Rural Speaker for Your Event
Why Me? I work with rural people who are ready to move beyond complaining and start doing. Speaking is one of the ways I help small towns see what’s possible and take the next small steps with the resources they already have. When you hire me, you’re not just paying for an hour on stage.…
Big Rules versus New Ideas
Small Steps, Not Big Rules: Innovative Rural Business Models for Your Small Town I recently had the privilege of presenting to a statewide group of economic developers about Innovative Rural Business Models—what we call the “Tiny, Temporary, Together, Travelling, and Tech” models. These are creative ways for entrepreneurs to test business ideas without breaking the…
What has rural expert Deb Brown been doing for the last ten years?
I got asked the other day what I have been doing for the last ten years. I took some time and wrote it all down. It surprised even me! Take a look, and if you’d like to have a free call with me, just book 30 minutes here. Here’s a comprehensive list (I may have…
Kittanning, PA Changed Their City One House at a Time
Andrew Laddaslaw, a local pastor in Kittanning, PA, had this idea for a project to do during their Summer of Giving programming. 5 years ago, Kittanning, PA had a blight problem. Many houses in neighborhoods needed sprucing up, repairing, and a few needed tearing down. What they did He and his crowd got together and…
Let’s Talk Newspapers, Rural Small Town Ones
Hometown newspapers are small businesses, just like the hardware store, the café, and the auto repair shop. Erin in El Reno pointed out that I mentioned newspapers four times in my book, which tells you how important I think they are. They are not just “media.” They are employers, sponsors, storytellers, and neighbors. Press Releases…
Book and Neighborhood Tour in Natchez February 21
BlackNatchez.org Hosts The Local Revolution: How You Can Save Your Small Town Community Workshop on Revitalizing Historic and Rural Neighborhoods with Author Deb Brown Neighbors, business owners, and community leaders from across the Mississippi -Louisiana (Miss-Lou) region are invited to gather in Natchez, Mississippi on Saturday, February 21, for a day of conversation, collaboration, and…
What is a local neighborhood revolution and why do you want one?
The Local Revolution: How You Can Save Your Small Town Natchez is kicking off a Neighborhood Revolution, and you’re invited to be part of it—and to imagine bringing this same energy back home to your town On Saturday, February 21, I’ll be in Natchez, Mississippi, for a full day of hands-on, street-level community building hosted…
Old Station, CA Small Town with resources
Let’s talk about a small town You might drive right by most small towns and think ‘there’s nothing for me here.’ Old Station, California has a population of 31, or 64. Depending on which source or year you check. No matter how you count it, that’s a small town. It’s in the mountains, about 14…
Doing more with less – no thank you
I’ve never liked the phrase “doing more with less.” It gets tossed around so often that it sounds noble, but it usually feels like a scolding. It implies people aren’t working hard enough or wringing every drop out of their already-limited time, energy, and budgets. It piles guilt on top of fatigue. That phrase comes…