In the business world, minimizing the competition may seem like a good idea. Yet research and reality have found that competition actually may strengthen a market for the competing business owners. Studies have found that as competing businesses move closer together, both increase their returns. Think about it: Wal-Mart and Target often will be closer…
Chris Gibbons is well-known for pioneering the concept of “Economic Gardening” in the small-town of Littleton, Colorado. (Population about 40,000, and part of the greater Denver metropolitan area.) On a recent webinar presented by the Kansas City Branch of the Federal Reserve, Gibbons explained the basics of economic gardening. Differences between economic gardening and other…
Small rural communities are here to stay! This should not shock anyone. If you read this blog on a regular basis, you have heard the message before. Yet a look at many news sources would suggest that thes message has not yet made it into the main stream. Not a problem. We will just continue…
At the AMIBA national conference, I captured a few of the sessions that I thought you might be interested in. This one is about community bankers and how they get involved in your town. If you haven’t started a relationship with a community bank, now is a great time to get out and meet one….
Two art projects that are kind of cousins caught my attention as tools for small towns. First is from reader Doug Mackenzie. It’s metal sign that, if you stand in the right place and line up the courthouse in the center, it shows the other historic buildings from the town of Marshall, North Carolina. (See the…
Successful business owners understand the market they are in and who they are competing against. Have you taken the time to figure this out for your business? Understanding this and then developing your business to respond are crucial for long-term viability. Yet research suggests that often the business owner takes too narrow of a view…
I am a farm boy. Grew up on a what today would be a small farm. My summers and after-school hours were spent working on the farm. Days were long and there was always something to do. Putting up hay always happened around July 4th. For most of my farming friends, this was a way…
Michael Shuman Interview Economist and Author Michael Shuman knows a heck of a lot about why we have a local movement. He’s also the author of the books Small Mart Revolution and Local Dollars, Local Sense. In this interview, he goes all economist on durable and nondurable goods right at the start, but hang on,…
Glad you dropped in to the rural and small town business blog, established in 2006.
We want you to feel at home, so please take our guided tour.
Meet our authors on the About page.
Have something to say? You can give us a holler on the contact form.
Want to search our past articles? Catch up with the latest stories? Browse through the categories? All the good stuff is on the Front Page.
We partner with campaigns and organizations that we think best benefit rural small businesses.
Copyright © 2006–2026 Becky McCray • Site by Webdancers