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…
InnovationLab helps rural businesses in Sonora, CA Guest post by Greg Falken Tuolumne General Hospital opened its doors in 1849, serving miners in the gold fields of California. By some accounts, the town of Sonora – now the county seat – was founded to address the miners’ urgent need for health care. TGH had six…
A news story from Garland, Texas, got me thinking about what you can do with a roofless building. We came up with a lot of ideas for empty buildings, so I knew we could do something with roofless buildings, too. You probably have one in your downtown. Maybe a building burned, or maybe the roof…
Buying a business can be a great way to get started. You already know if the business can make it, plus you already have an existing market base who know you exist. Before going too far into examining the business, you, as the prospective owner, need to consider what is prompting this decision to buy….
I hate surprises in my liquor store business. “Oh, no! We’re almost out of sacks!” “We need to come up with money to cover the insurance payment!” “Why didn’t you remember to order the Oktoberfest last month?!” No one likes surprises like that, so I started using a perpetual calendar. Hanging above the current…
Cities and towns, urban and rural, face a lot of the same challenges. We share the same basic issues in trying to build prosperity: support businesses, maintain infrastructure, provide basic services, improve the quality of life, build a sense of place, support the arts, promote health, and all the other to-do items you can…
The bottom lime for survival of a business eventually comes down to making sales. You need to get money coming in the door. There are many ways that you, as a business owner, can make your product and services available. One way used successfully by many art and craft businesses is by participating in shows…
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