Shawn Kirsch is changing Elgin, ND, forever

This post is the fourth in a series on social media and social networking tools for small towns.

By Shawn Kirsh

Well I was born in a small town
And I live in a small town
Probly die in a small town
Oh, those small communities

All my friends are so small town
My parents live in the same small town
My job is so small town
Provides little opportunity

John Mellencamp sang the classic rock song, 'Small Town.' The words of that song still ring true throughout America, in ways that are both good, and bad.

I was born in a small town, raised on a farm and in a small town, saw the world (Iraq) after I joined the National Guard, and came back to that small town. I am back in that small town partly because of mistakes I have made, partly because I love it. I have realized that had I not made some of the mistakes I made, had the college I was attending been teaching me anything about computers and the internet that I didn't know in Jr. High, I probably would have been like so many geeks of the midwest, left North Dakota, and be working in Silicon Valley for some high tech company. Instead, I have started writing a syndicated column in small town, weekly newspapers, 'Everyman Tech,' to help small town people get a better grasp on the technology that is helping me to do the things that I do.

I went to a High School with a brilliant administration, who stretched every dollar they were given to it's maximum efficiency. They somehow managed to keep brilliant teachers there, especially in the Math and Science departments, who could've been earning twice as much elsewhere. This allowed me to go to college and be bored out of my mind. I think most small towns have schools like this. Teachers who care, who truly understand how to get through to us. The majority of my classmates were still the kind that take what the book says, and go with it. It helps them to get good grades, but the rest of us, left with a great education, and an ability to think for ourselves, always questioning things, pushing to make everything around us better than it is. We like to think outside the box, we're a creative group that doesn't want to settle for what's there, but to enhance it.

I attended a very strong Church, which is both their greatest trait, and their biggest downfall. I am part of Generation Y, and you don't reach us the same way you reached people 20 years ago. My Church, like many others, hasn't come to terms with that yet. I spent many years of High School, and many hours of my time now, dreaming of how to reach out better.

I am in a community with a strong German heritage, we celebrate Oktoberfest every fall, and German's are stubborn. If you think it's hard to change the mindset of a Church, try to change the mindset of an entire county, who can't see the writing on the wall, who don't realize that we're not getting 'new' business, we're getting 'replacement' business.

I have been quoted on Twitter, which is kind of like instant messaging on crack, saying things like, "I've been tweeting like crazy this month, there's no turning back now, Twitter is the most key part of my day." Basically, I finally started adding some friends on Twitter in mid-December, and kept on adding. 'Bentrem' was instrumental in the things I have done since, continuously pushing me to establish a legit blog, not the quibbles I put up on MySpace and Facebook. Out of this, www.thattalldude.com was born. I have since gone on to write on a variety of topics, sports, religion, technology, TV, random tech news, and most recently; Small Town, USA.

I'm tired of seeing my small town die a slow and painful death, watching good people leave because they can't make enough money, or there aren't enough conveniences. Part of this is an infrastructure problem. Cell phones and internet are now an integral part of a successful business. Huge portions of rural America have either painfully slow 'high speed' internet, spotty wireless coverage, or both. I'm showing some stubborness myself, by not leaving, despite the crappy internet connection I have. With the appearance of new communication methods, such as Twitter, Seesmic, YouTube, blogging, rural America can benefit hugely.

Twitter, blogging, and the comments on my blog, have helped me to realize a broader picture of what's going on in Small Town, USA. This increased knowledge has prompted me to be more vocal around town about things, which has lead to pitching a ground up redesign of a local town's website (www.elginnd.com), and the local paper wanting to establish a digital version of what they print every week. My Church has also shown an interest in getting a web site. I have big ideas to help the Google rankings of all of these places, through the means of YouTube, Flickr, Google Maps, as well as promoting the work I have done on my own blog and LinkedIn.

My activities online have created new opportunities for me, that small town people find hard to believe. I now write for www.projectspurs.com, because the administrator spotted my blog writing about the Spurs, and thought I would make a good addition to the fansite. I write 'Everyman Tech' every monday, because my voracious new consumption online, combined with regular conversation, proved that there is very important things that people should know, and have absolutely no clue about, things as basic as defragmenting your computer, as well as exposing them to online networks their kids use every day, like Facebook. I am also receiving an increase in calls for computer help, as more and more people realize I know a whole lot more about computers than I let on.

If you are running a small business, whether it's struggling or doing quite well; if you care about your small town; if you want your Church to reach out in more effective ways; you need to be networking with people online. If you can find a couple hours a day, Twitter is great. Find some quality blogs to keep up with. Get on LinkedIn, troll through Facebook, and see what recent graduates think about their hometown once they're at college. Better yet, start your own blog, ask some hard questions. Take that question, and the feedback you get, and talk about it with people in your town. You'll be surprised at just how much a small town can be doing, and isn't.

People need to step up and make a change, will you be one who steps up? My newfound focus on my small town has prompted a desire to tour America, visit hundreds of small towns, talk with the people there, and blog about it. This will help not only me, but could help thousands of people across the country network with each other, and share the strategies their town is using, what works, what doesn't. The internet is a big place, with plenty of tools to connect, Twitter is my personal favorite.

Don't waste any more time, start connecting now. Visit www.thattalldude.com, I have a list of places you can find me on the right side, don't hesitate to connect.

Photo by Shawn Kirsh, on Flickr. Used with permission.



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What to do when your business is being squeezed out of existence

Here's some insight into a business being squeezed out of existence. Professional photography: portraits, weddings, and studios.

If everyone has an awesome digital camera, who needs a professional photographer?
How long can a professional keep charging $55 for an 8x10 print, when I can get one printed online for under $5?
Can enough customers afford a $4,000 base wedding package to sustain a business?

Authors and pro photographers Shawn, Pamela & Gavin Richter have written a fine justification of their expertise and cost at Why are Professional Photographers so expensive? The problem is that a justification like this, no matter how well received by your professional peers, is not a solution to a fundamental shift that undermines your business.

Let's brainstorm. You're smart. How can you help the professional portrait photographer survive as a business? Anything is fair game, from minor tinkering with pricing to a complete re-engineering. The comments are yours.


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Two amazing women

Women Helping Women. That's the motto of the Business and Professional Women, which I belong to. In that spirit, here are two amazing women worthy of your attention this holiday season.

Small town entrepreneur Marti Lawrence shares wonderful humor with several innovative projects. Right now, she has three projects going. First, she's acting as a consultant in writing excellent eBay listings for her Grandma at Grandma's Timeless Treasures. Her amazing humor book Queen Klutz is online at Lulu. She also has hilarious items at Enter the Laughter on Cafe Press. That is also the name of her blog, Enter the Laughter.

If you need ebay listing help, contract writing of all kinds, or just a laugh, get in touch with my friend Marti.

Former small town girl, but still an entrepreneur is Glenda Watson Hyatt, The Left Thumb Blogger. She is in the final stretch for the "Blog for a Year" contest. It won't cover a year's salary...

BUT the existing fund would nearly pay for the EZ Keys with Voice software, which would enable me to interact more effectively when in face-to-face groups, as I blogged about yesterday http://www.doitmyselfblog.com/2007/the-cost-of-transitioning-from-silent-to-verbal/.

Vote at http://blogforayear.com/profiles/glenda-watson-hyatt.
She is also author of I'll Do It Myself, a wonderful inspiring e-book. Catch up with her and order the e-book at www.doitmyselfblog.com.

Marti and Glenda are true small biz survivors. I salute you both!

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If Timbuktu can revive its heritage

Ever feel like your town is too far gone to come back? Well, how about Timbuktu, coming back after hundreds of years of obscurity.

Originally, it was a center of learning because it was on important overland trade routes. History and change turned it into a backwater. But the people held on to their heritage. They protected ancient scrolls and texts. And now, hundreds of years later, the world is rediscovering their scholarship, and working to revive Timbuktu as a center of learning.

Read the amazing story at the New York Times (blog-friendly link).

This terrific story brought to my attention by Zane Safrit.

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WB's is coming back

If you lost everything in your business, would you rebuild? Could you rebuild?

Ruth Ann and Bob Wedel lost almost every single thing in their bulk foods business in Greensburg, Kansas, to the May tornado that flattened the town.

This was supposed to be their retirement business. They successfully built it up from just the two of them, to having six helpers. It looked like they would be able to sell it at a profit, as they approached retirement. Instead, they dug through the rubble of their business, salvaging only a few items.

How to survive immediately? They merged with a friend's catering business. Creating a successful partnership is hard. Doing it on the fly with no advance preparation is doubly so.

By our visit at the two month mark, the Wedels were serving lunches every day, from under tents in a parking lot. The next day, they were expecting to receive a carport to work under. Wow, what a luxury!

