Small business ideas for small towns ebook

Need ideas for a small town small business? We have a new ebook for you.

20 Small Business Ideas for Small Towns is a short ebook detailing 20 different ways you can make a successful business in a small town. It also covers seven ways to generate your own ideas, so you can dream up the small biz idea that best fits you.

This booklet is brought to you by Network Solutions, thanks to Shashi B.


If you want to purchase paper copies in bulk, just send me an email.

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The best way to get new ideas

Today, I sat down with nonprofit staff members to generate ideas for them to reach more people and sell specific merchandise. With three of us, we filled two pages with ideas, and we each shared more insights and knowledge than any of us alone had started with.

We could have had these ideas any time, but we had to take time out, sit down together, and brainstorm to find them. And this is the best way to generate new ideas for your business.

How long has it been since you took time out from your business to brainstorm ways to improve it?



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Small town business trends for 2008

Want a trend report that pays attention to small town trends? Read the top 10 trends for 2008 from Jack Schultz, author of Boomtown USA.

My top 5 picks from his list are:

NWOSU Ranger Rodeo Team,
These Millennials are shaping
the future of small towns

1. Millennials-Hard to believe that this generation, ages 10 to 27, dwarfs the Baby Boomers in size. Schultz says these young people are going to be the most entrepreneurial in the history of the USA. Are you ready to recruit and retain these forward-thinking young people?

3. Education-Schultz puts the emphasis on world class primary and secondary schools, entrepreneurial education, community colleges and technology centers. Are you partnering now with local educators?

7. Enviropreneurs-No matter what your business, start taking action on this one. If you are looking for business ideas, look in this field.

8. Niche Ag-This is another place to look for ideas. Schultz talks about diversifying crops and promoting local and organic food. He's absolutely right.

10. Birds Beating Birdies-Golf is slipping in importance, Schultz says. Bird watching, hiking and biking are rising.

What trends are you planning for?


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Business Advice and Ideas from Twitter

Networking through Twitter has brought me connections with many entrepreneurs world wide. Here are some of the best ideas and advice I've heard from them lately.

conniereece Don't start a campaign until you know what the community wants. Read Listen Comment

Pistachio Where do your products fail/ fall short? Do you know what workarounds your customers have adapted? Do you ask?

chrispunke I think every product should come with the home telephone numbers of all of the engineers involved in its design.

chelpixie Does it really matter what city and/or state you're in if you're willing to work hard to help?

Pistachio the thoughts below from Patricia Fripp (www.fripp.com) from me: when you tell a story, build an experience in the audience's minds.
It's not your customer's job to know how else they can use you...
solution, situation, success: to set up narrative of how you helped/can help customer

stephenjoyce Lesson of the day. If someone asks you a question and you don't hear all of it, ask them to repeat it. Its a lot better then giving a totally ridiculous answer.

chrisjohnston Why do you have to wait soooo long for food at the movies when their is a 200% markup. You should never understaff your profit center

jnswanson secretary out. I'm in. how does she get anything important done with all these questions? Oh wait. that's the point.

joshhinds networking - always ask, "what can do for the folks I know that will make me more valuable in their eyes? whatever the answer - do it!

digitalvillages Mass consumption is out. People are looking for products with a deeper value. Do we understand the emergence of the need for sustainable.

vaspers The world is not "flat" per Friedman. It does matter if food comes from China (poison) or Chicago (not as cheap). The Definitive Drucker.
The World is Flat is a delusion used to excuse outsourcing for cost savings, with no regard to quality, value. India or Indiana? It matters.

jnswanson No whiteboard? Use the window

Akula Does your company have a number of processes that should be easy but are made difficult for no reason?
For example, if it takes employees 2 hours to properly fill out an expense report, that's time they are not spending improving your biz.

Dayngr I wonder if business people on twitter realize that when they are rude/snotty they alienate potential clients

joshhinds read your speech before falling asleep. most memory consolidation occurs during sleep. so more likely 2 be encoded in long-term memory
source: according to a candi heimgartner, an instructor of biological sciences at university of idaho.

pacificIT When you get really discouraged by a group you are contributing to, it's best to walk away for a bit, regather enthusiasm, and try again.

chrisbrogan How do you spend the hours between leaving work and falling asleep? What's the #1 thing you use that time for?

