Marketing Matters – Driving your website traffic

By Roger Buck, CDC In the past issues we talked of the value of having a website and the need to learn how to perform some basic analysis of your web traffic.  Today I’d like to review a few simple tactics for driving traffic to your website.  Every customer touch point (see article HERE) is [...]

New Ways to Get Paid with Credit Cards

by Becky McCray Taking credit cards used to be a big deal. It involved setting up a merchant account, passing a credit check, leasing or buying equipment and agreeing to a multi-year commitment. That was just the getting started part. The traditional merchant processing industry standard seemed to be lots of fees, and little customer [...]

Hiring: Ask A Different Question – Get a Better Result

by Jim Correll I’ve never thought the hiring process in America was very effective. Most business owners I’ve talked to agree that no matter how we try to screen applicants (or how much we pay screening and testing companies), we’re really not very good at picking the best employees from pools of applicants. The form [...]

TABLE TALK BUSINESS LUNCH REVIEW – HEAVENLY CAFÉ

By Dave Lindsey LaCygne, KS – Greg and Retiá Grant have been perfecting their recipes in the restaurant business since 1985, operating different establishments in both Miami and Osawatomie. They decided to abandon their brick and mortar establishments and take those proven recipes on the road to cash in on the lucrative rodeo and festival [...]

Small Biz Survival: Using social media to grow your small town business

By Becky McCray Small town businesses need social media, despite a few claims to the contrary. Almost every small town business can benefit from a smart, customer-focused and community-serving approach online. Our small town style sets us apart online, because we are closer to our customers, we are natural community builders, and we care about our [...]

The Traditional Marketing Approach

by Jim Correll The Traditional Marketing Approach (TMA) is dead, at least for today’s successful companies and organizations.  Yes, there are companies today that are successful, thriving and even growing.  This is occurring, in spite of the so-called recession and/or slow recovery. What is TMA?  The traditional marketing approach takes place in companies still using [...]

Table Talk Business Lunch Review – The Main Street Family Restaurant

By Dave Lindsey Chanute, Kan. – One interesting fact about the Main Street Family Restaurant is that it is located on the ground floor of the completely restored Tioga Hotel, originally built in 1929.  The restoration of the building was finished in 2010. Patrons can enter the restaurant from Lincoln Street, passing between the twin [...]

Per Capita Personal Income in Southeast Kansas, By County

County 2000 2009* Percentage Change Allen $20,952 $32,267 +54.00% Anderson $21,664 $31,948 +47.47% Chautauqua $21,294 $32,528 +52.75% Cherokee $20,253 $31,984 +57.92% Coffey $25,903 $42,329 +63.41% Crawford $21,222 $29,915 +40.96% Elk $20,852 $29,064 +39.38% Greenwood $21,415 $31,918 +49.05% Labette $21,628 $32,522 +50.40% Linn $21,288 $31,296 +47.01% Lyon $20,949 $29,131 +39.06% Montgomery $21,366 $32,592 +52.54% Neosho $21,070 [...]

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Ane Mae’s Business Lunch Review

By Dave Lindsey Independence, Kan. – “Every small town needs a coffee shop like Ane Mae’s,” says owner, Terry Trout. Breakfast starts at 7:00 a.m. and continues all day long. You can order bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches, oatmeal, quiche, bagels and homemade muffins, a specialty of the house. The aroma of freshly brewing coffee [...]