Small towns have endured boom and bust cycles, commodity crashes, mill and factory closures, environmental disasters and losing their economic reason for existing. Rural communities have reinvented themselves before, and rural businesses are re-inventing the way they do things. How Holyoke Hummus stays Idea Friendly through a crisis John is the owner of Holyoke Hummus […]
Passion is a Key Factor
I have had the opportunity to work with the small-business community over the last twenty years. That community includes people looking to start a business, those in the start-up stage, others growing to the next stage, and a cadre of people dedicated to support these folks. I have seen businesses start but also shut down. […]
Networking Isn’t a One-Time Event
Want to have a successful small business? Then build your network. Comments like this are not uncommon. Good networking is one factor in building a successful, sustainable small-business. Both anecdotal information and research supports such claims. We have written about it previously in this blog when discussing “Networking for Business Success.” Most articles, like this […]
Know Your Market
In most small-business startup manuals, you, the owner, are encouraged to define your audience. While a great early step, it often is done incorrectly. The instructions ask you to define your customers or potential customers in terms of: What they like to do Where they gather What they buy What drives them Where they live […]
