Small towns, Business, Two-lane Travel, Rural life & Humor
An entryway says so much about a building. It is space that is often overlooked, but sets the tone for what is ahead. Did you know, according to scientific studies, it takes the human brain less than 13 milliseconds to register if something is appealing and 3 full seconds to act upon it. Have... Continue Reading →
Help yourself. Help your business. Help your community. Spring is here, and we believe we will soon be getting 'back to business'. We know this forced downtime has been hard on everybody and everything. We are rooting for you. Each and every one of you. We WILL come through this. As a Rural Shapers, we... Continue Reading →
Harness the power of your Golden Geese. Statistically 40% of revenue comes from repeat customers. Most people know 10-20 people who's opinions they trust. And according to studies we are 4x more likely to purchase a product or service that has been referred to us by someone we trust. There is a term for it- ... Continue Reading →
We often talk about businesses working TOGETHER instead of against each other. Here's a perfect example of small town businesses working TOGETHER for mutual benefit. Ault, Colorado's Main Street is only a few blocks long. Both sides are lined with businesses. However, this community does not have an Economic Developer or a Chamber of... Continue Reading →
Ever heard the old adage, “One to start it, one to grow it, one to lose it”? We’re guessing it was meant to represent the generations of a family business. Normally “succession planning” means having a buy-in (or maybe a buy-out, sweat equity, inheriting or whatever) plan. But along with the plan comes the... Continue Reading →
Ahhhh- Sharkndao.... That ultra riveting, undeniably fake monster shark series of movies... It's like an accident, once you see it, you can't look away. You have to continue watching just to see what craziness comes next. Yes. I dig cheezie sci-fi movies. The cheezier the better. And yes- I watched ALL the Sharkndo's … multiple times. There... Continue Reading →
Are You a Bad Boss?? Would you know if you were? Would anyone tell you? Or are you the kind of boss people want to work for? Bad Bosses are bigger problem in small towns than one would think. I was a Horrible Boss. I didn't know I was. At least not until a 16 yr old told with... Continue Reading →
The rise and fall of rural communities: Just one of many reasons how and why A good friend recently forwarded this article to Katy: “The secret to keeping some rural businesses alive” by Chris Farrell (Forbes) with the note, ‘It sounds like you!’ After reading it, we decided it does sound much like things we talk about. ... Continue Reading →
The holidays and Shop Small Saturday are right around the corner. SMS has been an amazing boost for many small businesses thanks to American Express. (You can sign up for free customize-able marketing materials) But "Shop Small" doesn't have to be a one day event. You can encourage people to visit your store or... Continue Reading →
Customers. Plain and simple- Customers are the number one reason to update your business in Facebook, Twitter, Google and so on. I am not a social media guru, but as a frequent traveler, I use it quite often to plot and plan. This week I traveled to well known small town in western NorthDakota. I checked... Continue Reading →
