Small Business

The most effective development strategy for rural communities is small entrepreneurship – locally owned and operated small businesses.

Strategies
You have a great idea for a new small business. Congratulations! That's the first step. Here are some other ideas and information to consider on your journey to success.

Small Business Programs
Several programs are available to help businesses to become established and grow. Our own Rural Enterprise Assistance Project provides training, technical assistance, and small loans for entrepreneurs in Nebraska.  

Small Business Notes

 

The Rushmore State – Carving out a business profile

The top need for small businesses in South Dakota is finding quality employees. Owners also identified employee quantity issues as the leading growth inhibitor.

“The Rushmore State – Carving out a Business Profile: 2017 South Dakota Small Business Needs Assessment Results,” is authored by Dr. Patricia Ahmed, lecturer at South Dakota State University; and Dena R. Beck, senior project leader and loan specialist of the Center for Rural Affairs’ Rural Enterprise Assistance Project and Rural Investment Corporation.

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PDF icon The Rushmore State – Carving out a business profile

Center for Rural Affairs January and February newsletter

This edition of our newsletter focuses on genuine OPPORTUNITY for all to earn a living, raise a family, and prosper in a rural place.

Brian writes about current opportunities that may be slipping away from rural citizens. As they stand at the time of print, both tax bills in Congress benefit the wealthy and large corporations, while doing little for everyday people and small town development.

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PDF icon Center for Rural Affairs January and February newsletter
More publications

Love of animals leads to business ownership for REAP Entrepreneur of the Year

By Liz Daehnke on July 17, 2018 - 6:27pm

At the age of 5, Jennafer Glaesemann already knew what she wanted to do with her life. There was no question about it – she was going to be a veterinarian.

Growing up on a dairy farm, she often helped her father with late night check-ups on the mama cows, some of which suffered from a condition called milk fever. These cows had very low calcium levels, and needed to be given the mineral intravenously. Though she only held the flashlight, and watched her father perform the procedure, Jennafer recalls being taken with the notion of helping these animals.

Dear Congress: Please use the farm bill to invest in rural business

By Center for Rural Affairs on July 6, 2018 - 5:00pm

We are writing, as grantees of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program (RMAP), to ask you to support $3 million in mandatory funding each year for RMAP in the farm bill. Your investments in rural small businesses today will continue to provide valuable benefits to rural communities across America for years to come.

Where have all the bankers gone?

By Brian Depew on July 5, 2018 - 10:00am

The Center for Rural Affairs first examined consolidation in the banking industry in “Where Have All the Bankers Gone?”, a 1978 report. We have long understood the critical link between credit, who has access, who doesn’t, and how it shapes communities.

That’s why a recent report in the Wall Street Journal caught my eye. It detailed how banking in rural communities has fared in the years since the financial crisis. Small business lending in rural areas has dropped by half since 2004, accounting for less than 10 percent of total small business lending.

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