Video Rural Craft Entrepreneurship

Craft entrepreneurship can create prosperity in any community, no matter how small, even if everything else is against you. Even if all you have is the dirt under your feet. These ideas scale up for bigger towns and communities.

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How do you build a prosperous town when you have very little to start with?

It's like all that economic development advice out there assumes you have a big asset or resource base to draw from.

But in a tiny town, you have fewer people, fewer established businesses and fewer assets.

Economic development programs tend to focus on larger population centers, giving less attention to picopolitan towns under 1,000.

True small towns have fewer support organizations with paid staff. If you have a chamber of commerce or economic development group at all, they tend to be run by volunteers.

And it's not just tiny towns. Other communities get ignored.

Smaller neighborhoods in larger towns, communities of color, lower income areas and far flung sparsely populated places. They call us "hard to reach" populations because we are. And those traditional programs haven't worked for us.

You can't rely on traditional economic development to save your community.

That’s why local entrepreneurs can make a big difference in rural prosperity. And crafters are a plentiful source for potential entrepreneurs in rural places.

Lots of rural people have a creative hobby or tiny business using their arts, crafts or maker skills.
We have rich local culture, local natural resources and authentic local identity to tap.

What counts as craft when we're talking about rural entrepreneurship?

Crafts means everything from the traditional like pottery or quilting to newer things people make like decorated flip flops and headbands.

Arts includes visual arts including painting and sculpting, but also performing arts like singing and dancing. And the culinary arts like traditional foods and cooking!

Your makers include all kinds of high tech and low tech skills, like 3D printing and plasma cut metal designs but also blacksmiths.

If someone is making it locally especially by hand, or designing it themselves, it counts for this.

When you count up everyone who does something in arts, crafts and making, you have a lot more than you realize!

But traditional entrepreneur support doesn't work very well here.

There are very few formal entrepreneur support programs available locally or close by for picopolitan towns under 1,000. And sketchy rural internet makes online support less than useful.

Most formal entrepreneur support programs like multi-week courses or entrepreneur “boot camps” are a poor match for part-time creative crafters who may not even see themselves as entrepreneurs.

This is what works to support rural crafters as entrepreneurs:

Using what you have to create more opportunities for your crafty people to do business easily,
and
Using what you have to provide support for crafters to build their businesses.

Use what you have. And you do have something.

Use your empty buildings
Use your events or make some
Use the internet
Use your empty lots
Use your existing businesses, any existing businesses
Use your current entrepreneurs

Still feel like you have NOTHING to start with?
Start with the dirt under your feet.

You'll hear how two different communities made something from just the dirt under their feet and their own ways of doing things.

You don't need a big complicated project.

It can be as simple as Crafternoons, where a group of crafty people get together to work on their projects and enjoy each other’s company. It’s community building, of course, but it’s also entrepreneur building.

Artsy people aren’t businessy people necessarily, and they can best learn from other successful crafty business people.

Find out the 6 reasons this works as entrepreneur development:

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You'll build a more prosperous community.

You'll keep more money recirculating locally, from local buyers to local makers, then on to their suppliers and services.

Locally made products keep more profits in town than people who buy and resell products produced elsewhere, like home based vendors or direct sales people.

And you'll capture more local sales at events, rather than relying on outside vendors who collect a lot of money then depart with their profits.

And you'll build a more unified community.

Throughout 2021, we're focused on helping you build a more unified community. With all the forces that feel like they're pulling us apart, we want to help local communities like yours join together better.

Here's how local craft businesses can help strengthen your community.

Rural has a future because of our arts and culture: we develop, support and innovate in our culture.
Artists can bring their diverse cultures to share, helps them feel validated and valued as members of the community
Brings traditional skills forward to share
Arts help us address questions that are hard and unpleasant topics in less threatening ways.
Craft is the most accessible of the arts, ways for more people to participate

If you're interested in these maker trends, this is the video for you.

Makerspace
Craft business
Rural manufacturing
Small scale manufacturing
Artisan industrial
Light manufacturing, light industry

No matter where your community is starting, the Idea Friendly Method is your best starting point.

