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Small Biz Survival
  • Clear coffee travel mug with iced coffee, and a local newspaper on a busy desk.
    community | economic development | entrepreneurship | marketing | rural | shop local | social media | tools

    Let’s Talk Newspapers: Working Together Locally

    April 17, 2026April 17, 2026

    Hometown newspapers are small businesses, just like the hardware store, the cafe, or the auto repair shop. They’re not just “media.” They’re employers, sponsors, storytellers, and neighbors, and their work ripples through every corner of the community. This year, collaboration is a focus of ours at SaveYour.Town, and I want to talk about how newspapers…

    Read More Let’s Talk Newspapers: Working Together LocallyContinue

  • Becky McCray and Jason Duff smile for the camera
    entrepreneurship | marketing | rural | shop local

    The Treasure Hunt Economy: exciting retail experience for small towns

    April 10, 2026April 4, 2026

    Guest Post by Jason Duff, Small Nation I’ve been noticing something interesting happening across the small towns we work in, and I don’t think it’s temporary. In a time where inflation is still pinching wallets, customers aren’t just spending less, they’re shopping differently. They’re hunting. Not just for cheap, but for value, uniqueness, and the…

    Read More The Treasure Hunt Economy: exciting retail experience for small townsContinue

  • Testimonial by Paula Jensen from this article and a photo of the book
    brag basket | community | rural | success

    Review of The Idea Friendly Guide book by Becky McCray

    April 6, 2026April 6, 2026

    Thank you to Paula Jensen, one of our contributors, for sharing her thoughts on my book, The Idea Friendly Guide. I’m particularly honored because Paula has worked and lived in rural communities for decades. She sees and understands small towns in a way that few people do. She liked the guide so much, she ordered copies…

    Read More Review of The Idea Friendly Guide book by Becky McCrayContinue

  • A stainless steel table covered with candles in progress
    entrepreneurship | POV | rural | survivors | workforce

    How a Two-Alarm Fire Almost Ended Our 30-Year Candle Business, But Didn’t

    April 3, 2026March 31, 2026

    Guest post by Mark Gross, A Cheerful Giver I run A Cheerful Giver out of Elmer, New Jersey. The population is about 1,300. We make candles. Been at it since 1991. January 11, 2025, I got the phone call. Our building was on fire. Two-alarm. They had to bring in trucks from Gloucester County to…

    Read More How a Two-Alarm Fire Almost Ended Our 30-Year Candle Business, But Didn’tContinue

  • Red cafeteria tray with barbecue sandwich, beans, cookie, and drink sits on white-clothed table. Diverse diners of various ages eat and talk at long tables in community hall. Volunteers serve from kitchen area in background.
    community | entrepreneurship | rural

    Want to Open a Cafe? Start With Wing Night Wednesdays

    March 13, 2026

    You want to open a place to eat in your small town. Maybe a coffee shop, a little cafe, a bakery. You’ve been thinking about it for months, maybe years. But you’re not sure if enough people will come. You don’t know what they’ll actually order. You’re not certain you can handle running it day…

    Read More Want to Open a Cafe? Start With Wing Night WednesdaysContinue

  • group of volunteers sitting at a table
    community | rural

    Want your town to do well? Welcome new people as leaders

    March 1, 2026

    The Leadership Myth That’s Holding Us Back The Community Coach | Paula Jensen In small rural communities, leadership matters. But are we unintentionally shrinking our own leadership pool? We care deeply about who leads. We trust the people who show up, pitch in, and carry history with them. But over time, we’ve absorbed quiet assumptions…

    Read More Want your town to do well? Welcome new people as leadersContinue

  • Two musicians play guitar while seated on the sidewalk outside a brick storefront during a community event, with pedestrians stopped to listen and watch
    big company | entrepreneurship | marketing | rural | shop local | trends

    Small town marketing secret: Have something to invite people to

    February 24, 2026February 24, 2026

    People need a compelling reason to leave their homes and come experience your business with you. This feels like a very heavy lift. . You’re supposed to be exciting enough to pull people away from their phones, their families and the comfort of online shopping. You’re competing with everything else demanding their attention. Here’s the…

    Read More Small town marketing secret: Have something to invite people toContinue

  • entrepreneurship | marketing | rural | shop local | trends

    More experience-based retail: the Charm Bar, Valentine’s Rose Bouquet Bar

    February 14, 2026February 24, 2026

    Following up on the trend of rural experience-based retail, I spotted these Valentine’s Day offerings from my local women’s boutique, The Daisy Village. I’m seeing more and more use of the term “Bar” to refer to any assemble-your-own type experience. Think like a salad bar, where you pick just the parts you want, but for…

    Read More More experience-based retail: the Charm Bar, Valentine’s Rose Bouquet BarContinue

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