Small towns offer high quality of life and a strong sense of the worth of every resident in the community, but a place with a small population has a hard time supporting a broad range of goods and services. Economic challenges are magnified in a small town, where even a smattering of home repossessions and business failures affect nearly everyone. The key to success in building a healthy business community in a small town is to create an economic development plan that maximizes the community’s strengths and minimizes its weaknesses. It is vital that the bulk of the populace is included in planning and execution.

1. Do a SWOT analysis of your town to identify its strengths...

2. Bring the community together to form a vision and set goals for local economic improvement...

3. Make sure the regional media is involved...

4. Form a core group of leaders to keep the planning effort going...

5. Create a plan to present to the community...

6. Refine the plan based on community feedback and prepare to execute it...

7. Create a chamber of commerce or EDO or encourage a regional unit to start a local chapter...

8. Set up a business facilitation office...

9. Offer incentives to new businesses to locate in the community...

10. Market the community and advertise business benefits to would-be business owners...

11. Keep local business in the public eye...