Reader Micah Choquette asked on Twitter: @beckymccray any tips on finding business info and demographics for my town? Do ppl keep records like biz’s that opened/closed ths yr?— Micah Choquette (@meetmicah) November 14, 2012 This is a tough question, because most small towns lack this kind of basic economic data. Two online resources can help,…
This article comes from my friend Stephanie Ward. She’s originally from Oklahoma, but currently lives in The Netherlands. She wants to help you become a more meaningful entrepreneur, making a difference in the world. While this article isn’t specifically written for rural entrepreneurs, I think outsourcing is a small town issue. Outsourcing doesn’t just mean…
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…
Free is a pretty compelling price. How can you compete with that? Is it possible to add enough value to be worth more than a competitor that is free? Cheap or FreePhoto by Chris Brogan The recent controversy within the social media community over Chris Brogan’s Blog Topics newsletter provides a pretty good example. I’ve…
Need some new small town tourism ideas? Borrow some. It’s the rural tradition: swipe from the best. The Rural Information Center at the USDA has links to tons of resources and ideas on rural tourism. It can take a while to figure out their menu structure, but trust me, there is great info linked from there. It…
If you’ve searched online for sample legal documents and contracts, you’ve found a mess. Lots of paid services and few documents you can use. So WhichDraft caught my attention. WhichDraft.com walks you through a question and answer process to create legal documents, like contracts, agreements, and leases. There is also a sharing feature, so you…
One reality of software is that sometimes it goes away. Microsoft Office Accounting was discontinued in November of 2009. Microsoft Money (for personal accounting) was also discontinued. I have no idea how many small businesses were using MS Accounting or MS Money, but Sage Accounting just sent out a press release about their options for “where…
A friend asked me about the basics of ebook publishing. I offered to pull together some resources, and I thought you might be interested in the answer, too. An ebook is one way to spread your ideas online. You can make them free or put them up for sale. The term ebook can mean any electronically…
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