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,…
@BeckyMcCray have you ever seen a small town struggle because it had too many of the same kind of business? — Micah Choquette (@meetmicah) October 19, 2013 My friend Micah Choquette @meetmicah asked me on Twitter, “Have you ever seen a small town struggle because it had too many of the same kind of…
Travel has gone from going to SEE things to going to DO things. Next, I predict, is going to MAKE things. — Robert Reid (@reidontravel) December 30, 2013 Here’s another travel trend that small towns can excel at: the shift to more active, even productive, tourism. Right now, you have a chance to suck…
Small towns are by definition a limited market. If you are depending on just your locals for all of your customers, you are limiting the growth of your business. You may need to reach beyond the geographic limits to find enough customers to be sustainable. So think of ways you can get beyond the borders….
In response to “Want to develop your small town? Start with your assets, Luther Snow says,” two of you asked for more information about facilitating business-to-business marketplaces. Simone Cahoj said in a comment: I’d love some more ideas about facilitating a business-to-business marketplace. We have tried this but I think we need a different approach! :)…
Recently I was fortunate enough to catch a webinar with Luther Snow talking about the asset approach and positive development. Urban Bias Snow started by addressing the prevalent “urban bias”: assuming that the way things happen in the concentrated center is what matters everywhere. Urban bias is evident in: centralized meetings traditional land economics (high price…
Will you make plans and set goals for your business in 2014? Or not? If you are typical of most people, you start the new year by making some resolutions or set some goals that you want to achieve in the next 12 months. And typically those resolutions are forgotten in a very short time….
Joel Bennett Joel Bennett Interview Joel Bennett of Pella, Iowa, helped pioneer a co-working space in his town, called Veel Hoeden (“Many Hats”). It has grown from just 4 offices to 9 offices plus space for more people who just drop in with a laptop. It has supported existing entrepreneurs, and it’s helped create new entrepreneurial ventures….
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