Building a small business and developing an invention take different skills. I was reminded of this when I read David McCullough’s book, “The Wright Brothers.” Inventors are interested in the development of the idea. They are not put off by trial and error. Business owners are focused on solving a consumer’s problem and doing so…
If you have been reading my Wednesday contributions to Small Business Survival, you know to expect some tip for your business operation or some new idea seen elsewhere. This week you will find something different. I need your thoughts. I have an opinion but am I realistic? Here is the situation. Over the weekend, I…
Rural and small town businesses aren’t limited to the downtown mom-and-pop stores or the businesses recruited into the industrial park any more. In fact, rural businesses today don’t really have to look like any of the traditional business models for small towns. The traditional way to go into business in a small town was to…
When Google has you in the wrong place, it matters! Google Maps, Google Local, and mobile Google searches all share the same basic data, so if your address is wrong in one, it’s wrong in all of them. When I view the Google insights for my own business, it reports hundreds of people viewing my…
How often have you entered a store only to experience one of these two scenarios? You can’t find anyone to help you or a salesperson descends on you and just won’t go away so you can shop. You hear a lot about the importance of customer service. Yet, much of what you read and hear…
Seems like there’s been a lot of retirements announced in my small town newspaper lately. There’s usually an ad giving a profile of their career, their smiling photo, and details of the retirement reception. As I read the latest one, I thought it seemed like a shame. Here was the story of a well-qualified person,…
Sometimes, when someone is telling me about their town, they’ll say it. “We have nothing here! Nothing!” It bothers me. Surely you have something to work with? Des Walsh is a friend of mine from Australia who has strong rural ties. He told me about a village that had nothing. “Many years ago I…
It’s a fad you’ll be hearing about everywhere. It’s all about comfort, coziness and connectedness. It’s the subject of a rush of new books. It’s a fad, and it won’t last forever. But it’s also connected to larger trends in society that are good for rural. If we can just figure out how to say it….
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