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From Finance to Creativity: A Journey to Building an Experience-Based Business in Bellefontaine

By Jamie Beasley

A young girl carefully pours her own candle.

In today’s fast-paced world, many individuals find themselves stuck in careers that fail to ignite their passions. For some, the journey to rediscovering creativity can lead to unexpected and fulfilling paths. This is the story of one such entrepreneur who transitioned from a corporate finance job to creating a vibrant experience-based business in downtown Bellefontaine. […]

April 7, 2025 Filed Under: economic development, entrepreneurship, rural, success, trends Tagged With: building a business, entrepreneurship, events, experience economy, retail, rural, shop indie local, shop local, shop small, small business success, take small steps

Create customer experiences online like Open the Shop With Me videos, and in person, like Silent Book Club

By Becky McCray

A screenshot of the Common Ground Coffee and Market Instagram feed, showing four images, a group of people with valentine hearts, a group of staff members, one person facing the camera for an explainer video, and one video with text that says "open the shop with me"

When Kathleen Minogue of Crowdfund Better mentioned Common Ground Coffee and Market to me, I found their Instagram feed was full of stealable ideas for small business social media marketing. We first talked about how they let customers know about changes to their hours. They’re in Boise, Idaho, which I realize is not a small […]

March 23, 2025 Filed Under: community, customer service, entrepreneurship, marketing, rural, trends Tagged With: branding, building a business, effective marketing, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, marketing, rural, small business, small business success

Hands-on and experience-based businesses boost local economies

By Small Biz Survival

In a colorful room, a woman is offering instructions to two men seated at a craft table, preparing to pour their own candles.

Guest post by Jason Duff, founder of Small Nation Ever wanted to pour your own candle? Now you can right here in Downtown Bellefontaine! Triple Moon Designs in Bellefontaine, Ohio, recently added a new and exciting candle bar, offering a unique experience not typically seen in small towns. My team has had the chance to try it out […]

March 17, 2025 Filed Under: economic development, entrepreneurship, ideas, rural, trends Tagged With: economic development, entrepreneurship, experience, experience economy, guest post, rural, shop indie local, shop small, small business, small towns

How to let customers know when changing your business hours

By Becky McCray

Screenshot of an instagram post with Christmas week business hours. One comment asks, "How late are you open new year's eve?"

Post extensively on social channels, and pin your hours post to the top of your page Your small business has times when you need to change your hours either for holidays, staff issues or (my favorite) extending into evening hours. How do you retrain your customers so they notice the change? Let’s look at a […]

March 12, 2025 Filed Under: customer service, entrepreneurship, marketing, rural, Small Biz 100, social media Tagged With: effective marketing, entrepreneurship, marketing, retail, rural, service businesses, small business

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