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Shop Indie Local adds a new twist to tired Buy Local campaigns

By Becky McCray

Shop Indie Local logo

  Shop Indie Local summary: Shop Indie Local campaign website This campaign’s advantage:  Usable year round, adaptable to local events and needs, not just a single day “Indie” message is resonating well right now, better than plain “local” campaigns Share the right message: People already think they want to shop local, just need a timely […]

November 11, 2019 Filed Under: entrepreneurship, marketing, rural, shop local Tagged With: buy local, effective marketing, marketing, retail, rural, shop indie local, shop local, shop small, shop small saturday, small business marketing, small town

What’s the Life Expectancy of Our Community?

By Paula Jensen

A girl smiles while eating a meal at Eagle Butte, South Dakota.

  Guest post by Paula Jensen I remember in 1997, just following the birth of my second son, when more than one elder in my community told me, “It is so sad that your children will never graduate from Langford High School like you did!”  Those comments told me that the local leaders were questioning […]

June 22, 2019 Filed Under: community, rural, trends Tagged With: #Iamrural, creative placemaking, future, Paula Jensen, rural, small town, trends

How church buildings can do more for the community

By Becky McCray

This week at SaveYour.Town, we’re sharing how to take big empty buildings and divide them up for multiple small businesses. One model is co-working spaces, which offer shared office and workspace. Then our friend Jon Swanson sent us an article on rural churches doing innovative things, including one doing a co-working space. This seems like […]

April 8, 2019 Filed Under: community, economic development, entrepreneurship, rural Tagged With: church, faith, small town

Competition Can be Good

By Glenn Muske

smails competing

In the business world, minimizing the competition may seem like a good idea. Yet research and reality have found that competition actually may strengthen a market for the competing business owners. Studies have found that as competing businesses move closer together, both increase their returns. Think about it: Wal-Mart and Target often will be closer […]

June 19, 2014 Filed Under: entrepreneurship, rural Tagged With: competition, small town, success

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