What if you cut out an entire group of potential customers? You just might succeed. Graham Reid from Charleville Bush Caravan Park in Australia has been telling me about their business’s success with allowing non-smokers only. It’s the kind of niche idea that many rural businesses could adapt. There are a few parks that ban…
Opening and operating a business on the side occurs for lots of reasons. Some side businesses are operated by individuals who already own one business. Yet for others it means starting a business while working another job. A third category are people who have an idea for a business. They may not have another…
People going into business want to be successful. Lots of tips about success can be found online and in writing. Yet one tip is consistently seen and offers a great track record – Make good decisions, and do it consistently. It may seem obvious that successful business owners are good decision makers. In reality,…
During a break at an event last year, a small town yoga studio owner and I talked about her marketing. She knows that if people come to one class, they usually like it and return. She asked if she should make that first class free to get them in the door. I said no,…
When your customers want a product or service your carry, is your store the first place they go? People use habits and routines throughout much of their life. Habits and routines make life easier and free up the brain for other decision-making tasks. We operate much of our lives on autopilot. The autopilot mode can…
Business in rural areas just isn’t the same as what urban business pundits assume. I like to break through that urban bias with special trends for rural small business. I’ll share a short overview here, and you can download the full report here. No cost, and no sign-up needed. Trend 1. Stage 2 businesses bloom…
You have heard that a competitor is coming to your community. Now what do you do? This is the typical response of most business owners. And, of course, the bigger the competitor, the greater the fear of the new competition. When such rumors start circulating, and after the initial shock, business owners start to wonder…
There’s a saying in many organizations: Those who show up, go up. It’s not that all you have to do is show up. It’s that the people who consistently make the effort to show up are the same ones who make the effort to do the work. They are the ones who read and study the…
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