Even though I call this the Brag Basket, it's not really about bragging. It's about sharing. I started this so you can introduce yourself, share some good news, or congratulate a friend.
The basket is open all weekend, from July 30 - August 1, 2010.
Speak up and add yourself or another deserving soul in the comments. We all cheer, and everyone feels great. It lets you meet each other a bit. Reading each others' stories brings us a bit closer to being a community.
How does it work? You write a comment on this post, email me, tweet me, or comment on Facebook. You tell something great about your week, or you give applause to someone who did good stuff this week. Or you celebrate something wonderful that you tried that failed.
This is not an ad. (I delete the ads.) It's a conversation with friends. So jump in. And remember to cheer for each other.
Why early childhood education is an economic development issue
Early childhood education is an economic development issue, not just because we've been quoting Ed Morrison about it for years, but also because the research is here to support it.
The latest piece is a potential blockbuster. Excellent early childhood education makes a lasting difference through the elementary years, based on standardized testing results. But it fades as students are tested in junior high and high school. However, the positive effects appear to re-emerge later in "real life." The story is in the New York Times, Study Rethinks Importance of Kindergarten Teachers:
Now, a little side note about this pic of the Class of 1963 including my mom. When they started school in the early 1950's, not everyone attended kindergarten. In fact, there was no public school affiliated kindergarten in Alva. My grandparents paid for Glenna Mae to attend kindergarten with Mrs. Brown.
New here? Take the Guided Tour. Like what you see? Subscribe.
The latest piece is a potential blockbuster. Excellent early childhood education makes a lasting difference through the elementary years, based on standardized testing results. But it fades as students are tested in junior high and high school. However, the positive effects appear to re-emerge later in "real life." The story is in the New York Times, Study Rethinks Importance of Kindergarten Teachers:
Just how much does it grow? And what are great kindergarten teachers worth to your community?A student who went from average to the 60th percentile — a typical jump for a 5-year-old with a good teacher — could expect to make about $1,000 more a year at age 27 than a student who remained at the average. Over time, the effect seems to grow, too.
Glenna Mae and the Class of 1963
How much difference did Mrs. Brown make?
[They] estimate that a standout kindergarten teacher is worth about $320,000 a year. That’s the present value of the additional money that a full class of students can expect to earn over their careers. This estimate doesn’t take into account social gains, like better health and less crime.Go read the entire article: Study Rethinks Importance of Kindergarten Teachers. Then get to work on early childhood education in your community.
Now, a little side note about this pic of the Class of 1963 including my mom. When they started school in the early 1950's, not everyone attended kindergarten. In fact, there was no public school affiliated kindergarten in Alva. My grandparents paid for Glenna Mae to attend kindergarten with Mrs. Brown.
New here? Take the Guided Tour. Like what you see? Subscribe.
Categories:
economic development,
workforce,
youth
The Retail Doctor makes a small town house call
Bob Phibbs is The Retail Doctor. (No, really, that's his registered trademark.) And he has the credentials and experience to have a valid claim to the title. He's helped many ailing retail businesses get healthy. He is the author of The Retail Doctor's Guide to Growing Your Business, a practical and tough guide for retail business owners. (Highly recommended.) I sent some small town specific questions, and Phibbs was kind enough to pay us a house call.
1. In a small town, retailers have a limited supply of potential customers. How can rural retailers survive?
There are three things to consider. First, people probably drive from farther away to go to your store, so as a business owner, you have to give them a good reason to keep coming back. Don’t assume that you are a customer’s only option.
Second, stores need to evaluate if they are really holding on to all of their existing customers – or if they have bought into the lie that everyone already knows about them.
A few years ago when I was hired to help a coffee chain improve their business, I walked 1000 homes in ½ mile radius of their store. The results were surprising- less than 25% of the people knew the store existed. While this may seem like bad news and sure, in some ways it was, it helped us focus the store’s marketing efforts to know what they could do better. One year later, we assessed the same people and 90% of them knew the store’s tagline and knew the location. Don’t assume that everyone knows you because you’re in a rural area and the options are limited. The chances are good that they don’t.
Finally, is your store viewed positively in the community? God forbid you’ve burned through the neighborhood and are known to be a bad business for whatever reason. Does Bitter Betty work for you? Do customers loathe their experience with your employees? You need to know if people have a negative taste in their mouth about your store, and if they do, you’ll need to do some reparations to your brand before you do any further marketing. Marketing to people to get them in the door, but putting them in touch with an unpleasant staff that prevents them from coming back, is wasted effort.
2. Small town retailers often have to adopt a higher markup than the big city stores. This can be because of limited volume, higher wholesale prices or transportation costs. What can they do to not lose sales?
Learn how to make sales and don’t assume the merchandise is going to sell itself. The reality is that people always complain about prices in rural areas – but at the end of the day, they’ll pay for convenience if you make the store a place that makes them feel better. That’s what’s missing in most retail. You can’t be like a Wal-Mart and just stack it and hope someone will buy it. The reality is you’re going to have to do a better job of displaying and selling it to justify selling it at that higher price. If you do these things, you’ll gain loyal customers who are willing to pay a little more for your product because they appreciate the extra effort you’ve put forth to get it into their hands.
3. Since small town retailers face the same online competition as big city stores, how can they make up for sales lost to online sources?
I don’t think small town retailers should even worry about competing in the online space. Control what you can control. Look at your four walls. Unless you’re going to be like Amazon, stay in your own ballpark. Do what you do best and focus on your business. Don’t focus on online competitors.
4. Limited workforce is another big issue in small towns. Are there special techniques retailers can use to manage their smaller workforce?
Rural or smaller town retailers typically set their hours for what’s comfortable for them to begin with not what’s comfortable for their customers (i.e. closed on Sundays, limited hours on Saturdays, close earlier during the week). More than likely the hours they’ve chosen aren’t the best times to make money.
