The future is obvious, and success in the future will definitely rely on online commerce, innovation, and reinvention.

The future is obvious, and success in the future will definitely rely on online commerce, innovation, and reinvention.

The majority of small town America is dying and/or dead as far as I can tell. Poor city planning has turned local charm into big box disaster.

Billboards are empty, family-run restaurants are vacant, small businesses are dead. Local newspapers are starving for local advertisers that simply don’t exist.

Now there are some glimmers of hope. A few towns have reinvented themselves with boutique shops, pubs and restaurants, neighborhood charm, and historical attractions that lure people back to main street and kickstart the local economy. This seems to be working.

Large corporations can weather storms, small businesses cannot.

I think America needs a grassroots injection of smart city-planning to make small businesses competitive again.

Like you said, government programs and tax savings are abundant during slower economic periods. But municipalities and towns need to do more than dole out money. They need to create an environment where small business can thrive and compete against the megalopolies … turn to the towns that are doing it right and follow their leads.

In the mean time advertising dollars will continue to shrink and marketing budgets will continue to disappear.

The majority of small town America is dying and/or dead as far as I can tell. Poor city planning has turned local charm into big box disaster.

Billboards are empty, family-run restaurants are vacant, small businesses are dead. Local newspapers are starving for local advertisers that simply don’t exist.

Now there are some glimmers of hope. A few towns have reinvented themselves with boutique shops, pubs and restaurants, neighborhood charm, and historical attractions that lure people back to main street and kickstart the local economy. This seems to be working.

Large corporations can weather storms, small businesses cannot.

I think America needs a grassroots injection of smart city-planning to make small businesses competitive again.

Like you said, government programs and tax savings are abundant during slower economic periods. But municipalities and towns need to do more than dole out money. They need to create an environment where small business can thrive and compete against the megalopolies … turn to the towns that are doing it right and follow their leads.

In the mean time advertising dollars will continue to shrink and marketing budgets will continue to disappear.