saveyourtown
From Possibilities to Reality: Stop Waiting, Start Doing
Every small town has the same temptation: wait. Wait for the factory to come back. Wait for a big grant. Wait for some outside expert with the one right answer. I’ve seen it play out in hundreds of rural communities — no one is coming to save your town. You are. And the good news…
Read MoreRural 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.…
Read MoreBig 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…
Read MoreWhat 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…
Read MoreWhat 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…
Read MoreWorking with SaveYour.Town: Resources and support for your small town journey
My co-founder Becky McCray and I are streamlining our work this year, so this feels like a good time to share how you can work with us at SaveYour.Town. Start by exploring what’s possible in your community. Becky and I have been doing this work together for 10 years now. We’ve learned what works and…
Read MoreConnect people to people for innovation
Connecting people to each other to find more innovation is a great idea to develop sustainable entrepreneurship in our rural communities. Why do we need innovation? Innovation matters for entrepreneurs because it’s the spark that sets their business apart and keeps it moving forward. Innovation helps entrepreneurs spot gaps and unmet needs in their community or…
Read MoreCoffee and Calendars
It’s the antidote to “I wish I’d known about that!” Ever find out about an event or project in your town only after it was happening? Ever wish you could have helped with something or offered some insight, if you only knew it was coming? You want to collaborate more with local and regional organizations, but you can’t possibly…
Read MoreGet Them Off The Highway
Duane asked this question on a recent webinar: I am a county commissioner and also serve on the board of directors at [my town]. We have tried desperately to get visitors to make the left turn into [our county] instead of the right turn to return to the interstate. We need marketing ideas to promote my town…
Read MoreCollaboration and Talent Attraction: Webinar Past and Future
Learning about the Power of Collaboration Our last webinar about collaboration emphasized some key insights. Looking for that one company to come to town is not an economic development approach that works in rural. It is possible to bridge barriers and cooperate by starting with meaningful conversations. We already know how to collaborate in rural…
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