Next in this series? Inspiration!

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Trend: Local food, organic food

U-Pick
local food

Local food and organic food are two ways to make a more profitable small farm, restaurant, cafe, food market, or other food business.

Local food trend

Buying local food is a growing trend. It's better for the environment because of the lower transportation distances.

“Eating locally isn’t just a fad like the various diets advertised on late-night TV – it may be one of the most important ways we save ourselves and the planet.”
– Dr. David Suzuki, chair, The David Suzuki Foundation

21st Century Citizen calls it "a simple step you can take" and lists five resources to buy more local food.

Organic food trend

Our friend Jack Schultz recently profiled the organic trend in his Agurban email newsletter.

"The demand for organic food is outstripping the ability of farmers and ranchers to supply it. Yet U.S. farmers and ranchers have been slow to turn acreage over to organic production," an article in the Daily Yonder said.

"Just as mainstream consumers are growing hungry for untainted food that also nourishes their social conscience, it is getting harder and harder to find organic ingredients," a recent Business Week report stated.

Tips

Many small town food-related business can take advantage of these two trends to improve profitability.

Farms and livestock producers:

• Get certified as organic
• Dedicate more acres to organic items
• Focus on local markets, promoting your local advantage
• Develop direct market methods to go direct to consumers or consumer groups

Restaurants and cafes:

• Seek out local partners and organic sources
• Promote your local and organic items in all your marketing
  

[Thanks to Giovanni Gallucci for the photo of Lavender Ridge Farms, Gainsboro, Texas.]

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Idea: Be more than a coach, be a taxi

The latest business idea comes from a different source. Let me quote rather extensively from Robert Fulghum. Yes, Fulghum the author of All I Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. This is from his series of short Tango Chronicles.

At most large events, there are Tango Taxis.
Not for a cab ride home if you have had too much alcohol.
(Tango dancers don’t drink much, actually. A drunk is unwelcome.)
No, a Tango Taxi is a member of the community - experienced dancers - usually identified with a name tag - who will gladly dance with the less experienced to help them learn. As one explained to me,
“Sitting on the sidelines and wishing is not dancing.”
It is a passionate dance, but also a compassionate community.

I am told that in Buenos Aires Tango Taxis are available for Tourist Tango wannabes like me. Essentially, they are instructors who will take you out on an evening to a milonga, dance with you at your level, and help you advance a little in your skills. You pay a teacher’s fee, buy the food and drink, and that’s all. Woe be unto you if you think this is a cover for an escort service.
It simply means going out of the dance studio into the real world with a teacher. Because Tango is more than a dance. It is a way of life.

What a concept. How utterly sane!

Imagine the possibilities.
A Ballet Taxi. An Art Museum Taxi. A Jazz Taxi. A Baseball Taxi.
The list is unlimited. A Horse Racing Taxi. A Singing Taxi.
I know. There are personal trainers, and computer trainers, and music teachers. But this Tango Taxi thing is different. Not in your home or office, not in a studio, but out in the world, making you feel at home in it. Not about a dimension of life, but in it.

More than wanting to employ a Tango Taxi, I want to be one.

“Whatever happened to Fulghum?”
“He’s a Taxi now.”

And that's the new business idea. Take your own specialty, and be more than a coach. Take others out in the real world to experience it. In small towns, we take our way of life for granted. Cowboys, fishermen, traditional musicians, crafters, farmers, and more all have a valuable way of life. Taking guests out in the world, helping them enjoy the deeper dimensions of the experience, must be enormously satisfying work.

This is the type of experience we had on in Africa, on safari with Vaughan Fulton's Classic Safaris. These opportunities are truly global.

Are you a "taxi" in this sense? I'd love to hear about it!

By the way, Fulgham's latest book of essays, What On Earth Have I Done?, is being released today, Sept. 18, by St. Martin’s Press.
Photo credit: Free Tango Lessons, ZachKlein, Flickr.

