Author: Becky McCray

It was in my local newspaper. Some business owner was doing some presentation to a classroom full of students. And I couldn’t help feeling it was a missed opportunity to make more of it.  Don’t send the business owner to talk to students at school. Send the students to the business and let them get…

Coworking is like shared office space, except it’s more than that. Coworking works best when it’s a community, too. If you’re trying to build more entrepreneurship in your town, coworking is a smart place to focus.  A new study from Emergent Research and partners showed that coworking spaces are human spaces.  “The key finding is…

We are talking about how small towns can take advantage of the changing travel motivations that the Condé Nast Traveler Research Center put together.  You can click the pic above to read it larger, or you can get an overview of these trends here: This week, it’s trend four, and it’s all about food.     *…

This week, I’m continuing with the changing travel motivations. Not into tourism? Some items you might like:  Glenn Muske helps you to know what your customer wants Tiny business villages make sense for small towns Co-working business incubators inside public libraries   Now, on with the travelers! We’re talking about the changing travel motivations that the…

Last week, we started talking about the changing travel motivations that the Condé Nast Traveler Research Center put together.  You can click the pic above to read it larger, or you can get an overview of these trends here Let’s look at the second of these changing travel motivations.      * THEN: Checking sights off…

Travel motivations are changing. The Condé Nast Traveler Research Center put together the slide below for an Australian wine event. They list six important shifts in how travelers decide where they want to go. The first thing that struck me: this is all about small towns. You can click the image above to read it larger,…

When small town businesses prosper, they help their communities prosper. For example, LL Bean has built a billion and a half dollar business while keeping their headquarters in the small town of Freeport, Maine. Freeport has prospered right along with LL Bean for the last 100 years. Sometimes examples like that are more intimidating than helpful….

“I told them….”  “I told them this was their big chance.” “I told them that this could be a huge tourist draw.” “I told them that they were missing out on new business.” Here’s the problem. You told them. You didn’t show them.   Telling isn’t the same as acting. If you don’t act, then…

10 happiness-makers to take advantage of in your own town: Have a picnic in the park. Watch a school sports game.  Sit outside at night and look up at the stars. Catch a school play or concert. Attend an auction or fundraiser just to people watch. Drop into the public library and ask a question. …

One of your fellow readers, Trace Frahm, has a serious question. “Great articles and keep them coming! We are in a small town whose government school mob has decided we don’t meet their minimums and is leaving town in the summer of 2016. The prevailing premise is that once a small town loses its public…

If you drew a line that represented the history of your town, what would it look like? Don’t just think about population, but the overall prosperity and liveliness of your town.  Mostly up: /Mostly down:Peaked and fell: ^Pretty flat: –Never grew: _ Up and down and up: ~Backtracked: &Hard to say: ?  You’re not limited to…

Not every small town is going to prosper. Some small towns won’t survive in ten years. The question is, can you do anything to influence whether your town survives and prospers?  The future of your town is up to you.  You decide if you’ll start your own small business. You decide whether you’ll say yes…