Over on our Facebook page, Michelle K. Sholund asked: “Hey! I have an issue I want to propose. I am an owner of a small business – a gift shop that happens to handmake our own candles in the shop – in Maryland. We are getting bombarded with requests for donations anywhere from 2-5 a…
More people have a home-based business than you might think. On average, one of every 10 households is operating one or more home-based businesses. In rural areas, that number is often higher. And these numbers typically do not take into account farm and ranch operations which, by most definitions, would be considered a home-based business….
Today, you have unprecedented support available to help you build and improve your business and to survive any economic conditions. No matter how small a town or isolated an area you live in, internet access connects you to astounding resources. You can read advice from experts, including those in your own field. You can connect…
Starting a business means a need for money to help pay for a variety of things from registration fees to getting the store ready for customers to buying initial inventory. Potential business owners often struggle to find those first dollars. Asking for help to find grants, or ‘free money,’ is a common request. While there…
The number one complaint I hear about small town businesses is limited shopping hours. In our busy world, people want to shop in evenings and on weekends, but small town businesses tend to be closed then. When we talked about this in my newsletter group, Nora wrote back with an important stumbling block: it’s…
How can a community transform a dilapidated property with an $8000 assessed value to a new home that will return many times more value to the city? How can a community potentially bring a new family to town to live and work here? How can local investors create greater wealth for our community school,…
The Brag Basket is open! This one is for Feb 15-28, 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…
If starting a business is in your plans, determining your primary reason for such an effort is vital. You may think that is an odd comment to make because people obviously start a business to make money. That’s true for some, but people start businesses for lots of reasons. Money is not always the primary…
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.
Want to search our past articles? Catch up with the latest stories? Browse through the categories? All the good stuff is on the Front Page.
We partner with campaigns and organizations that we think best benefit rural small businesses.
Copyright © 2006–2026 Becky McCray • Site by Webdancers