Studies have shown that, in order, these are the best money making times for retail:
If your store is closed on Sundays, you may be missing out on two of the top four money-making times! You have to test these against your store to see if it proves true. Most retailers have computer programs that can track transactions for every ½ hour block of time. Compile these reports on a monthly basis and look at times when the most sales are happening. Build a schedule for your employees around those higher sales times. Put the customer first when you schedule, not the employee.
I offer many more tips and solutions for retail business owners in my book “The Retail Doctor’s Guide to Growing Your Business”. Learn more at www.retaildoc.com/guide
New here? Take the Guided Tour. Like what you see? Subscribe.
1. In a small town, retailers have a limited supply of potential customers. How can rural retailers survive?
There are three things to consider. First, people probably drive from farther away to go to your store, so as a business owner, you have to give them a good reason to keep coming back. Don’t assume that you are a customer’s only option.
Second, stores need to evaluate if they are really holding on to all of their existing customers – or if they have bought into the lie that everyone already knows about them.
A few years ago when I was hired to help a coffee chain improve their business, I walked 1000 homes in ½ mile radius of their store. The results were surprising- less than 25% of the people knew the store existed. While this may seem like bad news and sure, in some ways it was, it helped us focus the store’s marketing efforts to know what they could do better. One year later, we assessed the same people and 90% of them knew the store’s tagline and knew the location. Don’t assume that everyone knows you because you’re in a rural area and the options are limited. The chances are good that they don’t.
Finally, is your store viewed positively in the community? God forbid you’ve burned through the neighborhood and are known to be a bad business for whatever reason. Does Bitter Betty work for you? Do customers loathe their experience with your employees? You need to know if people have a negative taste in their mouth about your store, and if they do, you’ll need to do some reparations to your brand before you do any further marketing. Marketing to people to get them in the door, but putting them in touch with an unpleasant staff that prevents them from coming back, is wasted effort.
2. Small town retailers often have to adopt a higher markup than the big city stores. This can be because of limited volume, higher wholesale prices or transportation costs. What can they do to not lose sales?
Learn how to make sales and don’t assume the merchandise is going to sell itself. The reality is that people always complain about prices in rural areas – but at the end of the day, they’ll pay for convenience if you make the store a place that makes them feel better. That’s what’s missing in most retail. You can’t be like a Wal-Mart and just stack it and hope someone will buy it. The reality is you’re going to have to do a better job of displaying and selling it to justify selling it at that higher price. If you do these things, you’ll gain loyal customers who are willing to pay a little more for your product because they appreciate the extra effort you’ve put forth to get it into their hands.
3. Since small town retailers face the same online competition as big city stores, how can they make up for sales lost to online sources?
I don’t think small town retailers should even worry about competing in the online space. Control what you can control. Look at your four walls. Unless you’re going to be like Amazon, stay in your own ballpark. Do what you do best and focus on your business. Don’t focus on online competitors.
4. Limited workforce is another big issue in small towns. Are there special techniques retailers can use to manage their smaller workforce?
Rural or smaller town retailers typically set their hours for what’s comfortable for them to begin with not what’s comfortable for their customers (i.e. closed on Sundays, limited hours on Saturdays, close earlier during the week). More than likely the hours they’ve chosen aren’t the best times to make money.
Studies have shown that, in order, these are the best money making times for retail:
- Saturday 11 am – 1 pm
- Saturday 3 pm – 5 pm
- Sunday 3 pm – 5 pm
- Sunday 11 am – 1 pm
If your store is closed on Sundays, you may be missing out on two of the top four money-making times! You have to test these against your store to see if it proves true. Most retailers have computer programs that can track transactions for every ½ hour block of time. Compile these reports on a monthly basis and look at times when the most sales are happening. Build a schedule for your employees around those higher sales times. Put the customer first when you schedule, not the employee.
I offer many more tips and solutions for retail business owners in my book “The Retail Doctor’s Guide to Growing Your Business”. Learn more at www.retaildoc.com/guide
New here? Take the Guided Tour. Like what you see? Subscribe.
Categories:
customer service,
entrepreneurship,
rural,
workforce
How to finance business expansion without a loan
My friend Chuck Huckaby sent along this idea, a technique for funding a business expansion without going the bank loan route. Tourism businesses with a loyal group of repeat visitors could use it, too.
Read more at Can You Use This Technique To Fund Your Business Expansion?
New here? Take the Guided Tour. Like what you see? Subscribe.
Read more at Can You Use This Technique To Fund Your Business Expansion?
New here? Take the Guided Tour. Like what you see? Subscribe.
Categories:
entrepreneurship,
finance,
ideas,
recession
How a small town photographer survives in a crowded field
Photography is a crowded profession. And it's getting squeezed to death by a glut of amateurs. When everyone can afford a "pro" camera, how can a professional photographer make a living? Mike Klemme's answers hold some lessons for people in all types of professions being squeezed.
Mike Klemme is a professional photographer from Enid, Oklahoma (population 47,000). He's making his living at a time when the general freelance photography business is being squeezed to death in a race to the bottom. One dollar pics at iStockphoto have meant the end to the routine but profitable $300-500 stock photos Klemme used to sell over and over.
But Klemme found an answer.
Mike Klemme is a professional photographer from Enid, Oklahoma (population 47,000). He's making his living at a time when the general freelance photography business is being squeezed to death in a race to the bottom. One dollar pics at iStockphoto have meant the end to the routine but profitable $300-500 stock photos Klemme used to sell over and over.But Klemme found an answer.
Categories:
Best of,
entrepreneurship,
ideas,
success,
survivors
You are invited to the Brag Basket
Even though I call this the Brag Basket, it's not really about bragging. It's about sharing. I started this so you can introduce yourself, share some good news, or congratulate a friend.
The basket is open all weekend, from July 23-25, 2010.
