![\"\"](\"https:\/\/smallbizsurvival.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Small-Town-Rules-Board.png\")
<\/p>\nWe\u2019re all living with a changed economy and new rules for how we do business. The major themes in Small Town Rules are recognized by many other authors, including Gary Vaynerchuk and Tony Hseih.<\/p>\n
To round out your reading on these new rules, we\u2019ve put together an Amazon list of complementary books:<\/p>\n
Doing business in a changed economy, by the small town rules<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
1.\u00a0\u00a0The Thank You Economy<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0by Gary Vaynerchuk<\/p>\n Gary V. comes from a family of small town business owners, and he understands the relationship base we all have to work from now. He focuses in on the element of gratitude, one we could all stand to spend more time on.<\/p>\n 2.\u00a0\u00a0Delivering Happiness<\/strong>\u00a0by Tony Hsieh<\/p>\n Tony recognizes several elements of the new economy: relationships with customers and employees, personal connection, and the similarity to small town businesses.<\/p>\n 3.\u00a0\u00a0The Worst Hard Time<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0by Timothy Egan<\/p>\n Being prepared for disasters is a survival trait in today\u2019s economy. For a view into a previous market bubble and bust cycle, look at the wheat markets of the early 1900\u2019s and how it lead up to the Dust Bowl.<\/p>\n 4.\u00a0\u00a0A Whack on the Side of the Head: How You Can Be More Creative<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0by Roger VonOech<\/p>\n Learning to question assumptions is necessary when all the old business assumptions are being disrupted. Anything from Roger von Oech is recommended to help you learn to think in different ways.<\/p>\n 5.\u00a0\u00a0How the Mighty Fall<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0by Jim Collins<\/p>\n Jim Collins has a terrific understanding of the need for planning for zero. There will be times, perhaps even months or years, when your income is nothing. How will your business survive? Collins knows.<\/p>\n 6.\u00a0\u00a0Lean Startup<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0by Eric Ries<\/p>\n This economy calls for frugality and spending brainpower before spending money. Eric Ries shares practical experience in applying frugality to startup businesses.<\/p>\n 7.\u00a0\u00a0Locavesting: The Revolution in Local Investing and How to Profit From It<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0by Amy Cortese<\/p>\n When the traditional lending dries up, businesses have to look at alternative funding sources. Cortese offers information on alternative financing, including community development financial institutions (CDFI), direct public offerings (DPO), cooperatives, and crowdfunding.<\/p>\n 8.\u00a0\u00a0Get Your Business Funded: Creative Methods for Getting the Money You Need<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0by Steven D. Strauss<\/p>\n More creative funding, alternatives to bank loans. In an economy where bank loans are a certainty (certain NOT to happen), business needs other ways to get the money they need.<\/p>\n 9.\u00a0\u00a0The Complete Idiot\u2019s Guide to Crowdsourcing<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0by Aliza Sherman<\/p>\n Aliza Sherman introduces fundraising from crowds, including peer-to-peer lending, project fundraising, and for-profit funding.<\/p>\n 10.\u00a0\u00a0The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0by Marc Levinson<\/p>\n The changes in the world of business parallel those in the shipping world, and the changes in shipping have actually driven much of the change to the economy. The loss of geographic advantage plays out on multiple fronts in Levinson\u2019s story.<\/p>\n 11.\u00a0\u00a0The Cluetrain Manifesto: 10th Anniversary Edition<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0by Christopher Locke<\/p>\n The Manifesto declares, \u201cA powerful global conversation has begun. Through the Internet, people are discovering and inventing new ways to share relevant knowledge with blinding speed. As a direct result, markets are getting smarter\u2014and getting smarter faster than most companies.\u201d This is a place where it all started.<\/p>\n 12.\u00a0\u00a0B-A-M! Bust A Myth: Delivering Customer Service in a Self-Service World<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0by Barry J. Moltz<\/p>\n When almost everything is a commodity, this book shows how customer service is the new marketing. Yeah, Barry is co-author on this book, too, but it\u2019s still a good one. ;)<\/p>\n 13.\u00a0\u00a0Online Community Management For Dummies (For Dummies (Computers))<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0by Deborah Ng<\/p>\n Today, every business finds itself in the business of building community. This is an in-depth guide to building community online for businesses, written by an experienced community manager.<\/p>\n 14.\u00a0\u00a0Rework<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0by David Heinemeier Hansson<\/p>\n From an experienced business duo, this guide helps you rethink everything you think you know about business, especially about size. The idea of staying small because it\u2019s better than growing big challenges some long held assumptions, which is exactly what needs to be done.<\/p>\n 15.\u00a0\u00a0All Business Is Local<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0by John A. Quelch<\/p>\n Shop Local, Eat Local, local art, local travel, everything is local now. The local movement has the potential to be the biggest shift in society (read: your customers) in decades. Before you presume your business is ready, get a better view of how all business is reconnecting to local.<\/p>\n 16.\u00a0\u00a0All Marketing Is Local: A common Sense Approach To Marketing Your Business<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0by John D Meyer<\/p>\n Another look at the importance of local in all business, this one focused on the elements of marketing. After all, every customer is local to somewhere. Is your business local?<\/p>\n