Even in small towns, hotels and motels have to cope with online reviews. Sites like Yelp, TripAdvisor, and Google Local let every traveler become an instant expert. And small town hotel owners are left wondering how to respond. (Don’t see the video? Click through to What do we do about a negative review.) You already…
A great deal of information about starting a business is available. Some of the information is accurate and helpful. Other information is best called a myth, although it may hold a grain of truth. Probably the biggest myth is that of “free money” available for starting a business. The reality is that there is little…
Placemaking is all about the planning, design and management of the public spaces and assets in your town. When done right, placemaking involves asking the people who actually live and work there, who use the public spaces, what they need, and then actually listening to the answers. Think of it this way: instead of planning…
Small town businesses sometimes struggle for the right words to describe themselves. At a conference lunch table, the yoga instructor was trying to explain to the middle-aged guy from the economic development group what a yoga class is like. At first it made sense, but when she got to the part about breathing into the…
As we celebrate the one year anniversary of Small Town Rules and winning a 2013 Small Business Book Award, we’ve asked a few friends to share the rules that are a part of their business every day. Today, Jon Swanson explains how he uses these rules as a pastor. Jon’s church is in a small…
As we celebrate the one year anniversary of Small Town Rules and winning a 2013 Small Business Book Award, we’ve asked a few friends to share the rules that are a part of their business every day. Andy Hayes used this idea to talk about the difference between a complex business and a sophisticated business,…
The Brag Basket is our tradition of sharing. The basket is always free and open all weekend, this one May 10-12, 2013. That includes Mother’s Day in the U.S. What good news will you add to the brag basket? Don’t hold back because of that word, “brag.” When you hold back, you hide your good…
The small town business owner today has lots of new channels available to use in getting their marketing message out. Yet that very factor, since many of these channels are using online media tools, makes business owners nervous on which channel to use and how to use it effectively. The reality is that the choice…
Glad you dropped in to the rural and small town business blog, established in 2006.
We want you to feel at home, so please take our guided tour.
Meet our authors on the About page.
Have something to say? You can give us a holler on the contact form.
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