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Small Town Rules: How Big Brands and Small Businesses Can Prosper in a Connected Economy
This is the eBook version of the printed book.
Technology and economics are transforming business in a completely unexpected way: suddenly, even the largest companies must compete as if they were small, local businesses. Suddenly, your customers can talk to everyone else across the nation, and people listen to them, not your carefully crafted advertising or branding. It's just like doing business in a small town, where "reputation is forever." Suddenly, communities and personal connections are critical to your success - just as they've always been in small towns. The best small-town and rural entrepreneurs have been successfully overcoming these challenges for centuries. Their lessons and techniques are suddenly intensely valuable to even the largest companies, most dominant brands, and most cosmopolitan businesses. Small Town Rules adapts these lessons and techniques for today's new "global small town" one knitted together through the Web, Facebook, and Twitter. Two pioneering entrepreneurs and social media experts show how to:
* Survive seasonal cycles and year-to-year fluctuations the way rural farmers and businesses do
* Use "small town entrepreneur secrets" for coping with limited access to people and capital
* Reduce risk by "piecing together" multiple income sources * Start using customer-driven communication to your advantage
* Interact with customers on a more human scale, no matter how big you are
* Rediscover your company's local roots, and more
Technology and economics are transforming business in a completely unexpected way: suddenly, even the largest companies must compete as if they were small, local businesses. Suddenly, your customers can talk to everyone else across the nation, and people listen to them, not your carefully crafted advertising or branding. It's just like doing business in a small town, where "reputation is forever." Suddenly, communities and personal connections are critical to your success - just as they've always been in small towns. The best small-town and rural entrepreneurs have been successfully overcoming these challenges for centuries. Their lessons and techniques are suddenly intensely valuable to even the largest companies, most dominant brands, and most cosmopolitan businesses. Small Town Rules adapts these lessons and techniques for today's new "global small town" one knitted together through the Web, Facebook, and Twitter. Two pioneering entrepreneurs and social media experts show how to:
* Survive seasonal cycles and year-to-year fluctuations the way rural farmers and businesses do
* Use "small town entrepreneur secrets" for coping with limited access to people and capital
* Reduce risk by "piecing together" multiple income sources * Start using customer-driven communication to your advantage
* Interact with customers on a more human scale, no matter how big you are
* Rediscover your company's local roots, and more
224 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2012
3 people are currently reading
27 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 24, 2013
This book offers seven rules for doing business the small-town way, including my favorite, "Treat customers like community." But even better than the rules, for me, were the chapters highlighting small town business success stories. In these days when big multi-national corporations dominate the news, it's good to see someone trumpeting the achievements and dedication of people who have started and grown companies in rural America.
Becky and Barry offer some great examples of ideas for bettering your business, based on the simple idea that we're all part of a community. It's something that we small-town business people have known for years, and others are just learning thanks to social media. It's great to read their examples!
Becky and Barry offer some great examples of ideas for bettering your business, based on the simple idea that we're all part of a community. It's something that we small-town business people have known for years, and others are just learning thanks to social media. It's great to read their examples!
July 4, 2012
If you like power point presentations printed up and bound, this will do for you. Somehow it never really seemed like a book, just a strung together group of observations and personal narratives.
May 1, 2013
Rereading this book again as I need a refresher on the insightful themes of fostering community, and innovative ways to focus beyond a business plan in order to include connection + relationship in the mix for the proverbial bottom line.
Small Town Rules is a quick read -- a complimentary asset to the wisdom and expertise of its authors. It is a practical and proven guide not only for small town businesses, and large businesses desiring their own community sectors, but also micro businesses -- such as artists and other freelancers. Entrepreneurs who know their niche and prefer {need} to expend energy for their craft.
Small Town Rules is a quick read -- a complimentary asset to the wisdom and expertise of its authors. It is a practical and proven guide not only for small town businesses, and large businesses desiring their own community sectors, but also micro businesses -- such as artists and other freelancers. Entrepreneurs who know their niche and prefer {need} to expend energy for their craft.
January 26, 2013
No new information at all. The first two chapters were difficult to get through as I couldn't figure out how to apply them to the chamber world. After that it was all old news. The chamber I was with 10 years ago implemented a shop local campaign that is still going strong and there are few chambers in our state that don't utilize this type of campaign. Maybe we are an exception to the rule.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews