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Huge vacant buildings: grants to renovate?

By Becky McCray

A large industrial-looking empty building

Should we offer incentives to fill it with small retailers? How do we convince the mayor and economic development group?   The empty factory building A reader wrote in to ask about converting and dividing up a huge old building. Because my answer isn’t quite what the reader asked for, I’ve taken the details out. […]

June 9, 2020 Filed Under: economic development, mistakes, rural Tagged With: economic development, empty buildings, factories, funding, gather your crowd, grants, idea friendly, manufacturing, revitalization, take small steps

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, zoom towns

Open Up – It’s the Customers

By Chris Brogan

1950s crowd at a Soda Fountain

As different places begin to allow local businesses to open up, you’re not alone if you’re breathing a sigh of relief mixed with a gasp of worry. We all need the money. We all want to get back to being useful for the people we serve. And some or most of us are worried about […]

May 19, 2020 Filed Under: customer service, economic development, entrepreneurship, management, marketing, rural, shop local, trends Tagged With: change, Chris Brogan, coronavirus, COVID19, crisis communications, customer service, disaster, economic development, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, guest post, recovery, reopening, resilience, shop local

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

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