Becky McCray and Smallbizsurvival.com did a survey of rural challenges – they actually went to small towns and asked questions of small town people. Over 200 people in small towns participated and shared what their challenges were and what topics they most wanted help with.
This was not a survey conducted by some big company in some big town and asked of economic developers in big towns. Small Biz Survival went right to the source – small town people – and got the real answers from real people. 206 were from the USA, 11 from Canada and 10 from other international locations. 175 of these people identified themselves as business owners.
I think you’ll find the answers truthful, and enlightening.
There are three big themes that come out of the rural survey. They are
- Bring more activity and life to town, especially downtown.
- Help local business improve.
- Build cooperation.
Rural people are concerned about young people not sticking around, or not coming back. They see people going out of town to larger communities to shop. They worry that there are not enough businesses in town. They feel their downtowns are dead. They wonder if they are missing out on tourism opportunities – that the locals are keeping the good stuff as a secret! All of these issues combine together as a set of interrelated issues.
I travel to and work with small towns, and I live in and work in my own small town, and the results of this survey are reflective of what I see regularly. The majority of business owners and residents love the towns they live and work in. They are concerned about their way of life, and worry that it may go away. They wonder what they can do to save it.
I’ve joined forces with Becky McCray to help create www.saveyour.town We both have full time jobs we love, yet we are avid small town enthusiasts and want to see the path of small towns grown stronger. If you’re interested in helping your business and/or your small town, start by visiting our site, sign up for the newsletter. Check us out. We’re up to some good.
Want to see more about the survey? I’ll be writing more about it on this blog, meanwhile go here : http://smallbizsurvival.com/survey-of-rural-challenges.html to see more now.