[Stephanie Ward is a fellow Oklahoman, who happens to now reside in The Netherlands. She’s been a good friend and coach, and I’m proud to offer this guest post from her. – Becky] By Stephanie Ward What if there was a business that could save children’s lives, protect women from rape, improve the environment, and even…
Guest Post by Lance Trebesch I’m not your typical rural businessman. Though my office may be located in the countryside these days, I actually began my career managing and growing startups in Silicon Valley. I spent more than fifteen years in the “heart of the concrete jungle,” helping companies turn their promising new businesses into…
Reader Dan Johnson, from the Main Street Mall and Perkins Pizza Factory in Perkins, Oklahoma, asked about getting noticed when you’re in the middle of the block. With a row of brick storefronts, it can be tough to stand out! When you’re one business on a long block,how can you stand out?This block is in Traverse City,…
How you spend your time tells everyone what is important to you. When you are your own boss, and maybe even the only one in the company, no one tells you when to or how to focus on the most important things. Focus is a do-it-yourself project. You need some “locked door,no interruption” time to…
By Glenn Muske Rural and Agribusiness Enterprise Development SpecialistNorth Dakota State University Extension Service – Center for Community Vitality A lot of people want to start a business with the next great idea. Practically the entire population of nascent entrepreneurs falls into one of two categories: those who think they have the next great idea,…
As business owners, we’re bombed by marketing advice. Friends are eager to tell us what we “should” be doing. Articles are full of marketing advice we are “supposed” to follow. We know we have to do what “everyone else” is doing. So we set up blogs, but don’t post on them. We create social media…
To help you get a better handle on your business, I put together a webinar in cooperation with Cory Miller’s Entrepreneurship Lab, called 4 Ways to JumpStart Your Business. We managed to make business planning just a little less stodgy than the usual 5 pound binder. The recording is now available to everyone, so I’m…
When I co-hosted BlogChat with Mack Collier a week ago, it was a great chance to answer the most-requested questions about small business blogging. I thought you might like to see those answers, too. Can your blog sell for your small business? A blog *could* sell product for a small biz, but that would be…
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