You start with your big goal for your community, the one you are most excited to work toward. You use that goal to Gather Your Crowd. You turn your crowd into a powerful network by Building Connections. And you and your newly-powerful network accomplish that goal by Taking Small Steps.

You can trust SaveYour.Town's Becky McCray and Deb Brown to share practical advice for rural communities.

We've both been craft entrepreneurs, selling at shows, online and in stores. We've worked with our local crafts and arts organizations. That makes us different from the usual experts on small towns. We're not biased toward any specific program or solution. We give honest advice to help you with your own ideas.

Deb Brown and Becky McCray joined forces in May 2015 to help small towns and rural communities thrive. They developed the Idea Friendly Method out of their own personal experiences in business, agriculture, entrepreneurship, nonprofits and government.

You'll get the full 29 minute video you can watch on your own and share with others in your community.

This video is perfect for:

Arts, crafts and humanities groups
Tourism organizations
Museums, heritage groups
Chambers of commerce
Economic development professionals
Libraries
City officials
Organizations and people who support entrepreneurship
Tribes, First Nations and Indigenous governments, economic development, community development and arts organizations

Not another tiresome webinar

Short, to the point video
Watch instantly on your schedule: anytime, on demand, starting now
Recorded so you can pause, stop, rewind or watch again immediately

You won't waste time waiting for everyone to sign in or sitting through long introductions. You don't have to put up with technical glitches or annoying background noise from inconsiderate participants. No one will fumble around with how to control their video or say "Can you see my screen?"

You get personal access to Becky and Deb via message, email and comment. We do answer your questions personally!

Crafting Local Prosperity - video with Deb Brown and Becky McCray

29 minute video

Available immediately - no waiting

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Is this video recorded so I can watch later?

Yes, the video is recorded, and you'll be able to watch it immediately as soon as you complete your purchase. You are welcome to watch the video more than once, start and stop, or go back and watch again. You're not limited to watching from a single computer or with just one group.

Can I get a copy of the slides?

You get a transcript plus an audio-only version. You also get a downloadable PDF with the links to the special resources we mention.

What if I have questions?

You can ask questions two ways: in the comment box or via email. We always answer you personally. You can also share stories or examples you've seen. That helps everyone!

Will the video play on my computer? Or on my phone?

Either one! If you can watch a YouTube video, you can watch this video. That means you can use any device, any screen that can load a web page for you to login. Any PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone, Android phone or tablet, smart TV or TV with a streaming box or stick should work.
You don't need blazing fast internet.

Can I share the video with other people?

Yes! Once you’re registered, you can schedule more than one viewing so you reach as many people as possible. We encourage you to watch on your own or set up a virtual watch party.

How long is the video? How long should I made the watch party?

For a watch party, schedule 45 -50 minutes. You'll want that extra time to discuss what you watched and to network and talk with each other.

Who should I invite?

Your friends who love to do things with you
Visionaries like yourself
Downtown associations, Main Streets, chambers and economic developers
Positive thinkers and doers
Leaders and regular people
Community foundations and leadership groups
Elected officials from your local municipalities, counties or tribes
Business with a community focus, like banks and utilities
People who care about your town

What people say about SaveYour.Town videos

This video stimulated lots of note-taking and conversation between the business owners gathered at my house. Deb and Becky gave us some new ideas and several excellent examples of known models. I think some of us are thinking of pivoting our summer’s plans after participating in Wednesday’s event. Thanks for a well-thought out presentation!

Jonya Pacey, Minnesota

What a TERRIFIC marketing Video. I had 20 businesses show up to watch and they all left with new ideas and an excitement to get back and start implementing! I’ve already had 5 businesses reach out in less than 2 hours after it ended, that are already putting your ideas into action.

Mandy Walsh, City of Lampasas, Texas

There are always great take-aways from the videos that can be put into place immediately. One of my favorites is changing your store's evening vibe (different music, lighting, etc.) because evening shoppers are not the same as day time shoppers.

Diane Moore, Wheaton, Illinois

Videos by SaveYour.Town are fun way to learn some no-nonsense alternatives to community inertia.

Clark Hoskin, Ontario

Growing Arts, Crafts and Maker Entrepreneurs in Tiny Towns (Bigger small towns can scale these ideas up!)

29 minute video
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