“Business intelligence” means gathering the right information that can help you improve your business, or move up to a new level. If you have internet access today, you can gather a ton of amazing research, if you know the right sources to tap. So we’re starting a series on great sources for business intelligence for small town business.
First resource up: The US Department of Agriculture. If your business is related to food products or agriculture, you can find a ton of top research from the USDA. That includes topics you might not think of, including forest and fire issues, biotechnology, and economics.
There’s even a special Rural Information Center, that I have just added to my bookmarks, because it has a wealth of information on community development, housing, funding, education, and tourism.
What can you do with USDA data? How does this relate to business intelligence? I heard a great example in a webinar by the eXtension Entrepreneurs and Their Communities service, on Identifying Assets and Opportunities in Your Community. The presenter was Bill Pinkovitz, of the University of Wisconsin Extension Center for Community and Economic Development. He discussed a family farm looking for a way to make their business into something their kids could inherit and would want to stay involved in. To narrow down their potential new directions, they looked at USDA data about meat consumption trends. They could see that pork consumption is rising, and that processed pork sells much better than fresh pork. With that information, they were able to decide on the best way to go.
Oh, and if you need photos on any remotely agricultural topic, don’t miss the public domain photos from the USDA Newsroom.
If you have research sources that help you collect small town business intelligence, I’d love to have your suggestions. I plan to make this an ongoing series.
New to SmallBizSurvival.com? Take the Guided Tour. Like what you see? Get our updates.
- Check your small business website for outdated pandemic changes, missing info - January 31, 2023
- Rural Tourism Trend: electric vehicle chargers can drive visitors - January 15, 2023
- 2023 trends for rural and small town businesses - December 26, 2022
- Local reviews on Google Maps drive enduring value - December 17, 2022
- Extra agritourism revenue from camping, cabins and RVs with HipCamp - December 12, 2022
- Harvest Hosts attract vanlifers and RV tourists, Boondockers Welcome - December 2, 2022
- Holiday 2022 marketing: Tell your founding story - December 1, 2022
- Holiday 2022 Marketing: Tell your customers’ stories - November 30, 2022
- Holiday 2022 Marketing: Introduce your people - November 29, 2022
- Holiday 2022 Marketing: Share your holiday traditions - November 28, 2022