rural business

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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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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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, [...]

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Rural Business Weekly News – March 14, 2009

March 14, 2009

Here are a few interesting blogs and online articles published this week that relate to Rural Small Business, ending March 14, 2009: With all the talk about tough times these days, it’s interesting to note what products are doing well, and what some small rural towns and business owners are doing to keep things going. [...]

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Farm Visitors are Loyal Customers

March 12, 2009

In Loyalty Programs Engage Our Best Customers AgriMarketing consultant Jane Eckert discusses how farms can use special programs and coupons to reward loyal customers. Jane quotes recent survey data that finds customers who are part of loyalty programs not only buy more, but are 70% more likely to promote you through word-of-mouth (WOM) marketing. You [...]

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Multiple Streams of Income in Small Towns

March 11, 2009

This past weekend, my husband and I were out for a drive on our local country back roads and passed through several nearby small towns. We were struck by the signage on many stores, where we saw not one business, but listings of multiple services and businesses within the same four walls. Our feeling was [...]

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Coupons, e-Coupons and More

March 10, 2009

Everybody likes to save money, and in today’s economy that’s more true for your customers than ever before. Coupons don’t have to mean you make less money. In fact, you can offer coupons on specific products that aren’t selling and you need to move, or offer them during slower seasons of the year. Coupons can [...]

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Fun Can Mean Business for Rural Business

March 6, 2009

Have you given any thought to how attracting tourists to your area could help your business? The Palm Springs, California Bureau of Tourism did, and decided to market to college students traveling during spring break, using social media. You can take a look here to read four perspectives on what small business owners thought and [...]

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Luring Last Minute Travelers to Rural America

March 5, 2009

It seems that all of us in rural America are going to have to work a little harder this year to attract tourists and other regional visitors to our businesses. Apparently, state tourism and commerce agencies are finding it quite a challenge to get travelers to go out for an occasional night on the town, [...]