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Small Biz Survival

The small town and rural business resource
  • Build your business with mini-events
    entrepreneurship | marketing | rural

    Build your business with mini-events

    ByBecky McCray October 9, 2017March 12, 2025

      If you believed me that the distraction IS your business now, then you might be thinking about events. You want to bring more life and activity to the area around your business, but big events are a big pain. Let’s do some tiny events instead. They’re a small pain, but a lot of fun….

    Read More Build your business with mini-eventsContinue

  • Overcoming the Challenges of Craft Vending in Small Towns
    entrepreneurship | marketing | rural

    Overcoming the Challenges of Craft Vending in Small Towns

    BySmall Biz Survival September 26, 2017September 24, 2017

      Guest Post by Jeriann Ireland, dairyairhead.com A couple of years ago, I decided to turn my craft hobby into a business. This was mainly so I could continue to craft without accumulating all the items I created. There are only so many occasions to give gifts, so I decided to start selling my creations. In the…

    Read More Overcoming the Challenges of Craft Vending in Small TownsContinue

  • Is this my business, or just a distraction?
    entrepreneurship | marketing | rural

    Is this my business, or just a distraction?

    ByBecky McCray September 25, 2017March 12, 2025

      I was walking through a retail hardware store and greenhouse in rural Kansas. The owner and I talked about the amazing selection he could keep in such a small town. He spent a little time lamenting all the things he used to be able to offer, but can’t anymore. Then we started brainstorming ideas…

    Read More Is this my business, or just a distraction?Continue

  • Where to find photos online that you can use for your business
    entrepreneurship | marketing | tools

    Where to find photos online that you can use for your business

    ByBecky McCray September 4, 2017November 16, 2017

      Between writing blog posts, sharing on social media, and creating graphics for my business, I’m always using photos. As much as possible, I use my own photos or ones that rural friends have shared with me with permission to re-use them. But I still find places I need a photo that I don’t have…

    Read More Where to find photos online that you can use for your businessContinue

  • The marketing genius behind Nacho Business
    customer service | entrepreneurship | marketing

    The marketing genius behind Nacho Business

    ByBecky McCray August 28, 2017August 7, 2017

    Dateline: Aberdeen, South Dakota Reporting: Becky McCray and Deb Brown Subject: Nacho Business Deb and I can’t resist shed businesses, especially with great names. We stopped for nachos. We told him we had to, just with that name. “We hooked you with name alone?” he said, clearly gratified. Then he dumped a bunch more marketing…

    Read More The marketing genius behind Nacho BusinessContinue

  • marketing | rural | Small Biz 100 | success

    Effective Marketing

    ByGlenn Muske August 16, 2017August 7, 2017

    I am not a regular television watcher but happened to catch a “60 Minutes” episode recently (http://tinyurl.com/60Minutes-socialmedia). The episode focused on how influencers are marketing using social media. Although I follow and use several social media platforms to help reach small-business owners, most of this information was new to me. But it was not surprising….

    Read More Effective MarketingContinue

  • Waze map
    economic development | marketing | rural | tech

    Is your town map accurate in Waze?

    BySmall Biz Survival August 2, 2017January 2, 2018

      Guest post by Steve Dee I’ve been using the Waze app for directions (and more importantly using crowd-sourced information to avoid police traps) since before it was bought by Google. I first started looking into editing the Waze map as a means of routing tourist travelers away from our school’s 15 MPH speed zone….

    Read More Is your town map accurate in Waze?Continue

  • marketing | rural | Small Biz 100

    Small Business Marketing: Start Your Own Holiday

    ByGlenn Muske July 26, 2017July 19, 2017

    If you have followed this blog, my colleague, Becky McCray, has provided lots of ideas for building communities and the small businesses in those areas. Her blogs have suggested things such as Pop-ups – https://smallbizsurvival.com/2014/03/what-is-a-pop-up-business.html Shared spaces – https://smallbizsurvival.com/2017/04/small-town-retail-trend-shared-spaces.html Tiny businesses – https://smallbizsurvival.com/2017/03/tiny-businesses-in-storage-sheds-a-rural-economic-development-tool.html I am adding another thought to this list by suggesting that a business or…

    Read More Small Business Marketing: Start Your Own HolidayContinue

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