A “cash mob” is a group of regular people who decide to all support the same local business on the same day. Today is International Cash Mob Day. If you don’t have a cash mob in your town, now is the time to organize one. What are the rules? There are no rules, or each…
If you love small towns, you want to read Katie McCaskey’s Micropolitan Manifesto. I have an interview with Katie coming up soon, but I couldn’t wait any longer to share the manifesto with you. Get it. Read it. Tell Katie what you think. Note: updated in 2025 to replace dead links to the PDF at…
Ken Kelsey, art instructor at Northwestern Oklahoma State University, explains why he’s involved in the arts in Northwest Oklahoma. If you don’t see the video, click through to Small Biz Survival. Ken refers to working with Kay Decker on local arts. You can see her interview here: Starting an art walk.New to SmallBizSurvival.com? Take the…
Dr. Kay Decker tells about arts projects in Alva, Oklahoma. She explains how and why the First Friday Art Walk was started here. Here is a summary of what Dr. Decker said: The art space we are sitting in, Graceful Arts, is a project of Freedom West Community Development Corporation, where she is executive director….
It’s the million dollar question in small towns: how do we get more participation? Participation might mean volunteers, contributions, or even audience members. Volunteers kick off the Picture My WeekendPhotography event in Alva, Oklahoma. I get asked this every time I speak. It seems every town and organization, every festival and fair is dealing with…
By Jon Swanson Nancy and I are on a blogger tour in Hampton, Iowa. A bunch of bloggers are in town to learn more about agriculture and the local community. It’s a great idea for the town and for us. On Friday night, there is a wine and cheese, star-gazing, coffee-drinking, meet and greet. With live…
What if your town council, your chamber of commerce, and your school board sat down together for a public meeting just to compare calendars? What if these leaders started talking about possible cooperation, shared projects, or mutual goals? What if more local boards and leaders began to participate, aligning their own goals and efforts with…
The Whiting Cafe gets a makeover,thanks to 100 community volunteers.Photo from Kansas Sampler Foundation. Community volunteers can make a big difference for small town businesses. The first one I heard of was the Whiting Cafe Makeover orchestrated by the Kansas Sampler Foundation. One hundred volunteers descended on a tiny 25 year-old cafe for several days of…
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