Our friend Leslie McLellan shared a question from one of her Lake Arrowhead Village locals who will be opening a new gift shop. “We would like to have a Grand Opening weekend event special at the end of April. Other than having special sales, we’re at a loss for what to do. Do you have any…
Keeping your business legal is an issue for all businesses, big and small. Businesses face a number of legal hurdles, from ensuring you properly register your business, report sales, income and wages, and make appropriate tax deposits, to following employment rules and regulations. Small-business owners understand that failure to follow all of these and…
Over on our Facebook page, Michelle K. Sholund asked: “Hey! I have an issue I want to propose. I am an owner of a small business – a gift shop that happens to handmake our own candles in the shop – in Maryland. We are getting bombarded with requests for donations anywhere from 2-5 a…
More people have a home-based business than you might think. On average, one of every 10 households is operating one or more home-based businesses. In rural areas, that number is often higher. And these numbers typically do not take into account farm and ranch operations which, by most definitions, would be considered a home-based business….
Today, you have unprecedented support available to help you build and improve your business and to survive any economic conditions. No matter how small a town or isolated an area you live in, internet access connects you to astounding resources. You can read advice from experts, including those in your own field. You can connect…
The number one complaint I hear about small town businesses is limited shopping hours. In our busy world, people want to shop in evenings and on weekends, but small town businesses tend to be closed then. When we talked about this in my newsletter group, Nora wrote back with an important stumbling block: it’s…
How can a community transform a dilapidated property with an $8000 assessed value to a new home that will return many times more value to the city? How can a community potentially bring a new family to town to live and work here? How can local investors create greater wealth for our community school,…
A common assumption among people wanting to start a business is that coming up with the idea is the hardest part. When you talk with people already in business, though, they often comment that the business idea was the easiest step to take. Small-business owners mention that they didn’t realize how hard it would…
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