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,…
@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! :)…
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