Speak up and add yourself or another deserving soul in the comments. We all cheer, and everyone feels great. It lets you meet each other a bit. Reading each others' stories brings us a bit closer to being a community.
How does it work? You write a comment on this post, email me, tweet me, or comment on Facebook. You tell something great about your week, or you give applause to someone who did good stuff this week. Or you celebrate something wonderful that you tried that failed.
This is not an ad. (I delete the ads.) It's a conversation with friends. So jump in. And remember to cheer for each other.
New here? Take the Guided Tour. Like what you see? Subscribe.
The basket is open all weekend, from July 23-25, 2010.
Speak up and add yourself or another deserving soul in the comments. We all cheer, and everyone feels great. It lets you meet each other a bit. Reading each others' stories brings us a bit closer to being a community.
How does it work? You write a comment on this post, email me, tweet me, or comment on Facebook. You tell something great about your week, or you give applause to someone who did good stuff this week. Or you celebrate something wonderful that you tried that failed.
This is not an ad. (I delete the ads.) It's a conversation with friends. So jump in. And remember to cheer for each other.
New here? Take the Guided Tour. Like what you see? Subscribe.
Categories:
brag basket
Power to Fight the Big Boys
Doug Stewart publishes a site called Power to Fight the Big Boys. His tagline is "helping the best small businesses dominate their space on the web."
Doug is a fellow Oklahoman, and after we met at the GetSocial Conference in Oklahoma City, he invited me for an interview. Here's a short preview of my interview:
You'll find the whole interview at Power to Fight the Big Boys. While you're there, take time to subscribe.
Doug is a fellow Oklahoman, and after we met at the GetSocial Conference in Oklahoma City, he invited me for an interview. Here's a short preview of my interview:
You'll find the whole interview at Power to Fight the Big Boys. While you're there, take time to subscribe.
Categories:
announcement
Could Franchise Businesses Start Invading Your Small Town
Guest post by Joel Libava, the Franchise King
Can you imagine what your main drag would look like with a myriad of franchised sub shops, pizza joints, frozen yogurt shops, and convenient stores, all lined up and ready to gladly accept your credit cards?
I really don’t think it will happen quite like that in a small town near you, but franchises and their franchisees (which may turn out to be neighbors of yours) could open up shop, right down the street from your local hardware store. And if so, would that be a bad thing?
Franchisees are people too, you know. They’ve decided that they’d like to be in business for themselves and they’re taking their shot at The American Dream. They’ve chosen the business model of franchising as their path.
Here’s what a franchise provides;
That’s a pretty impressive list, and those are just a few of the reasons that I’m so focused and passionate about franchising.
In my role as a franchise consultant, I’ve helped lots of people make the right choice in a franchise, (as long as they’re the right type of person for a franchise to begin with) and have taught them the proper franchise research techniques to help them lower their risk.
Lots of people think that buying a franchise is a lot less risky that starting their own business from scratch, but it’s not necessarily true. One of the reasons for this common misconception has to do with two full decades of franchise success rates being bandied about by all sorts of franchise industry folks.
The IFA, (International Franchise Association) even had to put out a letter to its members.
Read more about those out of date franchise success rates at OPEN Forum By American Express.
Here are some examples of franchises that can be found in small towns:
That’s not a complete list. To find more, go to a franchise website like Franchise Direct, or Franchise.com.
I really don’t think that your town will be overrun with franchises, anytime soon. Heck, you probably have a franchise or two in your area right now. Do you know who owns them?
I guess that my point in all this is to make sure you do know who may be bringing a franchise into your town. It’s not coming from a huge conglomerate like Best Buy, or Staples. The next franchise business that opens up in your town will probably be opened by one of your neighbors. This neighbor is putting a sizeable amount of his or her own money into this new business, hoping and possibly even praying, for its massive success.
That’s not a bad thing, right?
The Franchise King®, Joel Libava, is a Cleveland, Ohio based franchise consultant and marketer. His main blog, The Franchise King Blog, is well known in small business/franchise circles, and his newest project, Franchise Online University.com has some great eBook style guides on franchise ownership, including one that’s free.
New here? Take the Guided Tour. Like what you see? Subscribe.
Can you imagine what your main drag would look like with a myriad of franchised sub shops, pizza joints, frozen yogurt shops, and convenient stores, all lined up and ready to gladly accept your credit cards?
I really don’t think it will happen quite like that in a small town near you, but franchises and their franchisees (which may turn out to be neighbors of yours) could open up shop, right down the street from your local hardware store. And if so, would that be a bad thing? Franchisees are people too, you know. They’ve decided that they’d like to be in business for themselves and they’re taking their shot at The American Dream. They’ve chosen the business model of franchising as their path.
Here’s what a franchise provides;
- An operating system
- Formal training
- Support
- Purchasing power
- Branding
- Marketing plans
- Site selection assistance
- Franchisee network
That’s a pretty impressive list, and those are just a few of the reasons that I’m so focused and passionate about franchising.
In my role as a franchise consultant, I’ve helped lots of people make the right choice in a franchise, (as long as they’re the right type of person for a franchise to begin with) and have taught them the proper franchise research techniques to help them lower their risk.
Lots of people think that buying a franchise is a lot less risky that starting their own business from scratch, but it’s not necessarily true. One of the reasons for this common misconception has to do with two full decades of franchise success rates being bandied about by all sorts of franchise industry folks.
The IFA, (International Franchise Association) even had to put out a letter to its members.
“Dear Friends:
It has come to our attention that some IFA-member companies may be providing information about franchising that is long out of date and no longer presents an accurate picture of the sector. Of particular concern is information claiming that the success rate of franchised establishments is much greater than that of independent small businesses.”
Read more about those out of date franchise success rates at OPEN Forum By American Express.
Here are some examples of franchises that can be found in small towns:
That’s not a complete list. To find more, go to a franchise website like Franchise Direct, or Franchise.com.