Ruth Ann explained some of the difficulties of locating a temporary trailer to work from, finding a site for it, and rebuilding their original building downtown.

Of course, the Wedels face big gaps between what FEMA, charities, and other groups provide. Money, spendable money is the largest problem. Assistance takes time, but bills must be paid today.

But Bob and Ruth Ann are plugging along. Serving lunches daily, catering weddings and celebrations in surrounding towns, and juggling all the rebuilding issues. WB's is coming back. One step at at time.

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Bowties and Corkers

Most regular readers know that Becky and I made a trip to Greensburg, Kansas this week. Now a pair of bright orange and yellow fishing bobbers sits on my desk as a reminder of Charlie. So I have to tell you about him.

Charles R “Charlie” Jones is a fisherman. Not just any fisherman, he is also what I’d term a naturalist, although he’d just say he likes birds and critters. He is also an entrepreneur; you know, one of those people who get an idea in their head and can’t give it up. Charlie wanted to make a fishing bobber that would keep fishing line form being tangled and lost in the pond. It all happened when he rescued a bird, but you can read that story on his web site at www.bowtieandcorker.com.

Charlie now has a patent on his invention and before May 4, he had a business in Greensburg and was making and packaging his product for sale. Then the tornado devastated Greensburg. In the aftermath he walked the ground where his building once stood and picked up what little of his bobbers he could find from the ground. I’m honored that he gave me two of them.

When I first started talking to Charlie I noticed his right index finger looked swollen and he told me that was his injury from the tornado and he’d had a pin in his finger. Charlie’s wife, Pat, thought she got off easy until her leg began to swell and surgery was necessary to remove a kernel of seed corn embedded in her leg.

As with any entrepreneur and all inventors, Charlie is a talker. As he explained how he’d come to this product, the passion for his work was evident. I left there feeling like I had to do something to help Charlie. After a few emails, a contact put me in touch with Wally Kearns, the State Director for the Small Business Development Centers in Kansas. Wally has had counselors available for Greensburg residents since the tornado hit and promised to pass Charlie’s contact information to a counselor there.

Rebuilding a whole town takes a long time. I hope Charlie and others like him can find a way to hang in there and be a part of the new Greensburg!

Rebuilding from total disaster

Two months ago, Greensburg, Kansas, was flattened by a tornado.

"Seems like it was forever ago," resident Ruth Ann Wedel said.

The town's 1500 residents have been scattered. A few are still living in town. Most have moved in with friends and relatives in nearby towns. Some are in town daily or weekly struggling with cleanup. Some are gone for good. Several hundred gathered in Greensburg's Davis Park for a community meal, a speech by our friend Jack Schultz, and left over fireworks that were rained out on July 4th. Residents greeted each other under the tent with, "Great to see you! Now, where are you staying?"

Jeanne and I went to that gathering. We talked to Dea Anne Corns from Greensburg State Bank, Ruth Ann and Bob Wedel of WB's Whole Foods and Bob's backhoe and pumping service, and Charlie Jones of Bowtie and Corker Manufacturing. Each of those businesses lost their building and most or all of their equipment. They are literally starting over. Christy Dolan from a FEMA contractor, Denise Unruh from the South Central Community Foundation and James Bond with the faith based organizations also took time to talk with us. They are there to help, but help from the government, organizations and charities still leaves gaps. We are going to introduce you to these small business survivors in a series of stories. We want you to get to know them.

These people came to hear Jack, and hoped for encouragement.

"I've never done a talk like this," Jack said. "Not for a town so completely destroyed."

Jack may never had talked to a town like this, but he knows about them. He shared the stories of towns that were burned down, flooded out, scrubbed by hurricanes, and leveled by tornadoes. He related stories of towns facing devastating economic losses, factory closures, and business failures. He told how those towns came back and managed to make something better. He delivered a message of terrific opportunity.

"You were handed some huge lemons that early May night," he said. "The question is whether you are going to let them leave a bitter taste in your mouth, or if you are going to make it into something sweeter."

Residents gathered around maps, discussing where to rebuild community facilities, how to relocate roads, and how best to rebuild. How to start from scratch.

A high school student asked Jack how long rebuilding is going to take. Jack estimated 5 to 10 years. Imagine how long that would sound to a high schooler, or to a 75 year old.

Two months down. Five or ten years to go.


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