Every small town is struggling to find enough volunteers to keep projects going and start new ones. It’s not just you! The trick is that people have changed, but volunteering really has not. If you want to be part of making your community a little greener, you have to volunteer to be on the…
Empty space is an enemy of small town retail stores. Empty shelves and empty space make customers think you don’t have much to sell. They already think you don’t have much because that’s the stereotype of small town stores. You can combat this perception easily: fill all empty space, floor to ceiling. Secret: You…
Lots of big cities have started shipping container business villages. I love the idea. But many of them are making a huge mistake that I don’t want to see small towns copy. The Big Mistake: Ignoring the street My friend Carlos Moreno of Tulsa, Oklahoma, pointed this out. Here’s a picture of the Boxyard in…
This is an easy idea for small town economic developers, chambers of commerce, banks and all the people who care about their small towns. It’s pretty common to hear people say something like, “There’s no new businesses in our town!” That’s because they aren’t remembering all the new business activity or they maybe aren’t paying…
Small-business owners always are looking for ways to build their business. Often their thoughts focus on having the right products and/or services at the right price and selling to the right market. . These are key elements in building a sustainable business. As a scientist would say, they are necessary but not sufficient, however. Without…
You’ve probably heard me say this one before: The best way to save your town is to start your own small business. I have four reasons that back that up: You’ll decide what values to put first More small businesses means more jobs* Locally-owned businesses are the key to local prosperity* You’ll return more…
What a crazy thought. Who couldn’t handle more money, more visibility, more fame, and a larger share of the market? The writer of this blog must have lost his mind. It does seem like a foolish thought, but then I look back on various companies I have worked with who were on the brink of …
Small town tourism groups and chambers of commerce often need information about their local tourism trends, but don’t have reliable sources of data. Statistics from the state are usually divided by county or only cover larger communities. The few stats you can get your hands on are usually well out of date. Turns out,…
Glad you dropped in to the rural and small town business blog, established in 2006.
We want you to feel at home, so please take our guided tour.
Meet our authors on the About page.
Have something to say? You can give us a holler on the contact form.
Want to search our past articles? Catch up with the latest stories? Browse through the categories? All the good stuff is on the Front Page.
We partner with campaigns and organizations that we think best benefit rural small businesses.
Copyright © 2006–2026 Becky McCray • Site by Webdancers