I really don’t think that your town will be overrun with franchises, anytime soon. Heck, you probably have a franchise or two in your area right now. Do you know who owns them?
I guess that my point in all this is to make sure you do know who may be bringing a franchise into your town. It’s not coming from a huge conglomerate like Best Buy, or Staples. The next franchise business that opens up in your town will probably be opened by one of your neighbors. This neighbor is putting a sizeable amount of his or her own money into this new business, hoping and possibly even praying, for its massive success.
That’s not a bad thing, right?
New here? Take the Guided Tour. Like what you see? Subscribe.
Categories:
entrepreneurship
5 ways to be easy to find
Yes, I know you do business in a small town and all the locals know where you are. But if you also do business with visitors and tourists, it's up to you to make yourself easy to find.
1. Get a good sign.
1. Get a good sign.Make sure it's clear and readable. Include your business name or category. Not allowed a sign due to zoning? (for example b&bs in residential areas) Get large and readable house numbers instead, and include your house number in all your promotions.
2. Check different mobile map systems and phones.
2. Check different mobile map systems and phones.
Between Google Maps, Mapquest and GPS systems, there are many variations. You may find you need to list your address in a particular way so it will come up right for visitors. The only way to know is to test. Then be sure the address you publicize is the one that works best. My house has an official county-assigned address, but it doesn't correlate to any online mapping systems.
3. Claim your business listing in Google Places.
3. Claim your business listing in Google Places.
Make sure you include everything on the business website checklist.
5. Write extremely clear driving directions.
Extremely clear. Here's our take on how to write better directions for tourists.
5. Write extremely clear driving directions.
Extremely clear. Here's our take on how to write better directions for tourists.
How do you make sure your business is findable? Or, how do you look for businesses?
Categories:
entrepreneurship
You cannot script enthusiasm
By Jon Swanson
Nancy and I went out for supper. Because we had a free birthday burger at Red Robin, that's where we went. Ryan, our server, was great. He was friendly at a volume which didn't include other tables. He answered food questions thoughtfully, even providing a caution about what often happens in cooking the turkey burger. He treated us as if we hadn't ordered just water, and as if half the bill wasn't going to be free. It was a nice evening.
The next morning, I took the van for an oil change. Being near my birthday, I had a coupon for half-off the regular price.
I was greeted at the van door by one employee, who walked me to the waiting room, pointing out the TV, fresh coffee, and magazines and telling me how long before Mike would talk with me. As I sat working, another employee brought another customer and pointed out the TV, fresh coffee, and magazines and told her how long before Mike would talk with her.
Mike came and got me, took me to the computer in the service area, and began walking me through all the options, just like always. He read them from the screen that we both could see. At one point, when I waved my hand at the screen and said, "I know," he whispered, "they cover everything." We finished that part of the process and he said, "I'll take you back to the waiting area." Having just walked the 6 feet myself, I said, "I'm fine." He whispered, "I have to." Before I left, there was much more of the script, complete with smiles and "how did we do" and "does everything look fine?" Five guys in the place, all using the same script book.
I am convinced that both Mike and Ryan are nice guys. I am convinced that both Mike and Ryan work for companies that want to get customers to come back. I am convinced that both companies have created training that research somewhere has suggested.
What I saw, however, is that one script allows the person's personality to emerge and be part of the service. The other script only allows the personality to emerge as a critique of the service.
This oil change place hasn't always been this way. They used to be friendly. Now they are programmed.
I like the old way.
Nancy and I went out for supper. Because we had a free birthday burger at Red Robin, that's where we went. Ryan, our server, was great. He was friendly at a volume which didn't include other tables. He answered food questions thoughtfully, even providing a caution about what often happens in cooking the turkey burger. He treated us as if we hadn't ordered just water, and as if half the bill wasn't going to be free. It was a nice evening.
The next morning, I took the van for an oil change. Being near my birthday, I had a coupon for half-off the regular price.
I was greeted at the van door by one employee, who walked me to the waiting room, pointing out the TV, fresh coffee, and magazines and telling me how long before Mike would talk with me. As I sat working, another employee brought another customer and pointed out the TV, fresh coffee, and magazines and told her how long before Mike would talk with her.
Mike came and got me, took me to the computer in the service area, and began walking me through all the options, just like always. He read them from the screen that we both could see. At one point, when I waved my hand at the screen and said, "I know," he whispered, "they cover everything." We finished that part of the process and he said, "I'll take you back to the waiting area." Having just walked the 6 feet myself, I said, "I'm fine." He whispered, "I have to." Before I left, there was much more of the script, complete with smiles and "how did we do" and "does everything look fine?" Five guys in the place, all using the same script book.
I am convinced that both Mike and Ryan are nice guys. I am convinced that both Mike and Ryan work for companies that want to get customers to come back. I am convinced that both companies have created training that research somewhere has suggested.
What I saw, however, is that one script allows the person's personality to emerge and be part of the service. The other script only allows the personality to emerge as a critique of the service.
This oil change place hasn't always been this way. They used to be friendly. Now they are programmed.
I like the old way.
Photo by Jon Swanson.
New here? Take the Guided Tour. Like what you see? Subscribe.
Categories:
customer service,
Jon Swanson
Old Spice vs Fast Company
I don't often weigh in on big corporate issues, but there are some good lessons from two contrasting recent promotions. Fast Company is a well known forward-thinking business magazine. Conventional wisdom says they should have succeeded in a social campaign. P&G is the corporate behemoth behind the brand Old Spice. They should have had trouble with a social campaign. Turns out, that is exactly backwards.
Waiting for you to share in the Brag Basket
Even though I call this the Brag Basket, it's not really about bragging. It's about sharing. I started this so you can introduce yourself, share some good news, or congratulate a friend.
The basket is open all weekend, from July 16-18, 2010.
Speak up and add yourself or another deserving soul in the comments. We all cheer, and everyone feels great. It lets you meet each other a bit. Reading each others' stories brings us a bit closer to being a community.
