Burnet, Texas, has a neat small town development idea, to encourage building close in, instead of out on the edge in suburb-style developments. Downtown Burnet, Texas. They call it the Hometown Housing Program. For new houses on empty residential lots in the targeted core area, the city rebates 100% of water, sewer and electric tap…
Yes, I do get asked “Is my small town the only one that is this messed up?” The answer is no, you are not alone. We all wonder about it. We all think we must have the most messed up small town anywhere. We deal with some part of the continuum of bad behavior: pettiness backstabbing…
Finding funding for tourism projects is always a challenge. One set of funds that gets overlooked for tourism is the USDA Rural Business Enterprise Grants (RBEG) for towns of fewer than 50,000 people. The Kansas Flint Hills region is working togetheron tourism training. Photo (CC) by TravelKS. RBEG funds are intended to support rural entrepreneurs…
Many small businesses can’t qualify for a small business loan from a traditional local bank. A bad credit record disqualifies many. Lending standards have tightened. Some small towns are limited by local banks that don’t support small business; others don’t have locally-owned banks any more. The good news is that alternatives are available. We are…
This downtown art project comes from Waynoka, Oklahoma, population 927. Far from a dressy, stodgy downtown, they have a casual attitude. It’s a working class town with history as a railroad community. The wooden utility poles downtown were in bad need of a new coat of that boring silver paint. What happened instead is far…
As small town business people, we don’t give ourselves enough credit. What we learn in the tough environment of small towns gives us a valuable perspective. We know what it’s like to survive an uncertain economy and through times with zero income. Just like the national economy today. We know how to manage multiple lines…
Many small businesses can’t qualify for a small business loan from a traditional local bank. A bad credit record disqualifies many. Lending standards have tightened. Some small towns are limited by local banks that don’t support small business; others don’t have locally-owned banks any more. The good news is that alternatives are available. We are…
A “cash mob” is a group of regular people who decide to all support the same local business on the same day. Today is International Cash Mob Day. If you don’t have a cash mob in your town, now is the time to organize one. What are the rules? There are no rules, or each…
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