Daily Yonder reported recently that the number of rural businesses declined. The article is very good with detailed analysis. But I was struck by what it didn’t talk about: non-employer businesses. You know, self-employed people. Self-employment is a critical part of the rural business picture, moreso than in urban areas. Stephan J. Goetz predicted that 25%…
The Brag Basket is open! This one is for July 10-12, 2015. Bring your good news of all sizes 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…
A common concern among small-business owners is how to increase revenue. Often, they try to do this by finding new customers. That is an expensive way of doing it. On average, it will cost from $20 to $50 to get a new customer. Yet it only costs from $1 to $5 to expand sales to…
Take this simple quiz. When I think of last year’s tax return time, I’d say it was: A breeze. I just printed out one or two reports and answered a few questions from my tax preparer. A bit of a mess. I had to do some work to catch up and then answer a…
The Brag Basket is open! This one is for July 3-5, 2015. Bring your good news to share with everyone, and let’s blow this thing up! 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…
People form impressions in the first couple of minutes after entering a new place. Have you ever considered what your business says to them? Businesses offer many types of nonverbal communication, just like people do. It makes no difference if it is a physical place or an online location. Customers look for these same key…
As we’ve hit the middle of the year, this seems like a good time to welcome subscribers new and old. This is the only place I know of focused on helping you succeed in business in a small town. My name is Becky McCray, and I am a rural small business owner myself. If you…
This is a story from the “You may have missed the real lesson” files: A business owner mentioned taking a walk in their own downtown on a Saturday evening after dinner. Apparently, it was a popular time for walking downtown because the business owner saw folks peering into the front window of their own business….
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