THE RURBAN FRINGE

Shop Local This Small Business Saturday

Holiday season is ramping up, with stores hauling out their seasonal displays and people brushing off their credit cards in anticipation – or dread – of Christmas shopping excursions.
This year, American Express is once again leading the promotion of the Small Business Saturday initiative, encouraging people to focus on supporting their local small businesses which, in [...]

Forget Whiz Bang, Focus on Small Bang

In public meetings across the country, many folks are desperately trying to come up with the next “whiz bang” idea to help small communities maintain their local economies. 
It’s tough out there … and it’s bound to get tougher before it gets better.
But wouldn’t it be great if people weren’t encouraged to go down the path of searching for a [...]

Small Town Tries Economic Development Incentives

Are business incentives a cost-effective strategy to help achieve economic growth?
The town of Denton, North Carolina (pop. 1,650) thinks so.
As part of their Jobs Creation Program, the town hopes to create 150 new jobs over the next five years.  Their plan includes:

Water/Sewer/Trash – Three month grant assistance to approved businesses to help cover water, sewer and trash [...]

Small Businesses Aren’t Everything, They’re the Only Thing

October 16-22 is Small Business Week here in Canada … a time to celebrate the many contributions small businesses make our economy. 
And while the economic recession has taken a toll on many owners and entrepreneurs, small businesses still managed to employ almost half of Canada’s total workforce (that’s over 5 million people, folks) while accounting for over $68 billion [...]

Locavesting: Investing in Main Street Instead of Wall Street

Using historical facts and sharp research to make her point, author Amy Cortese explores the concept of investing locally in Locavesting: The Revolution in Local Investing and How to Profit From It.
In an interview with Fast Company, she states …
“The crazy thing is it’s easier for most people to invest in a company halfway across the [...]

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