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Buy local, Sell local = Small Biz Opportunity

Buying local is a growing trend and a significant opportunity for small town small businesses.

Local Food

Food-borne illnesses have made headlines from huge commercial production and from imported foods. Local food producers of all kinds should capitalize on this opportunity. Jack Schultz, Boomtown USA, gave local food two spots on his Agurban top ten trends for 2007. And he continues to talk about this opportunity for local foods.

Other local products

Lead tainted paint, safety problems, and environmental issues have created another local opportunity for all types of products. Chris Penn, Financial Aid Podcast, has been meditating on local products, and he's not alone. Steven E. Streight, Vaspers, has been ranting against China imports and in favor of local sourcing. They are just two people, but they are from completely different parts of the country. They represent a way of thinking that exists right now in your market.

Actions

Evaluate your marketing. Are you promoting the heck out of your "localness"? It's time to start.
Be more local. Don't hide your local flavor, your accent, all the things that make you, your company and your product feel local. Flaunt it!
Promote the environmental benefit. Buying local products reduces the transportation costs to the environment.
Promote your local advantages: high quality local workforce, safety procedures, and strict standards. For once, be glad of the regulations you must comply with.

Part of surviving in a small town small business is competing with the world. This is one trend that gives you an advantage. Use it!


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Inspirational quotes overheard on Twitter

badbanana Conceiving big ideas is easy. It's the birthing process that gets painful and messy.
badbanana Then your idea grows up, moves away, and never writes or calls.

jnswanson worry wastes time

cc_chapman Thoughts are crystallizing into plans. Soon plans will form into actions. Everything is long term from now on

byosko Startups are such rollercoasters.

chrisbrogan Entrepreneurs are a whole different breed of mind. : )

jnswanson Jazz is like church could be.

AntiChrisBrogan learn to smile as you're saying 'no' remember it feels good to say no.

cc_chapman it is ALL about teamwork. everything is when you boil it down

chelpixie I belong where I am. Until I get to the place that I am going.

Have something inspirational to add to the discussion? Join me and make new friends on Twitter.

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Idea: Family summer camp

The idea of summer camp brings up images of children canoing, crafting, and shooting arrows. But what if you could make a camp that was meaningful and interesting for the whole family?

An example is Red Pine Camp, a success for over 75 years. They offer camping for the whole family, with the option to join in any of the activities planned for all ages or just relax.

Could you create a camp business for families in your rural area? Take advantage of your area's unique climate and culture. Incorporate the local heritage. Make it special.

Where did I get this idea? From Pistachio, who mentioned the Red Pine Camp on Twitter.


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Idea: Lending Tree for everything

Here's the source of this idea - a Twitter post from C.C. Chapman:

Anyone know a Lending Tree equivalent for home owner insurance?

looking for US based home insurance. I have zero brand loyalty to who I currently have so I figured I'd look around

Take this idea and run with it! What other services can you build into a simple, easy competitive market space? Every customer can identify with the Lending Tree slogan, "When banks compete, you win!" Apply that to insurance, legal services, accounting, web design, or any thing else you can think of.

Don't have the technical skills to build the web platform? Hire it out! Put your good business skills to work on it!

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Idea: Local products outsell generic products

As a small town small business person, you have a natural advantage in creating local products. I have three examples of local products that will outsell the generic version in a given location.

Product Idea 1: Local pride clothing

Small towns are filled with clothes sporting the high school mascot. You can build a good small town business by taking that further. Create clothing that promotes local pride, and your place in the state or the region. What about towns without a school? How about tiny towns, or the small neighborhoods of larger cities?

Neighborhoodies is doing this in New York City, focusing on tiny neighborhoods. Here's what business idea site Springwise has to say about it:

We like simple ideas that can instantly be turned into potentially global businesses: check out Brooklyn-based Neighborhoodies, which sells cool, über-local hooded sweatshirts emblazoned with the name of one's very own, very narrowly defined neighborhood. Big cities have always been about neighborhoods or even specific streets, so a Murray Hill shirt says more than 'I Love NY'!

They've also added funky mail bags to their portfolio (a no-brainer, just like their T-shirts, undies and kids' wear). Even though Neighborhoodies is now selling to many customers outside their native US, this market is still open to local entrepreneurs around the globe: part of the charm of Neighborhoodies is the local aspect (hence the name ;-).

Another company making the most of this trend is Tura in Lokasie neighborhood, Windhoek, Namibia. Local women are creating local designs for Namibians and tourists alike.

"The only things you see tourists wearing are 'Sand Lover' T-shirts, but hardly any other uniquely Namibian labels and designs. And everybody else is just wearing Billabong, Roxy, Puma and whatever else. It is high time Namibians started wearing their own labels."
Shigwedha welcomes the idea that more entrepreneurs use the collection in their own way.
"Our vision is to see a collection for each township in Namibia one day. The T-shirts are for everybody - Namibians and tourists."

Product Idea 2: Local jewelry

State of Mine produces a wide range of jewelry products, all customized to your state or city. 60 Second Ideas profiled State of Mine:

What’s next in hoods across the country? Can you say keychains? Companies like Neighborhoodies and State of Mine should get your state of mind buzzing on how to capitalize.
Home is where the heart is, where ever you happen to be. Once again we see how awareness of a profitable and growing trend combined with a little imagination can lead to great success.

Product Idea 3: Local photos

As I've written before, if you have some tourism, students, or other part-time residents, local photos can be an especially big hit. You don't have to be the world's best photographer, either. Read a bit more about this concept at the Photopreneur site, Photography Marketing: Think Local, Shoot Local.

A sunset is a sunset the world over. But when you’re selling offline, and more importantly, when you’re selling locally, it’s amazing how well images of your area sell.

It might be counterintuitive. After all, any Joe with a camera can walk to the beach and snap away. But when the picture is mounted on a postcard or framed as a poster, it’s no longer a local shot. It’s a source of local pride.

Think about who you are targeting. Where do they shop? Then partner with those stores on some local photography items. Maybe you are in a place where a roadside photo stand would work!

Your ideas?

What ideas do you have for local products and businesses? Do you have a local business along these lines? Leave a comment! Tell us about what works and what does not.



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Idea: Cater to birdwatchers

Living next to a terrific birding site, the Great Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge, I've seen an increase in the number of birders traveling the area. Jack Schultz has noticed it, too, and written up a few resources around Nebraska's bird industry and the Chicken Dance Trail.

What kind of small town businesses can cater to birdwatching? Let's start with

• bed and breakfasts,
• tour guides,
• restaurants and cafes (box lunches),
  
• photography shops (parts, supplies, film, developing, self-printing kiosks for digital),
• photographers (art-quality prints of local birds),
  
• wifi hotspots,
• art galleries (bird prints and art),
• gas stations,
• and even liquor stores!

Care to brainstorm? What other ideas can you add? That's what the comments are for!

[Photo of a corn weaver in Namibia, from my collection.]

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How to Start and Run a Rural Computer Consulting Business

The book: Start and Run a Rural Computer Consulting Business by John D. Deans, on the Self-Counsel Press.

Short and Sweet Review: It's a great book.

Who should read it: Anyone who wants to run a rural computer consulting business.

Aaron Morris with the Self-Counsel Press sent it to me back in November. (right before a really crazy period around here, so the review is a bit late!)

Deans explains how he personally left behind the big city for a small town and a successful business. His advice is sound.

In short, Deans' advice is to

• get your finances cleaned up before you move,
• find a great small town location,
  
• make the move,
• fit in with your new community,
• offer general computer consulting instead of over-specializing,
• build your skills,
  
• and manage your business.
  

I agree with almost everything Deans says. Sometimes, though, he represents his way as the only way. Deans has a strong right-wing slant. He uses it to his advantage in his small town, so he gives the impression a more moderate or liberal person might need to hide their views. Trust me, though, small town people will respect you if you are authentic and not combative, even if you are more liberal than average in your town. He also chose a rural house, rather than in town, and he seems to presume you will, too. Don't think that is your only choice.

In conclusion, don't try to copy every single thing Deans said. But do consider his advice.

