…but I was busy serving the people who are innovating in rural places today. That’s not actually true. I did read your article. And I shook my head through the whole thing. And I set aside being busy long enough to write down a few thoughts in response. You went with the “this town is…
People appreciate the opportunity to pay more for the stuff that matters to them. Maine photographer Meg Hatch offered a photography mini-session for families before the holidays. She sold a lot of them. She over-delivered, taking more shots than promised and going over and above the call to get great photos for families. One customer…
Today is the 10th birthday of Small Biz Survival. My first article was Can you build a growing small business in a declining small town? on January 15, 2006. Over the past ten years together, we’ve created 2,448 posts. That includes 482 Brag Baskets, 1667 posts by me, and at least 299 contributor posts. (It’s possible…
Small businesses form the cornerstone of local economies. In larger cities they are important, but in rural areas, they are crucial, not only economically but for the variety of products and services they provide. To begin with, the economic impact of the small business is sizable. Research shows that for every $100 spent, $68 dollars…
The Brag Basket is open! This one is for January 8-11, 2016. Bring your good news, big or small, to share with everyone. What good news will you share? What can you do in the Brag Basket? introduce yourself share some great news from this week congratulate a friend applaud for each other confess…
As you probably know, if you are going into business, the odds your business will be around in five years are not good. But they aren’t as bad as you may think, either. Approximately one-third of businesses close within two years. At the five-year mark, about one-half of all businesses have closed. We don’t approach…
Businesses in small towns don’t work together very well. That was one of the top findings in our Survey of Rural Challenges. Survey answers included a lot of examples of this inability to cooperate: “Many of our merchants won’t participate in group promos.” “Businesses don’t cooperate with each other!” “The ‘competiveness’ of small town…
The Brag Basket is open! This one is for January 1-3, 2016. Bring your good news, big or small, to share with everyone. What good news will you share to kick off the new year? What can you do in the Brag Basket? introduce yourself share some great news from this week congratulate a…
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