By Martin Zwilling, Founder and CEO, Startup Professionals
Opportunities abound for entrepreneurs in small towns as well as big-city entrepreneur hubs.
From the advice I hear these days, if you want to be a successful entrepreneur, you need to be in Silicon Valley, Boston, New York, or one of the few other financial hubs around the world.
What does that mean for the rest of us, who reside or grew up in the thousands of small towns that cover most of the landscape? Is entrepreneurship ever viable or recommended in a small town?
I was pleased to see these questions addressed in a new book, Small Town Big Money, by Colby Williams, focused on entrepreneurship and opportunity in today's small towns. Colby is a living example of a successful small-town entrepreneur, starting with his Parengo Coffee Shop in Sikeston, Missouri.
He offers some practical entrepreneurship lessons I most often hear in reference to Silicon Valley:
1. You need a good business plan to start.
As an adviser to aspiring entrepreneurs, I'm surprised at how many people believe that business plans are only required to appease big investors.
In reality, a written business plan has real value for every entrepreneur, since most people can't create and retain a complete plan in their head.
For credibility, especially in a small town, you need to quantify your plan consistently to local leaders and organizations, as well as bankers and customers. Sizing the market, projecting revenue, and calculating breakeven points are critical, even for a coffee shop.
2. Don't get too comfortable -- take comfort in fear.
Don't expect any entrepreneurship venture to be comfortable. There are too many unknowns, whether you're building a coffee shop or producing electric cars.
If you are looking for comfort, stick to that 9-to-5 job. Being an entrepreneur anywhere without fear likely means your business is at risk.
For example, in a small town with no other hardware store, you may be lulled into complacency as customers flock into your hardware store at any price, but soon a competitor will pounce. Work to build memorable customer experiences today, or the store may be empty tomorrow.
3. It takes collaboration to build a business.
No matter how hard you are willing to work inside the business, you still need external relationships with suppliers, people in your business network, and your community.
In small towns, this may mean sponsoring local events, supporting complementary businesses, and community involvement.
Perfecting Your Multi-Channel Sales Strategy
Now you can use the power of established online marketplaces to grow your brand and sales, while streamlining and simplifying your business processes.
In any business, collaboration is really your ability to move people from customers to fans to friends. This is often more important than your product or service, and it requires letting the "real you" show, really listening and responding. All businesses require collaboration.
4. Brands are all about a story and selling an experience.
More than a product or service, you are founding a brand when you start a venture, large or small.
You are selling an experience. In today's world of social media and the internet, people want to know who you are and what makes you outstanding in your field, and to relate to your vision.
We all know the fate of too many a small-town restaurant, started by someone who loves to cook and expects the food to do the talking. Every ad, every review, or lack of one, tells a story about how much you care and what customer experience one might expect.
5. Don't forget to stay a step ahead of the market.
Businesses that never change are now forgotten. I still remember when every small town I knew had a Sears store and a JCPenney.
Even if your town never seems to change, there are always changes in trends, people, and technology. Entrepreneurs not innovating are actually losing ground.
High-tech ventures in Silicon Valley know they have to constantly innovate, but small-town coffee shops can easily forget. Yet the best are always offering new flavors, new specials, new decors, and ways to reach new customers. People flock to the new.
I came away from this book with two takeaways for every entrepreneur: 1) The opportunities are more abundant in a million small towns than in a few sacred hubs like Silicon Valley; and 2) the ingredients for success in a small town are the same as anywhere else, but with a healthy dose of localized flavor.
So for those of you want to be entrepreneurs but don't relish the thought of leaving the community that you know and love, now is the time to get started. Small things can easily grow to be the empire and legacy you always dreamed about.
PUBLISHED ON: JAN 7, 2019
The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.