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Small Biz Survival

The small town and rural business resource
  • Small town makerspace idea: Old Geezer Club
    economic development | entrepreneurship | rural

    Small town makerspace idea: Old Geezer Club

    ByDeb Brown September 12, 2017October 1, 2017

    Deb Brown, co-founder of SaveYour.Town, joins us today to share a story about a group of guys she met in Akron, Iowa.  I’ve been talking about the old boys at the coffee clubs for a long time, and usually as members of the Committee of Negativity. You know them – they meet for coffee and…

    Read More Small town makerspace idea: Old Geezer ClubContinue

  • Business Idea: A new use for old church buildings: camping and lodging
    entrepreneurship | ideas | rural | tourism

    Business Idea: A new use for old church buildings: camping and lodging

    ByBecky McCray September 11, 2017August 8, 2017

      Your town probably has one: an empty church building. I’ve seen several converted to private homes, but I hadn’t seen one used as camping or lodging until this: champing, or camping in churches. ‘Champing’™ is the ultimate ‘slow tourism’ escape, with England’s historic churches offering their own unique havens of tranquility, a peaceful night’s sleep interrupted only…

    Read More Business Idea: A new use for old church buildings: camping and lodgingContinue

  • family business | rural | Small Biz 100

    Time and Family Businesses

    ByGlenn Muske August 30, 2017August 24, 2017

    Earlier this year, I did a blog post on the importance of “Family Businesses in the Economy.” Most of us patronize these businesses, but probably don’t think much about them. Who are the owners? What types of businesses do they run? How successful are they? Prior to retirement, I was part of a group of…

    Read More Time and Family BusinessesContinue

  • rural | Small Biz 100 | success

    Networking Isn’t a One-Time Event

    ByGlenn Muske August 23, 2017August 20, 2017

    Want to have a successful small business? Then build your network. Comments like this are not uncommon. Good networking is one factor in building a successful, sustainable small-business. Both anecdotal information and research supports such claims. We have written about it previously in this blog when discussing “Networking for Business Success.” Most articles, like this…

    Read More Networking Isn’t a One-Time EventContinue

  • Don stands in front of colorful paint samples.
    economic development | entrepreneurship | management | rural

    Who will run small town businesses when the owners retire? One unusual option you may not have considered

    ByBecky McCray August 21, 2017August 9, 2017

      It’s already happening. Older business owners are retiring and closing businesses because they can’t find buyers. Universities and business support agencies are scrambling to set up succession planning courses and workshops. Chambers of commerce are making desperate efforts to find buyers. But there’s an unusual option most people overlook: employee ownership. If the business…

    Read More Who will run small town businesses when the owners retire? One unusual option you may not have consideredContinue

  • 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

  • Sign: 20 fine climbing or defacing water tower
    Best of | economic development | entrepreneurship | rural

    So what if they said it’s illegal? Doing business when it’s against the rules

    ByBecky McCray August 14, 2017January 6, 2020

        “Every one of your Innovative Rural Business Models is illegal!” That was the code enforcement guy at a recent event I spoke at. I just nodded and agreed. Yes, sure they are in some towns or in some circumstances. But so what? Don’t let an outdated law or rule stop a great idea…

    Read More So what if they said it’s illegal? Doing business when it’s against the rulesContinue

  • How to cope with wild swings in income using the pressure tank method
    Best of | entrepreneurship | finance | rural

    How to cope with wild swings in income using the pressure tank method

    ByBecky McCray August 7, 2017December 9, 2018

    When I was a kid, we had a water well at our house. The pump would run long enough to fill up the tank, then shut off. So the water pressure in the house was either all or nothing, kind of like your income. Being self-employed is almost synonymous with wild swings in income. Compared…

    Read More How to cope with wild swings in income using the pressure tank methodContinue

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