Small Biz Survival
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The Rural and Small Town Business Resource. Find articles on entrepreneurship, marketing, economic development and tourism.
Small Biz Survival
2d ago
This building looks like it is in good repair, but there’s no way to tell by looking that it’s an active seasonal business. Photo by Ana Blaisdell.
Marketing tip: keep signs up year-round even if you’re a seasonal business.
When I toured several small towns in Washington and Idaho with the Inland Northwest Partners, I noticed many part-time and seasonal businesses did not have signs up during their off season.
In the town of Deary, Idaho, (population 500) there is a wine tasting parlor in a well-kept brick building on a corner in the downtown. Unfortunately there are no signs to indicate tha ..read more
Small Biz Survival
1w ago
What can small towns do about crumbling buildings in their downtown? They can join together to fix them up and get businesses in them. Our own Jeanne Cole helped to bring this building back in downtown Waynoka. Photo by Becky McCray.
Waynoka, Oklahoma, had a lot of vacant run-down buildings in their downtown. In a town of 900 people, the prospects didn’t look great. At an all-class reunion, a group of alumni got together and decided to change that.
They called themselves Project Waynoka, our friend and early contributor Jeanne Cole said. They started raising money. They bought on ..read more
Small Biz Survival
2w ago
The “Move Your Money” campaign wants you to shift your financial resources to local banks and investment opportunities. That makes a lot of sense for small town businesses who care about having a thriving local economy.
The 2024 Move Your Money Campaign
The American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA) has been at the forefront of the “Move Your Money” campaign, offering resources and support for those interested in making the switch to local banking. This year, AMIBA has emphasized the critical role that local banks and credit unions play in fostering economic resilience within small towns ..read more
Small Biz Survival
1M ago
These 10 questions will provide information to many organizations and people on what is challenging for rural communities. Are you rural? This survey is for you.
SmallBizSurvival.com and SaveYour.Town are conducting the 10th-anniversary edition of the Survey of Rural Challenges! Take the Survey of Rural Challenges.
Spread the word
Could you help us spread the word on the Survey of Rural Challenges to as many people as possible? You could repost, add to your newsletter, print it in the local newspaper or share in meetings and presentations now through the end of May 2024.
Share ..read more
Small Biz Survival
3M ago
Takeaways for improving rural workforce:
Bring together students, employers and multiple levels of education
Build and document employee skills with micro-credentials
Use apprenticeships to build skills, increase awareness of local job options
Stitch together multiple programs to build your own workforce
To add a new program in the public schools, hire dedicated program staff (at least part time)
At the Teeny Tiny Town Summit held in Woodward, Oklahoma, a panel of local people addressed rural workforce challenges and what actions they were taking to address them.
The panelists were
Barclay ..read more
Small Biz Survival
4M ago
Building community in your small town sounds like a daunting task. It’s easy to get bogged down, thinking there’s too much to do, that you’d need too many permissions or it would take too much money. The reality of building community is it’s a change of mindset to Take Small Steps.
99% of the best things you can do for your town don’t require anyone’s permission.
I’ve seen lists before of things you can do for your city, but none written for small towns. Let’s fix that. Here are 100+ small-town-approved ideas to build community.
Hang out downtown, in the park, in plazas and pocket park ..read more
Small Biz Survival
4M ago
Communities are the foundation of our society, and their strength and success lie in the unity of its members. Yet, often at the heart of so many communities is disunity.
As a community coach, I collaborate with rural leaders to build local capacity and engage community members in working on local priorities so their community can thrive. One of the most common topics that comes up as the groups are planning for future outcomes is their desire for unity with other community leaders. They recognize disunity as a polarizing barrier to their success as they strive to engage other individuals, org ..read more
Small Biz Survival
5M ago
Guest post by Jen Risley, AMIBA
Thank you for your commitment to building the local economy movement!
Wishing you an inspiring Shop Indie Local Week with the entire community. My cat Shamu (above) can’t wait for Plaid Friday!
One practical step: #ShopIndieLocal
It doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Any local business or group can start by sharing social media posts announcing your plans and adding #ShopIndieLocal to your posts.
Get ready, get set, get indie local!
Not just Saturday: Plaid Friday through Giving Tuesday
The week after Thanksgiving is a super busy one for the Shop ..read more
Small Biz Survival
5M ago
Part of our Global Entrepreneurship Week celebration Nov 13-19, 2023. Speaking about small businesses, entrepreneurship and sharing rural stories Story and photos by Deb Brown
I was invited to speak in Portugal by my friend and business associate Frederico Lucas. My first night in Lisbon I spoke at this event hosted at the coworking space NOW Beato and broadcast live on Facebook. Focused on rural entrepreneurship, the panel had a lively conversation about the possibilities for their rural areas. And meeting the challenges their depopulated communities have.
In today’s global economy, en ..read more
Small Biz Survival
5M ago
Part of our Global Entrepreneurship Week celebration Nov 13-19, 2023.
Photo CC by Joanbrebo
Guest post by Mike Humphrey, Japan
Skiing has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. I don’t know why my parents decided skiing would be our family sport. They were not avid skiers, and we didn’t live in a ski town. Whatever the reason, I was on skis at 3, and my love for the sport began. We would spend every weekend in the winter on the hill.
When I was 15, I became a ski instructor. Skiing is my passion. I love being out on the hill, and I love the mountains.
As I grew older, skiing was ..read more