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What to consider before you make your first hire

By Glenn Muske

Your small business has launched. Things are going well. Your day is spent working with your customers or restocking shelves. Yet you have so many other things to do. Nights and weekends are your time for ordering, recordkeeping and planning. Family members, who you hoped to spend more time with, see less and less of […]

April 25, 2013 Filed Under: entrepreneurship, rural, workforce

Helping rural young people find local jobs

By Becky McCray

We’re looking for more examples of programs to connect rural youth to local jobs. Twitter friend Jenise Cook asked: I’m wondering if you and your rural small biz network might have some experience helping students/young people find work in their area, so that they don’t have to leave their towns to go live in huge […]

January 8, 2013 Filed Under: rural, workforce, youth

Worker-owned cooperatives can work in small towns

By Becky McCray

Cooperatives are familiar to many small town people from the farmer’s co-ops and the rural utility cooperatives. Really, any kind of business can be a cooperative. At the BALLE conference, we heard about worker-owned cooperatives and how they can help develop an area economically. This can work in small towns as well as big cities. […]

May 31, 2012 Filed Under: economic development, entrepreneurship, workforce

Start a Blue Collar Career Fair

By Becky McCray

Tony Guidroz, Director of Economic Development from San Saba, Texas, (population 2,600) shared his idea for a Blue Collar Career Fair at the LCRA Economic Development Forums, and I think every small town needs to start one. He is bringing heavy equipment operators, an HVAC contractor, a stone mason, a plumber, an electrician, a welder, […]

March 21, 2012 Filed Under: economic development, rural, workforce, youth

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