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How cooperatives improve small town economies

By Becky McCray

Signboard on a sidewalk says, "Oneota Co-op, a community owned grocery featuring local, whole and organic foods

Cooperatives can play a big role in small towns, providing products and services to fill gaps as well as giving local people a share of ownership. Rural cooperatives go way back Rural areas have a long history with cooperatives through cooperative telephone service, electricity, and agriculture. My husband is a member of the Alva Farmers […]

May 8, 2022 Filed Under: community, economic development, entrepreneurship, rural Tagged With: business formation, business structure, co-ops, cooperatives, small business

New business sign design? Don’t use cursive script

By Becky McCray

A grocery store building entrance with a sign that says "Alva's Market"

Fewer and fewer kids learn to read and write in cursive, so it’s time to stop ordering business signs with cursive or script lettering. You might have seen the memes and jokes. Someday all us old people will use cursive as secret code. But you might not have thought about how this applies to your […]

February 14, 2022 Filed Under: entrepreneurship, marketing, rural, trends Tagged With: outdoor advertising, signage, 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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