Dennis Deery

by Barry Moltz and Becky McCray

(Full disclosure: Becky is one of the organizers of #140conf Small Town, where I’ve spoken the last two years. She was kind enough to provide me with a review copy of her book.)

This book, subtitled “How Big Brands and Small Business Can Prosper in a Connected Economy”, is a great look at the unique attributes that can make small town and rural businesses successful. Because social media has made it so much easier to build communities of any size online, the authors make the case that all business must now work like small town business to be successful.

I first met Becky McCray at the National Rural Assembly in South Sioux City, Nebraska in 2010, then got to know her better at the #140conf Small Town that she co-hosted with Jeff Pulver in Hutchinson, Kansas. Becky is a small-town business owner, blogger and speaker who teaches people how to do effective tourism promotion in rural areas. She’s a lady that knows her stuff, and it shows in this book.

The 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.

You can learn more about the book at their website at http://smalltownrules.com/, or click the link below to see the book on Amazon.

Small Town Rules: How Big Brands and Small Businesses Can Prosper in a Connected Economy (Que Biz-Tech)