Thanks to Tim Marema and an email from the National Rural Assembly, I took a quick look at today’s announcement by The White House “that it is creating a Rural Council to help the administration better coordinate the impact of federal programs in rural areas.” Obama, center, and Vilsack, right, and Morgan Hoenig, left, touring…
We all know small town businesses like this: the whole place says, “go away!” Customers walk in and feel like they are an interruption, an annoyance. Here’s my question:Is this your business? Are you sure? You might be the offender, and not even realize it. Put in some extra effort today to make your customers…
An anonymous reader left this plaintive cry on an old post here: My Arizona small town is a mess. We are going to become a ghost town and/or absorbed into the County if we can’t generate revenue. The Town Council and Chamber are full of power plays, bickering and a Good Ol’ Boy attitude. We…
Matt About Solutions Weekly Link Roundup Each week, I collect the 10 best posts that I’ve read and share them with you here. These posts focus on either choosing, or using, small business solutions online (or both!). Enjoy!Matt MansfieldIf you need a website, consider getting a free consult with Matt: Think Outside the Browser 5 Ways…
Part of our community here is sharing discussion and ideas with each other, so here’s a question for all of us: Succession planning affects farmsand rural small businesses. “Hello from British Columbia. I work with rural communities in BC, many of whom are worried about what to do when their aging small business owners retire….
Long ago, Rebecca Leaman asked me about nonprofits in small towns. Profit/nonprofit partnership is essentialin most small towns. “A lot of your thoughts on small-town and small-biz development seem to apply well to nonprofits, too – certainly to the grassroots groups that keep rural communities (I live in one) rolling. Your thoughts?” At the time,…
Many of you loved the information from Dave Shideler in Building Entrepreneurial Communities. Now you can participate as Shideler presents two webinars on the same subject, plus one on youth entrepreneurship. These three webinars are presented free by Oklahoma State University Extension Service and Oklahoma’s Rural Enterprises, Inc.: Building Entrepreneurial Communities Part I: What are…
Small towns are full of characters. Sometimes, we feel a bit embarrassed by that, but what if we started to value our town characters? It might be a savvy tourism opportunity. Here’s how one town did it, catching the attention of a travel writer. A few town characters from Waynoka, Oklahoma: the Dog Creek Gunfighters….
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