Home away from home
Valorie and Terry have owned Whitetail River Lodge for 12 years. It sits near Niobrara, Nebraska, and serves as a bed and breakfast, hunting lodge, and a home away from home for its guests.
Knowledge is key
"We try to constantly evaluate where we are and what we are doing, and knew that we needed help in the social media realm, and knew it was time to stretch." -Valorie Zach
Training assistance from the Center for Rural Affairs
Acknowledging that more than a decade of success takes hard work, patience, and the ability and willingness to change with the times, Valorie took part in social media training events and one-on-one business counseling through the Center for Rural Affairs.
Training event feedback
"The training was spot on for the things that business owners need to know to navigate the digital world. It added guidance and a freshness to what we were trying to do on our own regarding social media." -Valorie Zach
After completing the training, Valorie created a new professional Facebook business page and updated her business website. The course covered how to track user data on social media and best practices.
Hard work pays off
"Valorie took a deep dive into target marketing, identifying how to best use social media to the advantage of her business and analytics of her pages. She also gained some knowledge in website development through the training." -Lori Schrader, Northeast Nebraska loan specialist, Center for Rural Affairs
Constantly learning new things
"I’d love to learn more about how to network with other businesses in the area to bring us all forward. The Center offers great courses on staying up-to-date with social media and gaining more experience managing finances. Those are essential to any business owner." -Valorie Zach
Small business training workshops available
To learn more and see a schedule of events, visit cfra.org/events.
Funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. All SBA funded programs are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis. Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities and/or persons with limited English proficiency will be made if requested in advance. This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
