Get to know your community and all of the ways your business fits into it.
That's the simple kind of advice you'll hear from the small-business owners featured in this issue. "Buy local" is another recurring tip — and some local entrepreneurs have taken the idea to new levels by seeking out collaborations in the business community. Going green is part of the mix too, along with old-fashioned customer service. Businesses that have been in Asheville for decades (one has been here more than 100 years) offer survival stories too. And we've got a host of tips and comments, as local business owners' reflect on how they're surviving the new economic climate — what many folks are calling the new normal.
Here's a breakdown of stories in this "big" small-business use:
- Psst! How to survive
- Asheville's small legacy businesses
- Can you dig it? Following your passion can take you strange places
- ECOnomics 101: Recession-beating secrets from the green biz
- Sticking close to home: New localism gains ground
- Look homeward, entrepreneur: The boons and banes of home-based business
- Local economic forecast for WNC: Partly sunny or mostly cloudy?
- Getting a little help: Resources and incentives
- Prix fixe: Local restaurants respond to sluggish economy
- A week for small business: The Chamber of Commerce gears up
- Social media: No longer an option
