You know how we give directions in small towns, right? We point you to houses by who used to live there, “the Allen place,” or direct you to turn where things used to be, “where that old barn burned down.” We do this in town and out in the country. This drives newcomers and…
A city councilmember from a town in Washington told me she was so excited about the idea of pop-up businesses that she brought up the idea of short-term 3 month leases with some building owners. They keel hauled her, she said. She just couldn’t get them to be as excited as she was and…
When you’re starting your business, you really don’t want to be thinking about taxes. Here’s the basics from the IRS: Four Things to Know about Taxes and Starting a Business. The article includes the 5 kinds of taxes you need to be aware of, but probably aren’t, when you start your business.
Both times we’ve run the Survey of Rural Challenges, small town business owners have picked the same top challenge: adapting to being open later hours. That means I’m always on the lookout for ideas that work to help bring more people downtown and are also successful at generating business for local stores. Cindy shared…
If you’re self-employed (running a business), you need to know that the IRS expects you to make estimated payments each quarter. “Taxes are pay-as-you-go,” the official IRS page said. “This means that you need to pay most of your tax during the year, as you receive income, rather than paying at the end of the…
As homes have gotten smaller and sprouted wheels in the tiny house movement, what of the home office? When does it get its wheels? A couple of years ago, a European company started creating and renting out “wilderness offices” in tiny yet upscale trailers placed in relaxing rural settings. They were “off the grid”…
Reader Dave Tucci sent in this terrific question that you may identify with: Here in our small town Unionville, Ontario, Canada, (pop 9000) we have a free concert night every Thursday night from 7:30 to 9pm. We have awesome cover bands like Elton Rohn, Hotel California, Absolute Journey and many more. We draw crowds…
Live streaming video provides you new ways to reach customers and promote your small business. Today’s tools include Facebook Live, Instagram and Snapchat Live Stories, Google Hangouts that stream live on YouTube, Periscope video that streams on Twitter, and even stolid old LinkedIn that will let you pipe in live video from your Facebook…
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