I operate with a set of assumptions 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. (Yes, I know what happens when you assume. Call them basic beliefs instead of assumptions, if you prefer.) When I tell you that…
Twice recently, the question has come up: who is going to buy the stores in my town when their owners retire in a few years? The answer is no one, unless you start growing your people. In small towns, this is a pressing question. If you lose a key business because the owner can’t…
What do these four things have in common? Keep up building maintenance Develop your online presence Provide good wages and benefits Establish a solid customer service program Give up? Perhaps the article title gave you a hint. Each of these items has been shown to build your bottom line. That’s correct. Spending money in these…
Every retail store in a small town has slow days, times when you know you just won’t have many customers. One of your fellow readers wrote in with this tip for slow days in retail stores: I run a clothes shop in a small town in Oviedo in the north of Spain. I never…
Get out the noise makers. Put on your party hats. Order a cake. It’s time to celebrate the backbone of our economy, the small business. Small Business Week 2016, May 1 through May 7, is a celebration of small businesses across the country. Small businesses mean jobs, dollars and economic growth. According to the U.S….
Beauty salons. Even really small towns probably have one. But when was the last time an economic developer considered them as important business development tools? I was speaking to the Northwest Oklahoma Workforce Board about the 8 Innovative Rural Business Models. When I got to the Business Inside a Business model, my own local…
Have you ever bought something only to find out that the final prices is more, and sometimes a great deal more, than what you read or were told? How did it make you feel? That feeling is the same one your customer gets if you aren’t being transparent in your pricing. When I have discussed…
I’m a fan of business fairs, business expos and all kinds of business showcases. These are the kind of event where different businesses come together in one place and set up booths or displays. Good fairs bring together business people with new customers and with each other. It’s good for everyone. In my…
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