[Photo of the book cover from my Flickr. ]

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Two small biz opportunities

Here are two opportunities for small business with the USA federal government. One is for developing advanced technology, the other is for developing e-learning products for first responders. For the right rural business, either of these could be a terrific opportunity.

If you want a little help with federal opportunities, stop by Ken Larson's Small Business Federal Government Contracting site.

Advanced Technology Program

http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=VIEW&oppId=13370

ATP provides cost-shared multi-year funding to single companies and to industry-led joint ventures to accelerate the development of challenging, high risk technologies with the potential for significant commercial payoffs and widespread benefits for the nation. ATP is soliciting proposals in all technology areas (Competition Number 2007-A) as well as four broad Crosscutting Areas of National Interest. The four areas are:

• Technologies for Advanced and Complex Systems (Competition 2007-B);
  
• Challenges in Advanced Materials and Devices (Competition 2007-C);
  
• 21st Century Manufacturing (Competition 2007-D); and
  
• Nanotechnology (Competition 2007-E).
  

U.S.-owned, single, for-profit companies and industry-led joint ventures may apply for ATP funding. Award ceiling: $2,000,000 for up to 3 years. Application deadline: May 21, 2007.

SBIR E-learning for HAZMAT and Emergency Response (SBIR [R43/R44])

http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=VIEW&oppId=13577

This FOA from NIH solicits Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant applications from small business concerns (SBCs) that propose to further the development of Advanced Technology Training (ATT) Products for the health and safety training of hazardous materials (HAZMAT) workers, emergency responders, and skilled support personnel. Potential products include but are not limited to:

• Developing a system to provide pre-class training for delivering information before a class event;
  
• Creating a web-based product to supporting online discussions among instructors to stimulate exchange before training begins;
  
• Sharing electronic or printable resources to make large reference materials and resources open to learners at any time;
  
• Providing access tools to knowledge-oriented resources through innovative technology deployment to extend training effectiveness and continuity; and
  
• Facilitating learning technology for ATT-augmented classroom teaching as an effective feedback and collaboration approach for training in multiple locations.
  

Eligible applicants are small businesses in the U.S. Letters of Intent Deadline: June 19, 2007. Application deadline: July 19, 2007.

Notices found in Gmail grants email: www.miamidade.gov/grants/forms/gmail_page.asp.

[Photo from Garrette on Flickr.]

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How to start a small import firm: learn from others

Remember Nairobi Paul's business idea of importing Kenyan handicrafts to the USA? He (and you) could get started by talking to someone successfully importing from the developing world, like Kristen Evans.

Evans is importing crafts from Bolivia, like the angel pictured to the right. She's succeeding in spite of increasing political difficulties and the constant battles of daily life of her suppliers. She's also found another business sourcing from Bolivia to cooperate with.

Learn more from the article in the Arlington Connection, or from the Salvatierra Imports site.


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Local sources of resale merchandise

Our Friend Chuck Huckaby wants to share some ideas on where to find local sources of merchandise to resell.

This is a solid model for a small town business: take a local resource into a larger market.

• Find your local sources: landfills, garage sales, auctions, local manufacturers, local retailers, local farmers. Look for their overstocks, scraps, by-products, and trash!

Chuck says, "It can take a lot of hard work identifying these sources, building a relationship, and establishing the source, but it might provide years of regular income. Most people stumble over the work part."

• Add some value by cleaning, researching, matching, organizing or improving.
  

Lots of antiques and collectibles gain in value when you do the research and clean up the items. Clothing resale items gain in value when they are cleaned, matched into outfits, and displayed nicely. (I miss my local clothing consignment shop!)

• Transport it to a larger market (like a big town) to add value.
  
• Sell online to reach the larger markets and hopefully add value.
  
• Sell at auctions, at flea markets, in your retail store, or on consignment in a larger store.

Right now, an entrepreneur could start relationships with local gardeners, buy their produce during the season, drive the bigger nearby towns, set up and sell the products at the farmers markets. Basics like tomatoes and cucumbers are hot sellers!

What ideas can you come up with?

