Do you know why you are in business? What a silly question! You’re in business to make money, right? Well, yes. If you are in business and want to stay in business, then generating a profit is necessary. But is that what you really want from your business? Not all business owners focus on the…
My friend Paul Chaney asked me this, and I thought you might be thinking about it, too. “Hi, Becky. I’m working with a group here in Natchez that is focused on figuring out ways to make it attractive to location-independent workers (that’s one group anyway; also, artisans, makers, the creative community). Also, interested to know…
Guest post by Peggy Sanders Let’s compare two small towns and how their retail outlets do business. Town A has a population of 3,700 and is on a steady decline shown by a loss of 15% since 2000, and Town B has 990 residents with a 27% increase during the past 16 years. Towns A…
In a world driven by frenetic change, which small towns are going to thrive? We know rural people play a key role in our society, so some small towns will have a future. Some small towns are innovative and progressive. Other small towns are stuck in the past. Is there anything that tells us…
It may be that I grew up in a small town area, but mention “small-town service” to people and they will know what you are talking about. So when I saw the tagline on this business sign, I felt I understood how this business treated their customers. (You can read more about developing the tagline…
No one creates jobs in a vacuum. They need to connect to customers. They need to connect to people at suppliers and service providers. They need to connect to people who help them think of the new ideas that generate new value that create more demand that lead to new jobs. They need to…
Understanding what is small business marketing and what is branding is sometimes difficult. Often the concept of branding is collapsed into having a good business name, a logo and a specific color pallet used when identifying the business Marketing, on the other hand, often is equated to advertising only. These perceptions are correct but incomplete….
I operate with a set of beliefs about rural places and small towns. I want to share them with you so you’ll know what I’m assuming whenever I talk with you. When I tell you that I help you shape a better future for your small town, that includes my beliefs that small towns in general have a…
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