Last week, we talked about how big box retailers are getting smaller. Why is the big box retail sector making this expensive and difficult change to smaller stores? Because consumers have already started changing. Humorist David Sedaris summed up this consumer feeling in an interview. “I’d rather go to an actual shop — preferably a small…
When asked if they have any advantages as a small business, many owners respond negatively. The fact is, small-business owners, especially those in rural areas and small towns, have many advantages they can use to enhance the success of their store. Knowing the audience is a huge advantage. Yet they often do not make full…
Do you own a small business and find you have no free time? Have you recently found yourself too busy to have lunch with a friend? Does your family start dinner without you? While these are not perfect predictors (life happens), being “too busy” may be a symptom that your business time management needs some…
No matter if your community is big or small, rural or urban, small businesses form a key component of the local economic engine. However, an issue that communities face is how they can support the growth and development of small business. The goal is helping small businesses remain in business and have the resources they…
It is easy for business owners to see and want those great new things that surround us. Yet those shiny new things may not be what the business owner needs at that moment or maybe ever. Shiny new things cost money and may take more time. Owners must decide if those are things that he…
I recently did a post for another blog, Power of Business. In it I discussed the fact that marketing is much more than making a sale. Marketing should happen early, be often and continuous. You must understand who your potential customer is, what motivates them, and be prepared to use all of the marketing tools available. …
Guest Post by SeaTurtle Sports Co-founder Allen Bell and Allison Goldman, Director of SeaTurtle Sports Allen and Jeanne Bell launched SeaTurtle Sports in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 2003 to design and manufacture premium beach and backyard games. As its founders, we observed a lack of new ideas in the category and what we felt was an unhealthy…
Rural business owners commonly use part of their home in their business. This can include using an extra bedroom as a home office, an specific area of one room for product crafting such as sewing, an exterior building like a shed or garage for production or research, or a specific section of your lot or…
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