I have always lived in small towns. I come from the UK and lived in small villages and small towns all my life where you can't do anything without anyone else knowing about it.
This can be good and it can be bad thing, depending on what you do and did. You either become a local celebrity or the local rebel where everyone wants you out.
Living in small villages and towns there are certain ways to live, and if you don't fit in, you are cast as an outsider or weirdo. And that also includes setting up business. If the business fits in the culture all good, if not you will get negative feedback and resistance.
That said, I agree small towns and villages are great to reinvent yourself, start again and be recognised for your talents and skills.
As a nomadic pet sitter, I travel all over New Zealand where there are no big towns other than Auckland (the most populated around 1.48 million and Christchurch around 380,000), which is small compared to say New York. I experience different small town/ village vibes in each one I visit and each town has its own uniqueness which can be a good feel or bad feel.
So, saying all this, I think it depends on the culture, the country and the vibe of the town, if you can be successfully change anything. I have recently seen this in motion. A local resident wanting to setup a business building a few new but different style eco houses that are powered off the land. He met great resistance and his project to date is in the air if it will go ahead. God knows why, I think its a great project and environmentally supportive.
But that's a big project so I guess, like you say Ash, if it were a wee small project like flower displays and beautification, then it there is less resistance and great support
JANE! I didn't know you were a nomadic pet sitter! THIS IS THE COOLEST THING I HAVE EVER HEARD. Do you happen to have a website for this specifically? I'd love to write about it, and you, for my career column!
I love what I do Ash 🤩 would be great for you to write about it.
I don't have a specific website for my biz but I do have a document detailing my services and what I do plus a list of endorsements from clients, which is always a good read and gives more detail as well. I can send this via email to you, is it the same email used for your middle finger project emails at substack?
“I’d argue that the same anonymity that insulates you now, will also eventually drown you.
Winning requires witness.”
👏🏻
Not only is this brilliant, but as a 16-year New Yorker I can verify its truth. It’s easier to hide in plain sight here than anywhere else.
I will say that there *is* community here (unlike your “Amber” west village experience,) but you gotta put in ten plus years before you truly get to have it.
The cities are good for the energy.
I wouldn’t change how I’ve done things, but they’re not sustainable for my soul. You gotta close off a lot just to survive them.
I think we all get a little pocket of the world to make better, and I believe we connect to that only when we pause long enough to see what’s right here ✨
I LOVE cities, London is my favorite on earth, and I do love the energy of a city. I couldn't have been anywhere else in my 20s than traveling the way I did. But, of course, that's when you don't know yourself yet, and you're on a grand mission to figure out who that person is. Once you've built her though - and then need to reinvent her a decade or two later - there is something about a small town that is so cocooning.
After a lifetime in Chicago, I relocated to a small town in Indiana, and I loooooove it. However, my brick and mortar retail business is still in the big city = nightmare commute 🙄. (Lots of other things about it are a nightmare at the moment, but that's another story.)
Conventional wisdom says that big cities give your specialty business a shot at greater and wider clientele.
However, it is also true that in a big city, those potential clients have vastly more choices, not just among businesses like yours, but where to spend their money, period. And, for all your heartfelt efforts, you and your business can still feel like a crumb on somebody's lapel.
I know first hand the perils of running a physical business, so I don't imagine it's easy to run a coffee shop (or any shop) anywhere, certainly not in a small town. But if you do it right, you may win the undying loyalty of the locals in a way that you never will in a large city with it's changing and fickle tastes and fashions.
Once I figure out an elegant way to swing my store out of the city, I'm gone.
I am OBSESSED with you + your bicycle store. I wonder, have you ever considered selling exclusively online? I bet you'd have awesome access the clientele with the right money and taste, just through Google! DYING TO KNOW ALL THE THINGS.
