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Small Biz Survival
  • Promoting entrepreneurship to keep your town vibrant (AUDIO)
    economic development | entrepreneurship | podcast | rural

    Promoting entrepreneurship to keep your town vibrant (AUDIO)

    December 5, 2016December 2, 2016

    Big Ideas for Small Town Business Success  I was honored to be a guest on this call with the Orton Family Foundation, and I’m happy to pass along this recording for you to listen in while we talk rural entrepreneurship, filling gaps downtown, and revitalizing your town. From farm-to-table restaurants and food co-ops to craft breweries…

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  • Donna Maria on wholesaling your products
    entrepreneurship | marketing | podcast | rural

    Donna Maria on wholesaling your products

    May 26, 2015April 14, 2016

    Download file | Duration: 3:20| Size: 3.1M One of the most common questions I hear from small town businesses that make a product is about wholesaling. Should they sell at direct markets? Should they sell to retailers at a discount? If so, how do they ever afford it? So I asked Donna Maria from Indie Biz…

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  • Small Towns Have a Future – 10 trends in our favor
    economic development | podcast | rural | trends

    Small Towns Have a Future – 10 trends in our favor

    June 25, 2014June 24, 2014

    If you believe what you read or hear from the media, then all small towns are dying. But that’s not the real story. The real story is much too nuanced for a sound bite or 3 minute story: some small towns are dying, most are surviving, and some are prospering. And any town can choose…

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  • Community banking is critical to small towns
    community | podcast | rural

    Community banking is critical to small towns

    June 4, 2014June 3, 2014

    At the AMIBA national conference, I captured a few of the sessions that I thought you might be interested in. This one is about community bankers and how they get involved in your town. If you haven’t started a relationship with a community bank, now is a great time to get out and meet one….

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  • Social Media Tip: Cultivate Your Online Champions (video)
    marketing | podcast | social media

    Social Media Tip: Cultivate Your Online Champions (video)

    May 28, 2014May 28, 2014

    Don’t see the video? Click here to view it online. A social media tip useful for any organization with members: cultivate your online champions. Includes a case study of how Leslie McLellan did it in Lake Arrowhead, California. Some folks pointed out that tweets and sample posts on paper aren’t easy for people to type…

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  • Audio: Interview with Michael Shuman
    economic development | entrepreneurship | podcast | rural | shop local

    Audio: Interview with Michael Shuman

    May 20, 2014August 27, 2014

    Michael Shuman Interview Economist and Author Michael Shuman knows a heck of a lot about why we have a local movement. He’s also the author of the books Small Mart Revolution and Local Dollars, Local Sense. In this interview, he goes all economist on durable and nondurable goods right at the start, but hang on,…

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  • Mack Collier wearing a cowboy hat
    podcast | rural

    Mack Collier makes the most of being online

    March 19, 2014August 27, 2014

    Mack Collier Interview Mack Collier leads the highly influential weekly #blogchat, publishes the most popular discussions of social media for business pricing, and leads corporations and businesses of all size to be more social and better serve customers. He’s also the author of Think Like a Rock Star, and he’s based in a rural area…

    Read More Mack Collier makes the most of being onlineContinue

  • Mark Riffey carrying his little granddaughter on his shoulders
    podcast | rural

    Mark Riffey on small town responsibility

    February 26, 2014August 27, 2014

    Mark Riffey Interview Mark Riffey looks at small town business the same way he looks at all small business: you’ve got to do things right to succeed, and you have a responsibility to others when you’re in business. Mark has long impressed me with his smart writings about small business. While he’s not always saying…

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