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The average small business owner can be found renting an office or office space in a town (urban) or on the town’s periphery (rurban). Another type of business owner is the entrepreneur working from home in a rural [an undeveloped or lightly developed and sparsely populated area] setting, perhaps using a virtual office. They may have their incoming phonecalls and mail “processed” by a service provider whilst dealing with the outbound selling and administration themselves.

Despite a thriving business, the small business owner can often work in isolation. This is more prevalent amongst rural business owners.

Generally chores and errands are managed in bulk, reducing the exposure a rural business owner may have with the real business world. Thank goodness for actual customers!!!

The Good bits:

1. I work in a bucolic setting. This allows me to take a walk at will to clear my head.
2. I can go to the bank and schedule meetings to suit my day
3. I have no one to answer to
4. I don’t have ticket sellers calling to my door every 5 minutes
5. If I don’t complete a task, it can wait until tomorrow
6. I am not restricted to the hours 9-5

The Bad times:

1. See “The Good” above – too many “Pink Elephants”
   

The Ugly truth:

1. I have a plan, but no-one to share it with and get feedback
2. I have great ideas, but am not aware of the resources available
3. Who have I to share general or specific concerns with?
4. Who will reassure me that I am doing a good job?
5. Who will show me the value of my successes?

The Lesson?

1. Enterprises have an abundance of resources to make use of. There are plenty of resources out there for the rural business also. The trick is to avail of them.
2. Rural entrepreneurs should make a conscious effort to meet, advise and seek advice from others in their field. Network, network, network. Get yourself out there. Dedicate as part of your business week, a casual business meeting or a networking group where you can share concerns and fears, or enthusiasm and success stories.
3. Celebrate achievement and success – always.

In my next post, I will detail some of the resources available to rural business owners and discuss some of the myths about running a business in rural Ireland.

If you have any suggestions or comments, please share them below.