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Economic self defense for small towns 

By Becky McCray

Carlos Moreno presents a slide saying, "They will never fix it. There is no they."

Editorial by Becky McCray Not everyone who says they’ll help your town is telling you the truth.  If you want a resilient small town economy and prosperity for the people in your town, I have some self-defense ideas for you.  Focus more on your own people, less on attraction.  Stop paying people to bring business […]

June 7, 2020 Filed Under: economic development, entrepreneurship, mistakes, POV, rural, survivors Tagged With: attraction strategy, community development, diversity, economic development, editorial, local investing, locavesting, opinion, point of view, prosperity, remote work, rural sourcing

The best things you can do for local businesses in light of coronavirus

By Becky McCray

Social distancing sign for shoppers in a store

  Monica Bailey of Rock Port, Missouri, sent in this question that I think you can relate to: Thank you ladies, as always, for supporting small towns! My question is super generic but it is giving me sleepless nights. I am our counties economic/community development director and I’ve been scrambling to support our small businesses […]

March 27, 2020 Filed Under: economic development, entrepreneurship, rural, survivors Tagged With: change, community development, coronavirus, COVID19, crisis, economic development, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, isolation, recession, rural, service businesses, shelter in place, small business, stay home, Support

Small Businesses Carry Big Role in Communities

By Glenn Muske

Small businesses are the cornerstone of most local economies. This statement is often said and it is worth remembering. Small, locally-owned businesses put about 68 cents of every dollar spent right back into the local system. On average, a chain store keeps about 43 cents in the local economy. And of course money spent outside […]

June 29, 2016 Filed Under: rural, shop local, Small Biz 100 Tagged With: community development, economic development, small business

Small Businesses: The Cornerstones of Communities

By Glenn Muske

Small Business Week

May 4-8 is Small Business Week in the U.S. this year. So what do you see when you walk into or drive by your local small businesses? If you are like many of us, you see a place that offers you goods and services, a place you can go to and get what you want. […]

April 30, 2015 Filed Under: rural Tagged With: community, community development, small business

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