How does it work? You write a comment on this post, email me, tweet me, or comment on Facebook. You tell something great about your week, or you give applause to someone who did good stuff this week. Or you celebrate something wonderful that you tried that failed.
This is not an ad. (I delete the ads.) It's a conversation with friends. So jump in. And remember to cheer for each other.
New here? Take the Guided Tour. Like what you see? Subscribe.
The basket is open all weekend, from July 16-18, 2010.
Speak up and add yourself or another deserving soul in the comments. We all cheer, and everyone feels great. It lets you meet each other a bit. Reading each others' stories brings us a bit closer to being a community.
How does it work? You write a comment on this post, email me, tweet me, or comment on Facebook. You tell something great about your week, or you give applause to someone who did good stuff this week. Or you celebrate something wonderful that you tried that failed.
This is not an ad. (I delete the ads.) It's a conversation with friends. So jump in. And remember to cheer for each other.
New here? Take the Guided Tour. Like what you see? Subscribe.
Categories:
brag basket
Ebook basics
A friend asked me about the basics of ebook publishing. I offered to pull together some resources, and I thought you might be interested in the answer, too. An ebook is one way to spread your ideas online. You can make them free or put them up for sale.
The term ebook can mean any electronically published info. Length can be short, with just a few pages, or as long as a regular printed book, or even longer. The format can be any electronic format. Some ebooks are published just as a standard website or a blog. Most are in PDF. Some are set up in special formats for readers, like the Kindle or iPad.
To get yourself going, start with these basics.
For US residents, your publication is automatically copyrighted as soon as you publish it. If you want to, include a copyright notice. That's the "(c) 2010 by Your Name." Any extra wording is up to you.
If it's a free ebook, why not make it easy to share? Use a Creative Commons license, and people can tell how you intend it to be shared. Stop by Creative Commons Choose a License page to get started.
Pretty Graphics
My friend specifically asked about those pretty "looks just a like a real book" graphics you see on some pages advertising ebooks. I personally don't use 'em. I just use a flat graphic taken from my cover design. If you are good with any graphics software, you can make your own. If not, you can purchase specially-designed software to do just that, or work with a graphic designer. For a simple task like this, you might look at crowdSPRING or fiverr.
Step by Step Basics
Here's the easy step by step instructions at the most basic level.
New here? Take the Guided Tour. Like what you see? Subscribe.
The term ebook can mean any electronically published info. Length can be short, with just a few pages, or as long as a regular printed book, or even longer. The format can be any electronic format. Some ebooks are published just as a standard website or a blog. Most are in PDF. Some are set up in special formats for readers, like the Kindle or iPad.
To get yourself going, start with these basics.
- Marketing expert Seth Godin explains why you should write an ebook.
- Adobe is an acknowledged leader in ebook software. They have an excellent resource page: Create eBooks.
- Publishing eBooks: Kindle, iPad, Nook, Kobo? from Gizmodo tells you about getting your document ready for the various eReaders.
For US residents, your publication is automatically copyrighted as soon as you publish it. If you want to, include a copyright notice. That's the "(c) 2010 by Your Name." Any extra wording is up to you.
If it's a free ebook, why not make it easy to share? Use a Creative Commons license, and people can tell how you intend it to be shared. Stop by Creative Commons Choose a License page to get started.
Pretty Graphics
My friend specifically asked about those pretty "looks just a like a real book" graphics you see on some pages advertising ebooks. I personally don't use 'em. I just use a flat graphic taken from my cover design. If you are good with any graphics software, you can make your own. If not, you can purchase specially-designed software to do just that, or work with a graphic designer. For a simple task like this, you might look at crowdSPRING or fiverr.
Step by Step Basics
Here's the easy step by step instructions at the most basic level.
- Get a word processor that saves in PDF. Google Docs (free), Microsoft Word (not free) and Open Office (free) work fine.
- Write something worth sharing or selling.
- Print or save in PDF.
- It's now officially an ebook.
If you want to give it away for free, it's time to distribute it. You could email it to your Posterous blog. That will upload and store the PDF for download by anyone. You can also post it to Scribd, your own blog or website, email it to friends, or distribute it any other way you can think of.
If you want to sell it, you have to be a bit more cautious. You need to post it online, but not where everyone can find it.
- One easy option is e-junkie, an unfortunate name for a good service. There is a monthly fee, but they will host your file and manage downloads for you. It works well with PayPal to collect payments.
- I use PayPal to collect payments for my ebook, then direct customers to a special secret blog post where they can download the ebook. The file itself is in a folder on my web host. Low tech, but it works for my one paid booklet.
If you're curious about my ebooks, here are the links:
- Small business ideas for small towns ebook (free)
- Shop Local Campaigns for Small Towns (paid)
- Social Media for Tourism Links and Resources (free)
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Categories:
resources,
Small Biz 100
Add Twitter Places and Whrrl to your location based tool box
(See How do you make Foursquare relevant in small towns for an overview of how location-based services help you reach more potential visitors.)
Twitter Places
By using Twitter Places, users can tie their tweet to your location without having to use up any of their 140 character limit. I see this as useful for events at your location, or festivals that bring lots of visitors to town. Users can see other nearby tweets, or can link directly to your location from the tweet (not your website, but your location).
Because Twitter has a huge existing user base, this has the potential to reach more people than specialty location-based services.
Get started with these two help files from Twitter:
Hat tip to John Jantsch of Duct Tape Marketing for pointing out Places.
Whrrl
Whrrl is one of those services that is growing on me. It has a small following right now, but lots of potential. The focus is on telling stories about a location with pictures and short messages. It also features "societies" or interest groups like mountain biking or Mexican food. Those are the features that make it interesting for tourism.
Whrrl also has an excellent free program for business owners, that they call a Merchant program. Of course, you can offer specials to customers, but it also gives you information about those customers, such as how many times they have visited or whether they are a regular. That's much more valuable than only knowing about the one most frequent visitor.
