How do you view your business? Is it a way to make a living or a way to live your life? That is a question business owners commonly ask themselves or are asked by researchers. People start businesses for a variety of reasons. However, many of the reasons fall into one of these two categories….
The visibility of your business may seem insignificant, but it is a key factor to the success of many enterprises. Being visible comes in many ways. Today we hear a great deal about your online visibility. Plus, you have visibility, in a sense, when people know your name and that you exist. Yet the visibility…
A pop up business is just a temporary business. Different authors may add different qualifiers, but I like to keep things simple. A pop-up is a way to take advantage of fleeting opportunities, test whether an idea is workable and to learn from direct experience. Pop-ups can be: Booths and stands at festivals Short-term…
Any business owner will tell you that starting and running a business requires thinking ahead while also staying on top of lots of details. Innovation and vision are great. But what really allows a business to succeed is paying attention to details. Keeping track of everything that needs to be done and then making sure…
Making a product is easy. Well, it’s easy when you compare it to setting your prices. Here is one straightforward way to figure prices for what you produce: Materials + labor + fixed costs per unit + capital costs + profit = Wholesale Wholesale x 2 = Retail Then, treat that as a starting point,…
You want to start a business. But finding a good idea is a task many prospective business owners find daunting. There are many suggestions on how people can find a business idea. Brainstorming, building on a skill or talent, or using an idea you have seen somewhere else are three commonly used techniques. Another method…
I’ve been thinking about how we have all we need. We don’t need to learn more, read more, acquire more. That’s why what John C. Shepard, planner from Wyoming, USA, said caught my attention: “Implementation is my watch-word for 2014.” That deceptively simple sentence could change everything. What if you made implementation your watch word?…
If you ask, most business owners will acknowledge that connecting with others is a crucial element in their success. Of course, we know how important networking is in building a client base. Yet it also can help you answer questions on how to start and operate your business, as well as help you find…
Glad you dropped in to the rural and small town business blog, established in 2006.
We want you to feel at home, so please take our guided tour.
Meet our authors on the About page.
Have something to say? You can give us a holler on the contact form.
Want to search our past articles? Catch up with the latest stories? Browse through the categories? All the good stuff is on the Front Page.
We partner with campaigns and organizations that we think best benefit rural small businesses.
Copyright © 2006–2026 Becky McCray • Site by Webdancers