When city playbooks don’t fit rural realities
Running a business in a rural community isn’t for the faint of heart.
Last Wednesday, the Cubby Hole in Garrison was full of local business owners and city leaders to talk about what makes rural businesses challenging, rewarding, and uniquely theirs.
Community leaders from Tru Community, Garrison Hospital, Camp of the Cross, Reservation Telephone Services and more met on April 29, at the Cubby Hole in downtown Garrison.
The workshop, led by Elevate Business Solutions, LLC. Chief Executive Officer Robert Martin, who described himself as “a big quote guy,” opened with a line that set the tone for the presentation, “Rural businesses don’t fail because owners aren’t capable.”
He didn’t know where that quote came from in that anonymous source, but the room nodded in agreement.
It was the kind of truth that hits home in a place where everyone wears multiple hats, and the nearest big-box store is an hour away.
“We’re here to talk about what ails us in small communities and how we push through those barriers,” Martin said. “And we’re going to keep it practical. No theory. No fluff. Just things you can actually use.”
Before diving into