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Small Biz Survival

The small town and rural business resource
  • You’re welcome in the Brag Basket
    brag basket

    You’re welcome in the Brag Basket

    BySmall Biz Survival October 4, 2013December 15, 2014

    Welcome to the Brag Basket, our tradition of sharing. The basket is always free and open all weekend, this one October 4-6, 2013. What good news will you add to the brag basket? Don’t hold back because of that word, “brag.” When you hold back, you hide your good news and accomplishments that might inspire…

    Read More You’re welcome in the Brag BasketContinue

  • Building a parks and rec plan from scratch
    community | rural

    Building a parks and rec plan from scratch

    BySmall Biz Survival October 3, 2013August 27, 2014

    An immediate request from a fellow rural reader:  Becky, Thank you so much for organizing this wonderful newsletter – its contents are of great benefit to me, and I appreciate the effort that goes into its creation. My small town of Waldport, OR has a population of about 2,200 folks. We’ve taken a hard hit…

    Read More Building a parks and rec plan from scratchContinue

  • entrepreneurship | marketing | Small Biz 100 | social media

    Get Your Marketing Message Out or You’ll Fail

    ByGlenn Muske October 3, 2013August 27, 2014

    You can have the greatest product or service, but if no one knows you’re there, your business will fail. That’s a harsh statement to make, but it is true. The business world is littered with great ideas that did not succeed because the businesses had no buyers. A common reason for the lack of buying…

    Read More Get Your Marketing Message Out or You’ll FailContinue

  • How creativity helps Mangum, Oklahoma, survive
    economic development | entrepreneurship | rural | tourism

    How creativity helps Mangum, Oklahoma, survive

    ByBecky McCray October 1, 2013August 27, 2014

    At the 2010 Oklahoma Entrepreneurs Conference, a panel of communities shared how they had become more entrepreneurial. Artists are entrepreneurs, too, and Mangum, Oklahoma, is home to several arts businesses. “If you count every man, woman, child and chicken, we have 2500,” Maxine Thomason said. She was the Mayor of Mangum, a former program manager…

    Read More How creativity helps Mangum, Oklahoma, surviveContinue

  • Clean up your business by playing Go For Broke
    entrepreneurship | workforce

    Clean up your business by playing Go For Broke

    ByBecky McCray September 30, 2013August 27, 2014

    After the rush of holiday business at our store, I decided to get everyone (all 5 of us) involved in cleaning up, fixing up and sprucing up. So I tried playing “Go For Broke.” (I remembered reading about a version of this game in Paul Hawken’s book, Growing a Business.) I took the little cork…

    Read More Clean up your business by playing Go For BrokeContinue

  • Come share in the Brag Basket
    brag basket

    Come share in the Brag Basket

    BySmall Biz Survival September 27, 2013December 15, 2014

    The Brag Basket is our tradition of sharing. The basket is always free and open all weekend, this one September 27-29, 2013. What good news will you add to the brag basket? Don’t hold back because of that word, “brag.” When you hold back, you hide your good news and accomplishments that might inspire others….

    Read More Come share in the Brag BasketContinue

  • What does your store front say about your business?
    entrepreneurship | marketing

    What does your store front say about your business?

    BySmall Biz Survival September 26, 2013January 2, 2018

    Guest post by Lyn Falk Retailworks, Inc. Your storefront says a lot about you and your business, actually. It’s your customer’s first impression of your brand. When competing with the big box retailers that are inevitably on the outskirts of your town, you need to turn on the charm––something the national chains can’t compete with! Think of someone…

    Read More What does your store front say about your business?Continue

  • A downtown brick building with boarded up windows.
    Best of | economic development | rural

    What businesses would work in a small town? Filling empty buildings

    ByBecky McCray September 25, 2013March 6, 2023

      Dina Jackson is with the City of Harriman, in Tennessee, USA. The city government owns 9 vacant properties, including a hospital building and a couple of houses. Rather than hide them, the city decided to show them off. They invited folks to tour the buildings and asked for offers. “We are now in the…

    Read More What businesses would work in a small town? Filling empty buildingsContinue

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