Hat tip to Scott Townsend for re-introducing me to Whrrl. Here's a society he created to feature the buffalo statues around his hometown of Bartlesville, Oklahoma. That's a great tourism use.
Other Services
Because there are so many location-based services, with more coming out all the time, we'll continue to profile them here. We'll focus on ones that are most promising for drawing visitors, as well as those that have features we can learn from.
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Categories:
social media,
tourism
Rural sourcing can replace outsourcing
 |
| Onshore Technologies office |
Dubbed "ruralsourcing," "rural outsourcing" and "onshoring," the practice relies on two simple premises: Smaller towns need jobs, and they offer a cheaper cost of living than urban centers. So businesses that outsource work to these areas can expect to pay less -- rates are often as much as 25% to 50% lower -- than if they were hiring urbanites with comparable skills.
The CNN Money story was picked up by Inc.com as the headline item for a weekly roundup, "Forget Outsourcing, Try Rural Sourcing."
This is a trend we first talked about in 2006, citing stories from Ed Morrison. (Moving technology jobs to rural areas, and Outsourcing to rural areas.)
Three companies were mentioned in the recent coverage: Rural Sourcing, Inc., Cross USA, and Onshore Technology. Their websites offer some resources that could be relevant to any small town business or economic development group exploring this type project.
- Cross USA has several white papers on rural sourcing on their news page.
- Cross USA's John Beesley has a LinkedIn group for Alternatives to Off-Shore.
- Rural Sourcing, Inc., offers a presentation (in PDF), though it would be better with some context or speaker's notes.
- Onshore Technology keeps up a running discussion of onshoring news on their Facebook page. (which is also where I got the photo for this post.)
Local economic developers: consider how you can leverage your state and national contacts to help your local businesses reach those larger markets.
Do you have local examples of rural companies tapping this trend?
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Categories:
economic development,
entrepreneurship,
global,
news,
rural
Rural entrepreneurship key to economic recovery in England
 |
| Wind turbine, Cumbria, by S John Davey |
Rural England is leading the way to economic recovery, thanks to high levels of entrepreneurship in the countryside, a report has revealed.
Another news story focused on the "green" jobs possible in the countryside to help turn the economy around. Daelnet added their own countryman commentary full of irony, with "Last will and testament for rural life."
I love that! Now that the city slickers who run our banks and hedge funds have pitched the world into a financial crisis, and a former Government run by townies has left the Treasury coffers bare, we should turn to country folk to pull us out of the mire!
Other headlines focused on the soaring unemployment in rural areas. From Google News, here is the list of UK news coverage and the US news coverage.
This burst of rural news was started by the release of a major report by the Commission for Rural Communities.
This burst of rural news was started by the release of a major report by the Commission for Rural Communities.
State of the countryside 2010 provides a comprehensive description of social, economic and environmental conditions and changes across rural England, highlighting the main challenges and future trends for government and other organisations.
This international notice of the key role of rural England comes at the same time as the abolishing of the rural commission that issued the report.
Read the announcement by the Commission for Rural Communities, or download your own copy of the report.
Read the announcement by the Commission for Rural Communities, or download your own copy of the report.
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Tax Time
A new video on the Small Business section of the IRS Video Portal looks at how good recordkeeping can reduce stress at tax time.It is never too early to start thinking about your tax return.
Categories:
maesz,
organization,
tax matters
I can hardly wait for the Brag Basket
Even though I call this the Brag Basket, it's not really about bragging. It's about sharing. I started this so you can introduce yourself, share some good news, or congratulate a friend.
The basket is open all weekend, from July 9-11, 2010.
Speak up and add yourself or another deserving soul in the comments. We all cheer, and everyone feels great. It lets you meet each other a bit. Reading each others' stories brings us a bit closer to being a community.
How does it work? You write a comment on this post, email me, tweet me, or comment on Facebook. You tell something great about your week, or you give applause to someone who did good stuff this week. Or you celebrate something wonderful that you tried that failed.
This is not an ad. (I delete the ads.) It's a conversation with friends. So jump in. And remember to cheer for each other.
New here? Take the Guided Tour. Like what you see? Subscribe.
The basket is open all weekend, from July 9-11, 2010.
Speak up and add yourself or another deserving soul in the comments. We all cheer, and everyone feels great. It lets you meet each other a bit. Reading each others' stories brings us a bit closer to being a community.
How does it work? You write a comment on this post, email me, tweet me, or comment on Facebook. You tell something great about your week, or you give applause to someone who did good stuff this week. Or you celebrate something wonderful that you tried that failed.
This is not an ad. (I delete the ads.) It's a conversation with friends. So jump in. And remember to cheer for each other.
New here? Take the Guided Tour. Like what you see? Subscribe.
Categories:
brag basket
USDA is more than just ag
This is the last of the reports from the Making Place Matter in Northwest Oklahoma Rural Community Economic Development Summit held in Alva on June 3, 2010.
Dr. Glenda Humiston is the director of California Rural Development at the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).
She sees the USDA, especially Rural Development, as more than just agriculture. Rather than just the farmer, USDA needs to focus on sustainable communities, regional collaborations, and more, she said.
The definition of rural is a big mess for the whole nation, Humiston said. It's difficult to draw lines, and different federal programs use different standards.
Farm Income
Today, fewer farms operate solely on traditional agricultural income than in the past. Humiston's own family farm makes more from one agritourism event (a motorcycle rally) than from cattle annually.
"Big farms are not evil. We've got to scale up to feed the world's people," Humiston said.
Consolidation of marketing is killing farmers, she said. Three firms control 84% of all US beef processing. This hurts the free market.
Farm Bill
The next Farm Bill in 2012 will be crazy contentious, Humiston said. Farm Bill politics defy any other type of politics. It crosses partisan lines and urban vs rural divides. Free trade issues are getting involved, also.