Thank you! Unfortunately, most bicycles are tricky to sell online, because of fit, setup, etc. They're a really hands-on product. But!... there may be a highly niche-y bike or two that could be delivered remotely, and --of course-- LOTS of niche-y bicycle accessories, so yes, I am thinking along these lines, and especially combining it with adventure-themed written content. There's also the idea of shifting from traditional retail to a consultation-based, appointment-only model. I am figuring out ALL THE THINGS 😬.
Last year I wrote a piece called, "The Greatest Comeback Stories of All Time Begin in Places Like This." And it's about that generic small town vibe that allows anyone to just start the hell over. Create a new life, one little roadside diner at a time. That's what reading this reminded me of 😊
OMG PLS LINK US IMMEDIATELY. "Create a new life, one roadside diner at a time" is SUCH a concept - I could see this being similar to Humans of NY, but instead, you're going around the nation interviewing people in diners. OMG
It's an old one but still one of my all-time favs that I've written. I feel like America has more of these kinds of diners than we do in Canada. If I had the time and money, I'd do that road trip all around North America and write this book! I'm picturing doing it while towing one of those silver Airstream trailers with my dog lol.
Oh, if I had time and money! I picture towing an Aistream trailer, going to outdoor events, and doing demos of really unusual bikes and highly compact adventure gear under the banner of "Live Large Pack Small".
As always Ash, you've NAILED it! I live in a small town in Australia and it requires more courage in many ways than living in a city. You are so visible in a small town. People KNOW you (or think they do) and they have opinions about you. Same on bigger platforms, eg online, but the difference is in a small town people stop and chat to you in the toiletries aisle while you're slipping tampons into your shopping basket. They ask about your kids. They've heard you're marriage is on the rocks (but politely don't mention it). There is less room to pretend your life is different than it really is in a small town. In the long run I think this is a good thing. You put down roots and find your people who will bring you multiple chicken pasta bakes when your Dad dies and laugh at your viciously competitive streak in board games. You also have to make peace with that friend you had a falling out with because you will see each other. There's no population to melt into. It takes courage to be seen and known and there's huge opportunity for that in a small town. Also - the middle aged rage at unsatisfactory endings of shows is REAL! Have you seen Night Sky???
I see this in my local Ukrainian community in Melbourne. My 16 yr old son has been learning Ukrainian dancing for almost 11 years. He stands out as a dancer because our community is a small subsection of Melbourne. He’s put in the effort and hard work for 11 years and he reaps the rewards of being noticed and providing hope to our community that there are still young people “carrying the flag” of our culture forward (and he’s incredible to watch when he performs).
On the other hand I see the boys that have dropped out of dancing (ones who were in my sons class), they pursue sport (soccer, basketball, etc) in the broader community and they are essentially invisible. Unless they’re one of the tiny percentage that actually have talent, they will remain unseen.
They are just another kid participating in one of the hundreds of sporting teams across the state.
It's good to see you so in love with this new life you're creating for yourself!
I myself will take a small town over a big city any day. Running into my dentist at the Independence Day fireworks show and having him share his favorite dessert with me, reminiscing with fellow natives about how the smell of orange blossoms wafts in through your car's AC vents in spring, the free concert series that brings the entire community together every summer . . . those are small town treasures. 💜
I have always lived in small towns. I come from the UK and lived in small villages and small towns all my life where you can't do anything without anyone else knowing about it.
This can be good and it can be bad thing, depending on what you do and did. You either become a local celebrity or the local rebel where everyone wants you out.
Living in small villages and towns there are certain ways to live, and if you don't fit in, you are cast as an outsider or weirdo. And that also includes setting up business. If the business fits in the culture all good, if not you will get negative feedback and resistance.
That said, I agree small towns and villages are great to reinvent yourself, start again and be recognised for your talents and skills.
As a nomadic pet sitter, I travel all over New Zealand where there are no big towns other than Auckland (the most populated around 1.48 million and Christchurch around 380,000), which is small compared to say New York. I experience different small town/ village vibes in each one I visit and each town has its own uniqueness which can be a good feel or bad feel.
