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Small Biz Survival

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Small Biz Survival

The small town and rural business resource
  • entrepreneurship | organization

    Almost half the year is gone; time to review your goals

    ByBecky McCray June 29, 2011August 27, 2014

    You can’t score a slam dunk if you don’t know your goal. We’re coming up on the halfway point in the year. How are you doing? Great? Not so good? Or can’t tell, because you don’t have usable goals? Goals are the basis of all your plans.You have to get good at goal setting and…

    Read More Almost half the year is gone; time to review your goalsContinue

  • economic development | entrepreneurship | ideas | rural | trends | youth

    Want to retain more youth? Offer them downtown housing

    ByBecky McCray June 23, 2011August 27, 2014

    A big trend in urban real estate is coming to small towns, to create a new opportunity to retain more young people. Young real estate buyers have made an epic shift, away from big suburban homes, and toward smaller spaces in walkable neighborhoods. I read about this first in Grist: Millennials not looking for McMansions…

    Read More Want to retain more youth? Offer them downtown housingContinue

  • entrepreneurship | marketing | mistakes

    Be specific to attract more buyers

    ByBecky McCray June 22, 2011August 27, 2014

    Are you ready to attract more buyers? Then be more specific. If you’re offerings are too general, few people can get excited. By trying to appeal to everyone, you’re really not all that appealing to anyone. In New York City, we saw this sign outside a tiny steak place, advertising just “Lunch.” What would you put…

    Read More Be specific to attract more buyersContinue

  • customer service | entrepreneurship | rural

    Darn customers, go away and quit bothering me!

    ByBecky McCray June 6, 2011August 27, 2014

    We all know small town businesses like this: the whole place says, “go away!” Customers walk in and feel like they are an interruption, an annoyance. Here’s my question:Is this your business? Are you sure?  You might be the offender, and not even realize it. Put in some extra effort today to make your customers…

    Read More Darn customers, go away and quit bothering me!Continue

  • entrepreneurship | mistakes | resources

    One mistake that can kill your business

    ByBecky McCray June 2, 2011August 27, 2014

    A local restaurant held an auction, to sell off all their kitchen equipment. They’ve been closed for over a year, devastated by a water pipe break that ruined most of their interior furnishings. What if a nearby fireforced you to evacuateyour business? The news today is full of floods, tornadoes and even wildfires. We see…

    Read More One mistake that can kill your businessContinue

  • entrepreneurship | marketing

    The Second Question You Should be Asking about Your Website

    BySmall Biz Survival May 23, 2011January 31, 2023

    How’s your website doing? Did you answer that thorny question that Becky and I talked about at the end of last year? (No, seriously, that question is really important – it is the first question you should always answer before building or changing your website. Go on, re-read it if you have to, we’ll wait patiently here.) Today…

    Read More The Second Question You Should be Asking about Your WebsiteContinue

  • economic development | entrepreneurship | rural

    Building Your Own Entrepreneurial Communities

    ByBecky McCray May 5, 2011August 27, 2014

    Many of you loved the information from Dave Shideler in Building Entrepreneurial Communities. Now you can participate as Shideler presents two webinars on the same subject, plus one on youth entrepreneurship. These three webinars are presented free by Oklahoma State University Extension Service and Oklahoma’s Rural Enterprises, Inc.: Building Entrepreneurial Communities Part I: What are…

    Read More Building Your Own Entrepreneurial CommunitiesContinue

  • entrepreneurship | ideas | rural

    How to pack Main Street for a big sale

    ByBecky McCray April 28, 2011August 27, 2014

    [My friend Gayle Machetta from Henryetta, Oklahoma, sent me the story of how one local merchant has created a sales event that packs hundreds of people into their downtown twice a year. –Becky] Burnett Furniture getting ready for the big sale.Photo by Gayle Machetta.  Sending you an invite to come to Henryetta and see what…

    Read More How to pack Main Street for a big saleContinue

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