A lot of the "modern" farm bill comes from the Depression and Dust Bowl. We still use the same framework, Humiston said.
Rural Economies
Dr. Humiston referred to my 2010 rural small business trends article, listing the top 10 trends for this year.
Ideas
After a state-wide listening program, her department put together a list of the ideas, in "Jobs, Economic Development and Sustainable Communities." It is 79 pages of local ideas from people working in communities all over California. It is available as a free download, and is being updated with more information about the source of each idea, Humiston said.
Dr. Glenda Humiston is the director of California Rural Development at the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).
She sees the USDA, especially Rural Development, as more than just agriculture. Rather than just the farmer, USDA needs to focus on sustainable communities, regional collaborations, and more, she said.
The definition of rural is a big mess for the whole nation, Humiston said. It's difficult to draw lines, and different federal programs use different standards.
Farm Income
Today, fewer farms operate solely on traditional agricultural income than in the past. Humiston's own family farm makes more from one agritourism event (a motorcycle rally) than from cattle annually.
Off farm income makes up a huge portion of farm family income. Without those outside jobs, family farms fail, Humiston said.
Big Farms and Big Processors
"Big farms are not evil. We've got to scale up to feed the world's people," Humiston said.
Consolidation of marketing is killing farmers, she said. Three firms control 84% of all US beef processing. This hurts the free market.
Farm Bill
The next Farm Bill in 2012 will be crazy contentious, Humiston said. Farm Bill politics defy any other type of politics. It crosses partisan lines and urban vs rural divides. Free trade issues are getting involved, also.
A lot of the "modern" farm bill comes from the Depression and Dust Bowl. We still use the same framework, Humiston said.
Rural Economies
Dr. Humiston referred to my 2010 rural small business trends article, listing the top 10 trends for this year.
New rural entrepreneurship initiatives were announced by the USDA the same day as this conference. These included new partnership efforts with the Small Business Administration.
Humiston said she would rather see the focus of economic development on incentive-izing local entrepreneurs rather than recruiting outside business.
She mentioned Bellingham, WA, as the granddaddy of all shop local programs. She also mentioned the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies, BALLE.
After a state-wide listening program, her department put together a list of the ideas, in "Jobs, Economic Development and Sustainable Communities." It is 79 pages of local ideas from people working in communities all over California. It is available as a free download, and is being updated with more information about the source of each idea, Humiston said.
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Categories:
economic development,
entrepreneurship,
rural
A Very Satisfactory Exchange
By Maesz
I recently ordered a slow cooker from an individual merchant on Amazon. I know, I know, a crock pot is not a very high tech item. However, the interaction delivered by the merchant was, I thought, instructive from a "how-to-do-business" aspect. (All email addresses, street addresses and phone numbers have been removed by me.)
I placed my order on 28 June 2010 at 10:40am CDT. This then appeared in my inbox:
Isn't that how you want your customers to feel?
Maesz also blogs at The Old Feminist and Wild Eyed Liberal, where she indulges in occasional outbursts of domesticity, like sharing recipes. I'm sure that's why she got the slow cooker.
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I recently ordered a slow cooker from an individual merchant on Amazon. I know, I know, a crock pot is not a very high tech item. However, the interaction delivered by the merchant was, I thought, instructive from a "how-to-do-business" aspect. (All email addresses, street addresses and phone numbers have been removed by me.)I placed my order on 28 June 2010 at 10:40am CDT. This then appeared in my inbox:
On Mon, Jun 28, 2010 at 11:08 AM, AUSTINTATIOUS wrote:The cooker arrived on 3 July 2010 via USPS at about 11am and I sent this email:
Order ID 002-1129187-2569809:
1 of Hb 3Qt Oval Slow Cooker With Gasket And Locking Strap [ASIN: B0026R7V0M]
------------- Begin message -------------
MY PLEDGE
Hello! Your item is packed and I am shipping your order USPS MAIL Tuesday morning. I would like to take a brief moment to explain my merchandising philosophy and promise to you, the customer. As a teenager, I was taught from early on that all a man really has to sell is his time and his reputation. My name and reputation in the community is far more important to me than the monetary gain on any sale.
I continually strive to advertise and sell products to you as represented. Your item was carefully packed and I hope it arrived safely, and that you are happy with your selection. However, I am not a professional merchant or expert. If there is any problem with your order, I would like the opportunity to make it right before you consider another course of action. Hopefully this will never happen, but if anything is untoward with this order, I ask you to contact me before you leave less than positive feedback, and give me the opportunity to make it right. A lot of misunderstandings are resolved by a simple communication. I promise to be honest, fair, and respond quickly to all customer inquiries. Please complete the transaction by leaving Feedback for me. Your Feedback lets me know there are no problems. Thank you for your business, trust, and confidence.
Austin Hoffman
3Qt Oval Slow Cooker received 3 July 2010 in good shape. Thank you.This then followed:
From: AUSTINTATIOUSA little heavy on the verbiage, perhaps, but I certainly felt secure. And, I felt any problems would be resolved expeditiously and to my satisfaction.
Date: Mon, Jul 5, 2010 at 11:28 AM
Subject: Re: Order information from Amazon seller AUSTINTATIOUS
To: Glenna Mae Hendricks
Great, just the way I like it. Check me out at guerillagaragesales.com Click on Special Events Link and scroll down to see my PBS Television debut. Austin
***************
"According to most pundits, entrepreneurs only want to maximize their profits. However, the puny motive of profit maximization barely explains anything at all. There is the will to conquer, the impulse to fight, to prove oneself superior to others, to succeed for the sake, not of the fruits of success, but of success itself. Finally, there is the joy of creating, of getting things done, or simply exercising one's energy and ingenuity. Capitalism is not simply a matter of counting coins. Capitalism is a romance and an adventure."
--Joseph Schumpeter
Isn't that how you want your customers to feel?
