Early childhood education is an economic development issue, not just because we’ve been quoting Ed Morrison about it for years, but also because the research is here to support it. The latest piece is a potential blockbuster. Excellent early childhood education makes a lasting difference through the elementary years, based on standardized testing results. But it…
This is the second of several reports from the Making Place Matter in Northwest Oklahoma Rural Community Economic Development Summit held in Alva on June 3, 2010. A session on community building covered a wide range of topics, from the Main Street approach, to supporting local businesses, rural tourism, rural grocery stores, the participation of young people,…
In July 2009, I attended the High Plains Resource Conservation and Development Board meeting in Taloga, Oklahoma. While I was officially there to present their new website, I couldn’t help learning and taking notes. Dr. Larry Sanders from Oklahoma State University spoke about wide ranging rural business issues, including marketing, entrepreneurship, retaining youth, and tourism….
A big discussion at ChrisBrogan.com about unpaid internships spilled over into the question of whether unpaid internships are legal in the US. I used to work in the field of workforce development (back in the dark ages), so I wasn’t afraid to head to DOL to check. Here’s what my research says:Unpaid internships would not…
Small towns lose too many of their high school graduates: they drop out, they move away, they leave for college, they get involved in drugs, they vandalize, or they are just lost. What can you do? Read “This small town nurtures its teenagers,” a success story from Canada. Here’s the end of the story: The…
Deb Brown, a small town newspaper editor from Iowa, has interviewed me on a wide range of subjects! She has also shared the interview on her blog, Deb Works. We talked about making a living in a small town, Small Biz Survival, lessons I’ve learned from my businesses, social media for small town businesses, African…
Young entrepreneurs are our future. Rural young entrepreneurs, however, can be just a little different. Here’s a new twist on the old lemonade stand idea: @LizaJne tweeted: the boys are out in the yard selling frogs, slugs, grasshoppers and other bugs. they’ve already made $6.00! Lessons you can learn: Don’t believe the grownups who tell…
“Serving fine concessions since 2008” That’s the branding statement for the Homerun Hut. It’s the concession stand at a local athletic club. After some years of inconsistent operations, a young couple took on the operation for the summer. Her dad is the club president and opened the door. They are a good pair. They’ve been…
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