Growing Small Towns Blog + Podcast
Welcome to the Growing Small Towns Blog and Podcast where you can listen to the latest episodes of the Growing Small Towns show, a bi-weekly podcast dedicated to sharing the best of what’s working in small towns and receive updates about the Growing Small Towns Innovation Lab, events, and programs. Hang around long enough, your growth is guaranteed.
Ep. 78: Pursuing Personal Growth in a Small Town
When people start businesses, they usually get the most freaked out about all the decisions and details that the process entails. Finding the right suppliers and vendors, creating a marketing plan, and figuring out who to hire—these are the things we spend most of our time considering.
Today’s guest, Pam Burch, founder of The Peacock Mercantile in Hettinger, ND, didn’t approach it this way. Instead, Pam spent the time it takes to really define and clarify her mission for starting her business. It’s common for people to mistake mission/vision/value statements as fluffy, touchy-feely, non-critical things. Pam is proving how a clear, grounded mission statement makes all those other decisions easier and in this episode, she shares why.
Ep. 77: The Mission-Driven Small Business
When people start businesses, they usually get the most freaked out about all the decisions and details that the process entails. Finding the right suppliers and vendors, creating a marketing plan, and figuring out who to hire—these are the things we spend most of our time considering.
Today’s guest, Pam Burch, founder of The Peacock Mercantile in Hettinger, ND, didn’t approach it this way. Instead, Pam spent the time it takes to really define and clarify her mission for starting her business. It’s common for people to mistake mission/vision/value statements as fluffy, touchy-feely, non-critical things. Pam is proving how a clear, grounded mission statement makes all those other decisions easier and in this episode, she shares why.
Ep. 76: Alpacas, Fiber Arts, and an Old Schoolhouse
Imagine the owner of a fiber mill partnering with a needle felting sculpture artist. Now try to picture that duo finding, buying, and renovating a 100 year-old building in a rural North Dakota town of about 60 people to house a future facility where people can stay, meet the alpaca/sheep herd, watch how the fiber mill works, eat amazing food prepared by a chef, and get their hands into creating your fiber art projects.
Can you picture it? Does it sound like a pipe dream? Well, you probably can’t and it’s not. Our podcast guests today are Chris Armbrust, the mill owner, and Teresa Perleberg, the needle felting artist and what was described above is what they’ve collaborated on to create and build.
If there was ever an episode that inspired us to believe in the power of what’s possible, this is it. You can’t help but be encouraged by their story.
Ep. 75 Rewriting the Rural Narrative
As a research educator with the University of Minnesota Extension’s Center for Community Vitality, today’s guest, Ben Winchester digs into the research data that helps us better understand the truth behind the idea that “rural America is dying”. Not only has he found...
Ep. 74 How to Be Hopeful Going into 2021
Our host, Rebecca is flying solo for this episode, and she’s talking about hope and the new year. 2020 was hard, friends, there’s just no denying it. But this isn’t about looking back on a hard year, it’s about looking forward to what’s coming and some ways that you...
Ep. 73 Civic Engagement in Small Towns
As a Civic Engagement and Leadership Specialist with NDSU Extension, today’s guest, Jodi Bruns, knows small towns. She shares her perspective about how to help small communities embrace change, adopt best practices to encourage leadership development, and change the...
Ep. 72 Fostering Regional Collaboration
Fostering Regional Collaboration with Brodie Mueller and Carly Pochop of The Rural Revolution Podcast and The Market on the Plaza It’s our first-ever crossover episode! Our guests today are Brodie Mueller and Carly Pochop. Both successful business owners in the rural...
Is everything “figureoutable”?
If you've never heard the phrase, "Everything is figureoutable", I (this is Rebecca here) won't say you've been living under a rock—you just might not be that into business books, and that's totally OK. This is the title of a business book written by Marie Forleo in...
Ep. 71 Creative Placemaking in Small Towns
Judy Larson, writer, musician, and artist, can’t remember a time when she wouldn’t have considered herself a “creative”. On today’s show, she shares her journey of embracing her own creativity, nurturing those skills and talents in others, and the impact it’s had on...
Ep. 70 Holding a Vision for Small Towns
From an early age, today’s guest, Amy Suda, knew that being an entrepreneur would be her future. Being born and raised in Grafton ND, and marrying her high school sweetheart, she also knew that when the time was right, she’d open her business in her hometown. In this...