[Photo: A farmers market, Frankfurt, Germany - entrepreneurs taking a local product to a larger market.]


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Idea: Space for creativity

Reader Evelyn Mitchell sent this story to me.

I've been following the blog The Thrifty Knitter. She's participating in this:
http://harveyvilleproject.com/yarnschool07/index.html
I thought it was an interesting story for you for a couple of reasons.

First, that the Harveyville Project is re-purposing buildings in a small town for conference space and artistic residences. Secondly, that the Yarn School is attracting people from all over the country to a rural area for a conference.

There are lots of hidden assets in small towns, including inexpensive living space, peace and quiet, and the room to be creative.

Re-read that last sentence again:

There are lots of hidden assets in small towns, including inexpensive living space, peace and quiet, and the room to be creative.

Read more about the Harveyville Project, in Harveyville, Kansas.

Our overriding purpose is to provide an inspiring, energizing environment to foster creative output. Initially, we'll focus on residents and small workshops and community projects.

Our residence programs range from two weeks to six months and cover living/studio space, utilities, and meals. Try a short recharge to get past a creative or procrastination bottleneck, or take several months to concentrate on a major project or thesis. By removing your accustomed distractions (shopping, traffic, social commitments, work routine, etc.), you can unclutter your mind and focus more directly on your craft. We invite artists, writers, musicians, and craftsmen, both student and professional.

Actions

You could replicate this as either a development project or as a for-profit business. Take old buildings or structures, in town or out in a rural setting, and start the conversion process. Probably an ideal project for a creative type struggling to decide on a building.




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How to use free land to recruit residents and get youth involved

AOL is showing an AP story today, Alaska Town is Giving Away Free Land.

Here's the interesting twist: the program was developed by the local high school students. They convinced the city council to go along with it.

Other free land programs exist. I'm familiar with Kansas Free Land, an impressive regional effort.

Actions:

• Ask your local students to get involved in your community efforts in a meaningful way. Ask them to brainstorm!
  
• Consider banding together with other communities in your region for a similar land giveaway program.
  

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How To ideas from the rural entrepreneurship news

How to market your rural area: focus on rural strengths

For the first time that I can remember, the state's push for people to consider bringing their business and/or their family to Iowa is not apologizing -- it is celebrating all that makes it such a terrific place to live.

Found at Drew's Marketing Minute.

How to develop more successful entrepreneurs: Library taking business resources and advice to rural areas

I like this idea from York, UK. The library is taking business info out to the rural areas.

Mike Shannon, of Business Link York and North Yorkshire, said: "The service is there to help people in rural locations access business advice without having to travel miles to do so."

Read more in The Press.

How to grow your population: Helping more people work from home in rural areas

UK's Enterprise Local program combines a directory, networking events and office services. From 24dash.

Homeworking in the UK is predicted to increase at an annual rate of 18% and by 2010 it is estimated that one third of the British workforce will either run a business from home or be spending part of the working week based in an office at home.

Barriers to success in home enterprise include isolation and detachment, poor perceptions of ‘professionalism’ from customers that if the business is based at home it will be amateurish, lack of suitable work space and poor access to peer networks.

Benefits from more people working from their rural homes will include environmental savings due to reduced commuting, and social improvements due to people spending more time at home.

How to recruit physicians to rural areas: Ideas from Canada

Here's a snapshot of the pluses and minuses for the physician. You'll need to know these to recruit successfully.

While living and working in rural Alberta brings many benefits to physicians - such as practising a more comprehensive hands-on style of medicine, contributing to the fabric of a rural community and enjoying the quieter pace of rural living and the beauty of the rural landscapes - practising in small communities can also pose unique challenges for physicians. These may include higher workloads, demanding call schedules, limited access to specialists, and difficult strains on their spouses and children.

To find innovative ways to make it work,the Alberta Rural Physician Action Plan and the Alberta Chambers of Commerce are sponsoring a contest for local communities. Keep an eye on these two websites for more info: www.rpap.ab.ca and www.abchamber.ca.

How to be more like Nebraska: Copy their rural entrepreneurship programs

Southwest Nebraska News gives us a fine list of the outstanding rural entrepreneurship programs in Nebraska.

