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How to get customers in the door of small town and rural retail stores

By Becky McCray

A shopkeeper and a customer share a laugh in a small store packed full of interesting home wares.

  If you have a retail store in a small town, you know how difficult it can be to attract customers in the door. With so much online competition and limited resources, it is hard to get people in the store and buying your products. In this article, we’ll share some of our best ways […]

February 19, 2023 Filed Under: marketing, rural, shop local Tagged With: effective marketing, entrepreneurship, retail, shop indie local, shop local, shop small, small business, small business success, store

Local reviews on Google Maps drive enduring value

By Becky McCray

Screenshot of Google's Marketing Kit for local businesses. Text says, "Free stickers, posters, social posts, and more from your Business Profile on Google". Graphic shows a sticker that says, "review us on Google"

While they were pointing out HipCamp to us, our friends at Marketing Delmarva also brought up the enduring power of Google Local reviews and photos. (I added the bold for emphasis.) If you love a local place, put it on Google. Following our first pick-your-own experience at said blueberry world, while sitting in the car in […]

December 17, 2022 Filed Under: entrepreneurship, marketing, rural, tourism Tagged With: effective marketing, entrepreneurship, Google local, Google maps, marketing, reviews, service businesses, shop local, shop small, small business

How to start a real small small business

By Becky McCray

Small Steps with kettle corn

  Your fellow reader Ava asked a great question: If I am already working, in school, and wanting to start up just a real small small business, then how would that work differently from someone who is coming from a completely different stand point, like not working or in school and is just generally starting […]

December 17, 2021 Filed Under: entrepreneurship, planning, rural, youth Tagged With: building a business, business ideas, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, part time businesses, rural, side gigs, side hustle, side hustles, small business

Tip for better pop-ups and shed businesses

By Becky McCray

When you’re planning to add pop-up businesses or shed businesses to your small or rural community, concentrate them in one area. Better to have four sheds or pop up businesses together on a single lot, than fourteen vendors spread out all over. Your goal is to make it feel like a concentrated burst of new […]

December 5, 2021 Filed Under: economic development, mistakes, rural Tagged With: economic development, entrepreneurship, pop up businesses, rural, shed markets, small business, success

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