is…

    Read More Small Biz Survival: Small town advantagesContinue

  • entrepreneurship | marketing | mistakes | Small Biz 100

    Draw the line between free and paid

    ByBecky McCray April 14, 2008September 27, 2016

    Many newly independent small business people make the mistake of giving away too much of their services for free. Many seasoned professionals run into the same issue, like Drew McLellan giving away the milk. I was at lunch with a peer and friend the other day, telling her a story about how a mutual acquaintance…

    Read More Draw the line between free and paidContinue

  • Best of | entrepreneurship | rural

    Broadband access is too important for bad copywriting

    ByBecky McCray April 13, 2008August 27, 2014

    Winner of the most deceptive headline of the week award is Cherry Creek News for this gem: SCHWARTZ BRINGS BROADBAND TO RURAL COLORADO The actual story? A bill passed one step of the legislative process. Several big steps to go. So that is hardly bringing it, right? And what does the bill actually propose? Mapping….

    Read More Broadband access is too important for bad copywritingContinue

  • customer service | entrepreneurship | Small Biz 100

    The best channel to communicate with customers

    ByBecky McCray April 8, 2008August 27, 2014

    The best channel to communicate with customers is … the one the customer chooses. OK, you can stop reading right there, if you’ll take that sentence to heart. But for this installment of the Small Biz 100, I’m going to tell you a true story, as well as how to do this right. My husband…

    Read More The best channel to communicate with customersContinue

  • entrepreneurship | Small Biz 100 | workforce

    Hiring your first assistant

    ByBecky McCray April 8, 2008August 27, 2014

    For this installment of the Small Biz 100, Liz Strauss shares some insights on hiring an assistant, virtual or local. Where can a small business person find an assistant locally? Liz suggests looking in the local university, college, or even high school and technical education. You can also work with temp agencies, or any of…

    Read More Hiring your first assistantContinue

  • entrepreneurship | rural | Small Biz 100 | workforce

    How to work with a Virtual Assistant

    ByBecky McCray April 7, 2008August 27, 2014

    For small town small business people, virtual assistants could be one of the best kept secret tools. A good VA can take some of the administrative load off of your shoulders, and make your business more successful. As a bonus, VA’s can work from anywhere, so I see them as an emerging class of small…

    Read More How to work with a Virtual AssistantContinue

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