When asked about marketing, many small-business owners think of a one-word definition: selling. Selling is one part of marketing, and it is a crucial part because it brings in revenues to keep the doors open. But it is only one part. Paraphrasing from Jay Levinson’s classic book, “The Guerilla Marketer,” marketing is defined as “everything you do.” Simply put,…
If you live in the US, I’ll bet you have a Jiffy Mix in your kitchen cabinet right now. I have three. I counted. Even if you don’t, surely you recognize the iconic blue boxes with their simple branding, even though Chelsea Milling Company doesn’t spend a dime to advertise them. Chelsea, Michigan, is…
The Brag Basket is open! This one is for August 14-16, 2015. Bring your peachy 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…
Market research focuses on understanding your customers. There are a variety of tools to help you do that. Yet one of the most overlooked tools that offers a great deal and costs very little, except for time, is conversation. Conversation is great in terms of getting to know your customers as individuals. What are their…
This article is a reprint from my separate weekly newsletter, called A Positive View of Rural. It’s not the same as this you’re reading right now. Once a week, I send this other email to deliver practical steps to shape the future of your town and share the products and services I offer to help you….
The Brag Basket is open! This one is for August 7-9, 2015. It’s a great deal! 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…
Some of you may remember the Ford slogan of the 1980’s, Quality is Job #1. That slogan was true then for businesses. And it remains true today. Yet, quality sometimes remains hard to find. For example in the last year, two households in my family had to purchase dishwashers. Two different brands were purchased but,…
Every small town faces the contradiction of young people saying “there are no jobs here” while business say “we can’t find good people.” My friend Kat Long from Ponca City, Oklahoma, sent this story of what they are doing to connect young people with the jobs that already exist in town and introducing girls to…
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