Maesz also blogs at The Old Feminist and Wild Eyed Liberal, where she indulges in occasional outbursts of domesticity, like sharing recipes. I'm sure that's why she got the slow cooker.
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Categories:
customer service,
entrepreneurship,
maesz
What's your town slogan?
Does your town have a slogan? Does it convey anything unique, or could it apply to any number of other towns? Generic lines like "Best Little Town" or "Heart of..." don't really tell your visitors anything.
Our friend Mike Knutson of Reimagine Rural brought up this idea, after reading this list of South Dakota town slogans. A selection:
Here are 100 more town slogan examples, found on (of all places) a truck camping forum. Each of these tells you something about the town.
Our friend Mike Knutson of Reimagine Rural brought up this idea, after reading this list of South Dakota town slogans. A selection:
Tripp says, "Easy to Find, Hard to Leave."But do any of those tell you anything about the town? Are they something that almost any town in your area could claim?
Tyndall is "A Place Where Families Grow."
Philip is "Where the sun kisses the earth."
Here are 100 more town slogan examples, found on (of all places) a truck camping forum. Each of these tells you something about the town.
- Hooker, Oklahoma: It’s a location, not a vocation
- Buckley, Washington: Below the snow, above the fog
- Show Low, Arizona: Named for the turn of a card
- Britt, Iowa: Founded by rail, sustained by the plow
- Tombstone, Arizona: The town too tough to die
- Hyder, Alaska: Friendliest ghost town in Alaska
If you need even more inspiration, here's an even longer list of City Slogans and Nicknames of US Cities.
If you are ready to work on your slogan, another of our friends Ross Kimbarovsky of crowdSPRING has an excellent article on How to Make Your Tagline Stand Out From the Crowd.
Do you know of an example of a town that manages to tell a story with just a few words?
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If you are ready to work on your slogan, another of our friends Ross Kimbarovsky of crowdSPRING has an excellent article on How to Make Your Tagline Stand Out From the Crowd.
Do you know of an example of a town that manages to tell a story with just a few words?
New here? Take the Guided Tour. Like what you see? Subscribe.
An independent brag basket
Feeling happily independent this weekend? Jump into the Brag Basket.
Even though I call this the Brag Basket, it's not really about bragging. It's about sharing. I started this so you can introduce yourself, share some good news, or congratulate a friend.
The basket is open all weekend, from July 2-4, 2010.
Speak up and add yourself or another deserving soul in the comments. We all cheer, and everyone feels great. It lets you meet each other a bit. Reading each others' stories brings us a bit closer to being a community.
How does it work? You write a comment on this post, email me, tweet me, or comment on Facebook. You tell something great about your week, or you give applause to someone who did good stuff this week. Or you celebrate something wonderful that you tried that failed.
This is not an ad. (I delete the ads.) It's a conversation with friends. So jump in. And remember to cheer for each other.
New here? Take the Guided Tour. Like what you see? Subscribe.
Even though I call this the Brag Basket, it's not really about bragging. It's about sharing. I started this so you can introduce yourself, share some good news, or congratulate a friend.
The basket is open all weekend, from July 2-4, 2010.
Speak up and add yourself or another deserving soul in the comments. We all cheer, and everyone feels great. It lets you meet each other a bit. Reading each others' stories brings us a bit closer to being a community.
How does it work? You write a comment on this post, email me, tweet me, or comment on Facebook. You tell something great about your week, or you give applause to someone who did good stuff this week. Or you celebrate something wonderful that you tried that failed.
This is not an ad. (I delete the ads.) It's a conversation with friends. So jump in. And remember to cheer for each other.
New here? Take the Guided Tour. Like what you see? Subscribe.
Categories:
brag basket
The best advice for dealing with critics
The Oklahoma City edition of the Get Social Conference brought out some direct and honest advice about dealing with critics.
I mentioned the CAVE people. This is a Jack Schultz acronym. It means the Citizens Against Virtually Everything, and I know them well. Remember, if no one hates you, may may not be doing anything important.
Negativity and politics feed on themselves. Those CAVE people head to the coffee shop early, and they try to stir up as much trouble as they can all morning. Then they have a busy afternoon of more of the same. And even well-justified concerns can get magnified all out of proportion. This happens in the online world, too. Firestorms can hit any company, as one person launches into a tirade and gathers supporters.
What can you do? Here are a few tried and true suggestions, learned from hard-won experience.
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 |
| Get Social crowd by Jessica Miller-Merrell |
The dog keeps barking, and the train keeps moving on.
@stargardener
Being active in social media doesn't make people like you. Sometimes they just want your ___.
@eblakejackson
What my spouse calls not getting into a pissing contest with a skunk.
@jeanwarner
I mentioned the CAVE people. This is a Jack Schultz acronym. It means the Citizens Against Virtually Everything, and I know them well. Remember, if no one hates you, may may not be doing anything important.
Negativity and politics feed on themselves. Those CAVE people head to the coffee shop early, and they try to stir up as much trouble as they can all morning. Then they have a busy afternoon of more of the same. And even well-justified concerns can get magnified all out of proportion. This happens in the online world, too. Firestorms can hit any company, as one person launches into a tirade and gathers supporters.
What can you do? Here are a few tried and true suggestions, learned from hard-won experience.
 |
| photo by Scott Townsend |
- Be proactive with communication. Over communicate. Repeat, repeat, repeat your message.
- Don't ignore a firestorm. Keep communicating.
- Remain above the mud. Inform, but don't argue.
- Focus on the community needs. Don't get distracted into focusing on the complainers, the side issues, or the past.
- Fix the things that really are broken. That really sucks the life out of a firestorm.
- Reach out directly to the ringleaders. This usually takes them by surprise, and is remarkably disarming.
- When it gets worse than you can imagine, call in some outside facilitators. A neutral party can ask the questions that no one else can admit need to be asked.
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Categories:
community
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