When your customers want a product or service your carry, is your store the first place they go? People use habits and routines throughout much of their life. Habits and routines make life easier and free up the brain for other decision-making tasks. We operate much of our lives on autopilot. The autopilot mode can…
You have heard that a competitor is coming to your community. Now what do you do? This is the typical response of most business owners. And, of course, the bigger the competitor, the greater the fear of the new competition. When such rumors start circulating, and after the initial shock, business owners start to wonder…
Will you make plans and set goals for your business in 2014? Or not? If you are typical of most people, you start the new year by making some resolutions or set some goals that you want to achieve in the next 12 months. And typically those resolutions are forgotten in a very short time….
For a business to exist for the long term, it must make money. Yet other values also can influence whether a business stays in business. It is surprising by the number of business owners who never have taken the time to determine if they are profitable at a basic level. There is money in the…
In many communities, the small-business owner is the cornerstone of support for various charitable functions and events. Small-business owners don’t just provide dollars, products and services; they often take on leadership and volunteer roles that allow the community to maintain itself and grow. The support of small-business owners to their community should be applauded. Their…
Guest post by Cathy Lloyd, The Village In the summer of 2007, I had an idea to help the state of retail on the square in downtown Washington, Iowa. Since Wal-Mart came to town in the ‘70s, there had been a steady decline in the number of retail businesses in the downtown area. I hoped…
Barry and I are excited to introduce Small Town Rules to you. The book is rolling out for sale now, and we’ll be celebrating the launch all week. Barry introduces Small Town Rules, from an undisclosed location: I introduce Small Town Rules, from my office in Hopeton, Oklahoma: Watch for special offers to launch…
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