March 2009

Do Second Home Owners Kill Rural Villages?

March 31, 2009

Do second home owners kill villages? In an article on the British Broadcasting Corporation’s (BBC) blog, that’s the question asked. Apparently Great Britain is struggling with changing rural industry, like so many other areas in the United States and around the world. Manufacturing no longer exists, tourism is becoming more important, and young people are [...]

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Renegotiating Your Fixed Costs

March 30, 2009

An interesting read today in The New York Times, in “Nothing is Set in Stone, So Renegotiate:” “Maybe your fixed costs are not as fixed you think. With the recession continuing in full force, you may find that everyone — from the company that supplies your office with water to your neighborhood banker — is [...]

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Celebrate Mom and Pop Businesses – Big Isn’t Always Better

March 29, 2009

Happy National Mom and Pop Business Owners Day to all husband-wife teams and family owned businesses out there. March 29th marks the annual observance of National Mom and Pop Business Owners Day to recognize family owned and operated businesses across the country. The observance of a National Mom and Pop Business Owners Day was the [...]

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Rural Business Weekly News – March 28, 2009

March 28, 2009

Here are a few interesting blogs and online articles published this week that relate to Rural Small Business, ending March 28, 2009: If you’re looking for an update on how the recession’s going this week, you’ve got several resources to take a look at. To start with you can take a look at an article [...]

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Business as Art

March 27, 2009

“To open a shop is easy, to keep it open is an art.” Chinese Proverb

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We Need Broadband.com

March 26, 2009

Do you have broadband yet? Residents and businesses in communities under-served by broadband internet access can let the federal government know by visiting and recording their geographical location at weneedbroadband.com, an online campaign launched for rural America. The more locations mapped in a community, the more attractive it becomes for the $7.2 billion in grant [...]

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Rural Change at the Speed of White Lightning

March 25, 2009

A few weeks ago I mentioned that a vote was taking place in my area as to whether ‘liquor by the drink’ would be allowed and become legal in the ‘downtown’ of my county. Here’s what I said earlier this month: “The choice to sell alcoholic beverages or not is still a controversial one in [...]

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Musical Chairs on Main Street

March 24, 2009

Retail shops on Main Streets all across rural America are playing musical chairs, with some shops closing due to tough times while others see opportunities to start their own businesses. In ‘Small Shops Slump, Soar in Region’s Downtowns’ you can read about the trials and tribulations of shopkeepers in small town Delaware, Ohio: “Although at [...]

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Self Employment in Rural Nebraska

March 23, 2009

A University of Nebraska sociologist has found that the decreasing rural population of Nebraska is changing the way business is conducted in the state. Randy Cantrell with the Nebraska University Rural Initiative, reports that in most rural counties of Nebraska self-employment accounts for 18 to 30 percent of jobs and pretty much all job growth. [...]

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The Experience Seekers

March 22, 2009

The Great Lakes Cruising Coalition is working to get more cruise lines enjoying the Great Lakes, to pull into port and visit their small towns. One of their members posted estimates on the economic impact for each day a cruise ship visits. With just two tourist vessels scheduling 12 stops in one city for 2009, [...]