I run a retail store in a small town, and I love technology. That’s why I came up with these ten ways you can put an Android tablet or iPad to work in your rural retail business. 1. Take payments at the Point of Sale Throw away your old cash register. A tablet makes…
The Brag Basket is open! This one is for March 20-22, 2015. Bring your good news to share with everyone. 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 your undying love for rural places How do you…
When marketing your small business, you need to include all possible options in your tool kit. One such option is called public relations. Many business owners think of it as free advertising. This is a myth because it isn’t free and it isn’t advertising. Parts of public relations, or PR, such as announcements of new…
Today is National Agriculture Day in the US. I’m proud to be in agriculture as a rancher here in Oklahoma. I’m also proud of the role that agribusiness plays in small towns all over the world. Agriculture is a key part of rural prosperity. Ag-based businesses in the US are almost unbelievably diverse. farms ranches…
This is another list of ideas that came from a question by a real business owner. How do you get the word out about events in small towns? They were kind of stuck for ideas, past having the Chamber of Commerce send an email and creating a Facebook event. So what else could they do?…
Businesspeople want to know why they ought to pay dues to a business association. The association wants to know why businesses that don’t pay should reap any benefits. When an association helps produce events, advertises, puts up signs, produces brochures or maps, all the businesses profit from the betterment of the town whether they…
Our friend Leslie McLellan shared a question from one of her Lake Arrowhead Village locals who will be opening a new gift shop. “We would like to have a Grand Opening weekend event special at the end of April. Other than having special sales, we’re at a loss for what to do. Do you have any…
Keeping your business legal is an issue for all businesses, big and small. Businesses face a number of legal hurdles, from ensuring you properly register your business, report sales, income and wages, and make appropriate tax deposits, to following employment rules and regulations. Small-business owners understand that failure to follow all of these and…
Since 2006, this site has been helping people like you in small towns move forward without waiting on outside experts, big budgets, or perfect plans. You don’t need any of that to get started.
If you care about your business, your downtown, or your community, you’ll find ideas here you can actually use. Take one. Try it out. Let me know how it goes for you.
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