While you're at it, copy the Comprehensive Rural Entrepreneurship Program in Oregon

Connecting Oregon for Rural Entrepreneurship (CORE) is a three year project, focused on four aspects of service to the community. Social enterprise, incubators without walls, adult entrepreneurship, and youth entrepreneurship. Read more in the Newport News-Times.

Then, get your region working together on rural development, entrepreneurship, like this example in Colorado

Everything from value-added agriculture to tourism and green energy are under discussion. From The Coloradoan.

One of the goals of the rural economic development program is to identify county regulations that create barriers for rural property owners using their land to generate revenue beyond traditional agriculture, Lancaster said.

More about renewable energy potential in Colorado at Environment Colorado.

How to use urban planning to benefit your people: Connecting public spaces in small towns

Fallon, Nevada, is trying to make the most of their public spaces. They want to provide opportunities for people to gather and experience a sense of community, through their parks, Farmers Market, and local festivals. Then they are looking for ways to tie the public spaces together through streetscaping, trails, or even a public shuttle system.

"We have all these hidden gems in the community," Taylor said. "Maybe we can link them together."
"A vibrant downtown is a core component to attracting and keeping young professionals," said Juliette Taylor, executive director of Churchill Economic Development Authority. She said it's important for young professionals to have nice places to eat, drink and take their families.

From Lahontan Valley News and Fallon Eagle. Thanks to EDPro, who found it first.

How to get more rural youth to be entrepreneurs: Launch a loan fund for them, give them access to the infrastructure

To keep up the increase in demand for training for the youth, the government is also drawing attention to the cooperative extension services and infrastructure. Read about it in Mmegi Online.

President Mogae said that the money should facilitate the creation of employment through development of sustainable agricultural activities by the youth, not their parents nor government.

How to build more agri-businesses: Try a themed incubator

Networking of the compatible businesses in the incubator will hopefully boost the growth of the cluster. Read about it in the Times Argus.

[Photo of maple syrup agri-business from USDA.]

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Workshop and training ideas you can re-use

Training and workshops come up frequently in the rural business news. Here are some recent articles that include ideas you can use in your own area.


Workshop series uses multiple locations

"The entrepreneur has the vision for the business," Jim Hogge, director of the Small Business Development Center at Boise State University, said in a statement. "These workshops are designed to help with the nuts and bolts to ensure the business will succeed."

Starting a business, the basics of ebay, hiring employees and marketing for specialty foods are all planned. From The Idaho Statesman.

Oklahoma workshop cosponsored by tribe, agency

“The forum will present a number of topics, including ‘Financing for your Small Business, Business Feasibility Planning, Marketing Techniques to Grow Your Business and Taking the Mystery our of Credit Reports,’” said Dr. Rackley. “These are among the most important issues facing small business owners and entrepreneurs in their quest to establish and maintain a viable business.”

“We recognize the potential of job creation that can be developed with the successes of the growing number of home-based women entrepreneurs and plan these meetings to encourage their business expansions.”

From Pottawatomie Online.

Louisiana free workshops draw multiple partners

This project is a partnership between Health Tonics, the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Rural Development, Louisiana Economic Development, Louisiana Municipal Association, Louisiana Business and Technology Center, LSU Ag Center and Louisiana Small Business Development Center (LSBDC) Network.

From NWLANews.

Women in Rural Enterprise training new rural entrepreneurs

The conference is aimed at women who are starting a business, already established, or considering becoming entrepreneurs in rural areas.

Read about it in the Yorkshire Post Today Business News.

A member of WIRE talks about her business in the Malvern Gazette.

Business school for rural women in India

"Since technical skills alone are inadequate to turn the women into entrepreneurs, students will also be offered other important business tools through programmes on financial literacy, marketing techniques and communication skills. In addition, confidence-building techniques will be used to supplement the technical and financial training; without confidence, it is very difficult to turn skilled women into successful entrepreneurs," Chetna points out.

From The Hindu Business Line.

[Photo by Jeanne of Entrepreneur Day in Woodward.]

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