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Using a building as a warehouse or storage in a small town? Put up a sign

By Becky McCray Leave a Comment

A building used as business storage with an old faded sign that says "Carrier Air Conditioning"

Repurposing empty buildings as business storage or a warehouse is a common small business practice in small towns. Putting up a sign is a good idea for at least two reasons.  Retail businesses may be storing extra merchandise. Manufacturers might have extra materials or finished product ready to ship. Service and repair companies have to […]

March 13, 2023 Filed Under: economic development, mistakes, rural Tagged With: community development, emtpy buildings, non-retail, retail, rural, service businesses

Local reviews on Google Maps drive enduring value

By Becky McCray

Screenshot of Google's Marketing Kit for local businesses. Text says, "Free stickers, posters, social posts, and more from your Business Profile on Google". Graphic shows a sticker that says, "review us on Google"

While they were pointing out HipCamp to us, our friends at Marketing Delmarva also brought up the enduring power of Google Local reviews and photos. (I added the bold for emphasis.) If you love a local place, put it on Google. Following our first pick-your-own experience at said blueberry world, while sitting in the car in […]

December 17, 2022 Filed Under: entrepreneurship, marketing, rural, tourism Tagged With: effective marketing, entrepreneurship, Google local, Google maps, marketing, reviews, service businesses, shop local, shop small, small business

Seasonal business: How to beat the annual “no bookings!” panic

By Becky McCray

Do you tend to panic about a lack of business at a certain point during the year? Do you always feel like you’ll never get enough bookings for the fall? I know several independent professionals who feel like this: a professional photographer who always worries in late summer that there won’t be enough bookings for […]

August 8, 2022 Filed Under: entrepreneurship, management, planning, rural, Small Biz 100 Tagged With: annual planning, calendar, mindset, optimism, service businesses

Small town business idea: cat grooming

By Becky McCray

This was a new idea to me. Alyssa McCleery from Newkirk, Oklahoma, brought this up. She has local dog grooming but had to drive hours to find a place to get her cat groomed. I was skeptical at first, but why not cat grooming as a service? Just trimming cat claws can be a challenge. […]

November 15, 2021 Filed Under: entrepreneurship, ideas, rural Tagged With: business idea, cat grooming, entrepreneurship, ideas, pet grooming, rural, service businesses, small business

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