About

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Disclosures

Read our disclosure of business relationships, general principles, and press and PR preferences.

About Small Biz Survival

This is the rural small business blog. We talk about small town business, with how-to articles, especially on social media marketing and making your community a better place. We’ve been at it since January 14, 2006. A few others have come and gone in that time, but we’re still here!

Becky McCray, founder and publisher

Becky McCray wearing long braids and a professional outfit smiles as she stands on a rural downtown street with twinkling lights in the background.
Becky McCray, photo by Meg Hatch.

I started Small Biz Survival because I am a small town entrepreneur. I believe small town entrepreneurs have a lot to teach other businesses. And when local entrepreneurs prosper, they help their small town prosper, too.

I write about small business and rural issues, based on my own successes and failures as a lifelong entrepreneur. Deb Brown and I are working together to provide practical steps you can put into action right away to improve your community at SaveYour.Town.

My bestselling book The Idea Friendly Guide helps you put your ideas into action no matter the opposition in your small town. Taking business lessons from small towns, Barry Moltz and I wrote the award-winning book Small Town Rules for businesses of all sizes.

If you need a rural or small town speaker, I’d love to hear from you. My talks deliver practical steps you can take to shape the future of your community.

If you want to email me directly, stop by the contact form.

Awards and Credentials:

  • Kauffman Platinum Award, EntrepreneurshipWeek USA, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation; March 2007
  • SEMMY Award nominated, 2008 and 2009
  • Top 5: Best Small Business Blogs and Websites, Feedly, 2026
  • Top 10: Top Small Business Blogs in the US, FeedSpot, 2026
  • Selected as a Newstex Authoritative Content publisher – syndicated in LexisNexis, Thomson Business Intelligence, ProQuest and Postmedia Network
  • Previously syndicated in the Visa Business Network, alltop Small Business, alltop Rural, My Space Small Business News and My Venture Pad
  • Small Business Influencer Journalist, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
  • 2013 Power Players in Technology Business Media
  • InformationWeek Sociative Influencer SMB, 2012
  • Klout – Top Influencers on Small Business 2012, 2013
  • Klear – Top 2% of all social media users
  • Distinguished Partner, Global Entrepreneurship Week/USA, 2008
  • Ranked one of the 25 top small business blogs in the world by Technorati
  • del.icio.us, Hotlist and Popular, 2008
  • del.icio.us Popular, 2006

Blog rankings and top lists:

We’ve gotten so many appearances in “Top” lists that I’ve stopped tracking them all! I’m still proud of the work our contributors do. Here are some highlights:

Special Contributors

Over the years, we’ve been honored with the work of many additional contributors.

Chris Brogan is one of my first blog friends who became a social media superstar, New York Times bestselling author, and well-respected thinker on business, story and innovative technology. Read Chris’s articles.

Deb Brown, my colleague at SaveYour.Town, contributes here also. She shares her knowledge of small town business, retail and her real world experiences. Read Deb’s articles.

Glenn Muske, a true expert on small- and micro-businesses with decades of experience in the Extension service, wrote articles on a wide variety of topics for us. Read Glenn’s articles.

Paula Jensen, the Community Coach, shares her regular articles here. She lives in a town of 300+ people. Read Paula’s articles.

Glenna Mae Hendricks, aka “Maesz”, aka my mom, shared many tax tips and accounting explanations. Read Maesz’s articles.

Jeanne Cole is my friend from long before I started Small Biz Survival, and she was one of our earliest contributors. Read Jeanne’s articles.

Jon Swanson contributed his perspective on business as a customer and storyteller. Jon’s regular internet home is 300 Words a Day. Read Jon’s articles.

H. E. James shared her practical tips on rural small business in several articles for us. Read H.E.’s articles.

Zane Safrit shared his real-world small town business expertise in a series of strong articles. Read Zane’s articles.

We’ve also featured guest posts by super people like Barry Moltz, Sheila Scarborough, Marci Penner of Kansas Sampler Foundation, John Warrillow, Shashi Bellamkonda, Shannon Ehlers and Scott Meyer. Read our guest posts.

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