26 Free Instagram Tools to Help Grow Your Account in 2026
I’ve pulled together 26 free Instagram tools that can genuinely help creators, marketers, and small businesses grow their accounts without spending a dime. We recently started a small project to…
The Best Time to Post on Twitter/X in 2026: 8.7 Million Posts Analyzed
We analyzed more than 8.7 million tweets to pinpoint the best time, day, and post format for maximum engagement on X (formerly Twitter). We recently started a small project to…
What We Learned After Finding 7 Forgotten Jobs Running for 5 Years
We found 7 forgotten cron jobs had been running for five years – here’s how we fixed them and what we learned in the process. We recently started a small…
The End of Year Checklist for Small Businesses
I’ve been in business a long time now, from retail to service to ag, and I’ve learned some things about wrapping up one year and getting ready for the next.…
Local Products Make the Best Swag
Jim Katzman wrote a great article on Medium about creating swag that customers actually want. One of his tips was “Leverage Local Pride.” That got me thinking: Local products would…
Get more customers without advertising: Show up where they can find you
How the Roofer Nailed Marketing Guest Post by Chris Brogan Let me tell you about an experience I had in a little diner in Lewiston, Maine. I sat at the…
Twenty Years of Small Biz Survival
Twenty years ago today, I hit “publish” on the first post here at SmallBizSurvival.com. I was sitting in the backroom of my liquor store in Alva, Oklahoma, population at the…
Buy Inventory Online Using Wholesale Apps: Tips for Small Town Retail Stores
I walked into a local retail shop in Alva, Oklahoma, population 4,000. It’s called Bates & Co., and they are best known for their handcrafted hairbows for infants and kids.…
More experience-based retail: the Charm Bar, Valentine’s Rose Bouquet Bar
Following up on the trend of rural experience-based retail, I spotted these Valentine’s Day offerings from my local women’s boutique, The Daisy Village. I’m seeing more and more use of…
Small town marketing secret: Have something to invite people to
People need a compelling reason to leave their homes and come experience your business with you. This feels like a very heavy lift. . You’re supposed to be exciting enough…