Dave Shideler is a fellow rural entrepreneurship-aholic from the Oklahoma State University Agricultural Economics Extension service. After he spoke at the recent Oklahoma Governor’s Conference on Small Business, I sat him down for a couple of quick interviews. Rural small business tips Dave shares some things any small business could do to improve their chances…
The narrower your niche, the wider your opportunity. After I wrote that story, Darrell Hyatt asked a great question: Sheila Scarborough and Darrell Hyattshare a laugh at dinnerat BlogWorld Expo 2010 When you narrow your niche, how do you find the clients inside it? Let me walk you through an example, from my own business…
Holiday season is rolling up on us. How will you make the most of it? Barry Moltz asked me if I could share some tips local business could use, and of course I said yes. I started with being human, forming a real connection to your customers. And you might recognize a few other points…
The Brag Basket is our tradition of sharing. The basket is always free and open all weekend, this one October 14-16, 2011. Even though I call this the Brag Basket, it’s not really about bragging. It’s about sharing. An Oklahoma Cherokee basket. What can you do in the Brag Basket? introduce yourself share some great…
By Jon Swanson Leon was the high school band director in a small town in Iowa. He started working on his Master’s degree. He figured out some research topic that sounded good, that was like all the rest of the Master’s research projects around. His adviser said, “Forget that. Everyone is doing those kinds of…
Being Prepared: Is Your Business Ready for a Disaster? Thursday, October 13, 20112:00pm (ET); 1:00pm (CT); 12:00pm (MT); 11:00am (PT). All small businesses are vulnerableto some type of disaster. Join George Haynes as he explores how businesses can and have responded to a disaster that affected their business in Being Prepared: Is Your Business Ready…
At the Revitalize WA conference I sat in on a session by Scott Day with Urban Development Services, on Fifty Ideas for Retailers That Cost Less than $50. This is part two of the best of his tips. Go back and catch part one: Small Town Retail Ideas.Floor Plans Boehs Hardware in Helena, Oklahoma,has an open floor plan,baskets…
The Brag Basket is our tradition of sharing. The basket is always free and open all weekend, this one October 7-9, 2011. Even though I call this the Brag Basket, it’s not really about bragging. It’s about sharing. Photo by Rex Hammock. Rex’s company Hammock, Inc., just celebrated20 years in business. Congrats! What can you…
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