Many small businesses collect email addresses from their customers, but they never do anything with them. That’s a missed opportunity. Other small businesses have built their entire presence on Facebook, so they have no control over who does or does not get their messages. Email remains a tool that you control. You decide when…
People going into business want to be successful. Lots of tips about success can be found online and in writing. Yet one tip is consistently seen and offers a great track record – Make good decisions, and do it consistently. It may seem obvious that successful business owners are good decision makers. In reality,…
Grant Griffiths Interview Grant Griffiths founded a global high-tech company from his basement in a small town of fewer than 4,000 people, and he’s been successful for five years now. Grant explains how he founded his business with his son and works with a virtual team of people all over the world. Grant likes…
During a break at an event last year, a small town yoga studio owner and I talked about her marketing. She knows that if people come to one class, they usually like it and return. She asked if she should make that first class free to get them in the door. I said no,…
Donna Maria Interview Donna Maria is one of those people who just makes me happy. She’s a practical business owner, she’s a mentor to others, and she knows that it’s up to us to create our own future. Donna Maria saw a recent news story with yet another negative view of rural that…
Business in rural areas just isn’t the same as what urban business pundits assume. I like to break through that urban bias with special trends for rural small business. I’ll share a short overview here, and you can download the full report here. No cost, and no sign-up needed. Trend 1. Stage 2 businesses bloom…
Lots of small town business have turned to Facebook for a big part of their online presence. It’s easy to create a page, easy to post photos and updates, and easy to attract locals as fans. The problem is that Facebook is changing the rules so that almost no one sees what you share,…
Ben Winchester Interview Part 1 Ben Winchester has a positive view of rural for good reason: he’s done the research. The media loves to talk about the brain drain of young people leaving rural communities. Ben’s research says there’s another trend, maybe more powerful. Adults age 30-44 are returning to rural communities, bringing higher incomes,…
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