The notion that you have to be born an entrepreneur is just a myth. Similarly, no time is perfect, nor do you need to be an expert or even have worked in the industry, to be a successful small-business owner. Starting and operating a successful business can be achieved by just about anyone. There is…
I talked to a small town Chamber of Commerce director. She told me how much she hated their current website. She was eager to get a new one, but replacing it would involve a committee, and bids, and approvals, and a long and expensive process. You don’t have to be a Chamber of Commerce to…
Today, food isn’t limited to restaurants. Food trucks, pop up cafes, and other mobile food options are taking hold. But what works for big cities doesn’t necessarily work for small towns. What are the rural options for mobile food? In northwest Oklahoma, we commonly see barbecue trailers and trucks. At events like festivals and fairs,…
The Brag Basket is our tradition of sharing. The basket is always free and open all weekend, this one July 12-14, 2013. I’m doing some traveling, so the Brag Basket is doing some traveling of its own. This week, it celebrates our readers in South Africa. What good news will you add to the brag…
Winner, Small Business Book Awards 2013. Small Business Book Awards Best Small Business Books Published in 2012. NFIB: National Federation of Independent Business Top 10 Business Books You Should Read This Summer, Melinda Emerson, Huffington Post and SmallBizLady Favorite Small Business Books of 2012, Pierre DuBois, Small Biz Trends In my top 25 business books of all time. James Dalman
Just because you own the business does not mean you are the right person to be the leader. That may seem like a bold statement. We take it for granted that the business owner will be leader both in terms of daily activities and long-term planning. And research generally supports this idea. Yet studies have…
Here’s another great small town/rural tourism idea you can steal, this one from Canada. A two-day Taste & Tour Middlesex Conference started off with networking and local food. It’s important to do the fun stuff first. Then they turned to learning the second day, with a traditional conference event. “Tourism continues to be one of…
I’m always collecting small town business ideas. On Twitter, I saw Scott Balster @scottbalster of Loveland, CO, suggest a small version of two popular labor-exchange services: TaskRabbit and Elance. TaskRabbit is a task and errand service connection. People list tasks they need done, everything from housecleaning to delivering groceries. Other people sign up to take…
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