small town advice
Christmas tree lights don’t always have to be matchy matchy in your downtown
I received lots of ideas on how to make my town a better place when I was a chamber director. One was to put up holiday lights in the trees downtown. Putting lights in trees would encourage people to spend time downtown and would be a visible sign of improvement and pride in our community.…
Read MoreSmall town ideas for Gowrie, Iowa
I attended the Chamber Dinner in Gowrie, Iowa and talked about small town ideas they could use. It was my pleasure to spend a couple of days there. This article talks about small town ideas for the community and by the community. Got empty buildings? Every small town has empty buildings and empty lots. Gowrie…
Read MoreWhat Happened One Day in LA
The Western Association of Chamber Executives came together in LA and for the first time ever, they spent an entire day with the opportunity for small chambers to learn things that related specifically to them. Small Chambers: A League of Their Own. I started the breakout session as a speaker and shared ways to update…
Read MoreYou’re the Expert
I flew back to Iowa on Saturday. Seated next to me was a gentleman from Korea and he asked me what I did for a living. I told him I was an Executive Director for a local Chamber of Commerce. Dr. Jeong asked me what was a Chamber of Commerce. I explained I had the pleasure of…
Read MoreEight Thinks to Do on Small Business Saturday
Buy new furniture. Locally. Go visit your local furniture store and be surprised. The value, the customer service and the attention to detail will simply blow you away. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at what is now available in the better lines of furniture and how affordable the pieces are. Don’t big box it…
Read MoreNine Marketing Trends
According to CMO.com (an Adobe site) there are 9 marketing trends for small businesses to pay attention to. They are: Binge TV watching – not only can you watch on tv, but the streaming services are providing new value. Netflix, HBO Now, Showtime, Amazon – you can watch tv online now too. Building Media Plans…
Read MoreBeaujolais Nouveau with Friends
Christine, Cruzanne, Lynn and I used to celebrate Beaujolais Nouveau Day on the third Thursday in November with the new wine from the Beaujolais region from France, crepes and a long and happy meal together. I think it’s where I started to think that everyone’s birthday was in November. It was such a fun evening…
Read MoreChef: A lesson for small businesses
If you have not seen the movie Chef and you own a small business, stop what you are doing and go watch it. I used Netflix to see it. Besides being a feel good movie about a dad and his kid, it’s a better movie about how to use social media for your small business.…
Read MoreGoogle Analytics for Small Business
Click image to open interactive version (via Simply Business).
Read MoreDo Bloggers Tours Work?
This article originally appeared in the Building Possibility newsletter from 12-17-14. We’ve been asked to share it with our blog readers! We hosted a Bloggers Tour on December 13, 2014 here in Webster City. We invited the North Iowa Bloggers to town. https://www.facebook.com/NorthIowaBloggers Six of the bloggers came and spent the day in Webster City.…
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