So, saying all this, I think it depends on the culture, the country and the vibe of the town, if you can be successfully change anything. I have recently seen this in motion. A local resident wanting to setup a business building a few new but different style eco houses that are powered off the land. He met great resistance and his project to date is in the air if it will go ahead. God knows why, I think its a great project and environmentally supportive.
But that's a big project so I guess, like you say Ash, if it were a wee small project like flower displays and beautification, then it there is less resistance and great support
JANE! I didn't know you were a nomadic pet sitter! THIS IS THE COOLEST THING I HAVE EVER HEARD. Do you happen to have a website for this specifically? I'd love to write about it, and you, for my career column!
I love what I do Ash 🤩 would be great for you to write about it.
I don't have a specific website for my biz but I do have a document detailing my services and what I do plus a list of endorsements from clients, which is always a good read and gives more detail as well. I can send this via email to you, is it the same email used for your middle finger project emails at substack?
I have a Facebook biz page which is https://www.facebook.com/JanesPetSittingServices
“I’d argue that the same anonymity that insulates you now, will also eventually drown you.
Winning requires witness.”
👏🏻
Not only is this brilliant, but as a 16-year New Yorker I can verify its truth. It’s easier to hide in plain sight here than anywhere else.
I will say that there *is* community here (unlike your “Amber” west village experience,) but you gotta put in ten plus years before you truly get to have it.
The cities are good for the energy.
I wouldn’t change how I’ve done things, but they’re not sustainable for my soul. You gotta close off a lot just to survive them.
I think we all get a little pocket of the world to make better, and I believe we connect to that only when we pause long enough to see what’s right here ✨
I LOVE cities, London is my favorite on earth, and I do love the energy of a city. I couldn't have been anywhere else in my 20s than traveling the way I did. But, of course, that's when you don't know yourself yet, and you're on a grand mission to figure out who that person is. Once you've built her though - and then need to reinvent her a decade or two later - there is something about a small town that is so cocooning.
After a lifetime in Chicago, I relocated to a small town in Indiana, and I loooooove it. However, my brick and mortar retail business is still in the big city = nightmare commute 🙄. (Lots of other things about it are a nightmare at the moment, but that's another story.)
Conventional wisdom says that big cities give your specialty business a shot at greater and wider clientele.
However, it is also true that in a big city, those potential clients have vastly more choices, not just among businesses like yours, but where to spend their money, period. And, for all your heartfelt efforts, you and your business can still feel like a crumb on somebody's lapel.
I know first hand the perils of running a physical business, so I don't imagine it's easy to run a coffee shop (or any shop) anywhere, certainly not in a small town. But if you do it right, you may win the undying loyalty of the locals in a way that you never will in a large city with it's changing and fickle tastes and fashions.
Once I figure out an elegant way to swing my store out of the city, I'm gone.
I am OBSESSED with you + your bicycle store. I wonder, have you ever considered selling exclusively online? I bet you'd have awesome access the clientele with the right money and taste, just through Google! DYING TO KNOW ALL THE THINGS.
Thank you! Unfortunately, most bicycles are tricky to sell online, because of fit, setup, etc. They're a really hands-on product. But!... there may be a highly niche-y bike or two that could be delivered remotely, and --of course-- LOTS of niche-y bicycle accessories, so yes, I am thinking along these lines, and especially combining it with adventure-themed written content. There's also the idea of shifting from traditional retail to a consultation-based, appointment-only model. I am figuring out ALL THE THINGS 😬.
I love this so much.
Last year I wrote a piece called, "The Greatest Comeback Stories of All Time Begin in Places Like This." And it's about that generic small town vibe that allows anyone to just start the hell over. Create a new life, one little roadside diner at a time. That's what reading this reminded me of 😊
OMG PLS LINK US IMMEDIATELY. "Create a new life, one roadside diner at a time" is SUCH a concept - I could see this being similar to Humans of NY, but instead, you're going around the nation interviewing people in diners. OMG
It's an old one but still one of my all-time favs that I've written. I feel like America has more of these kinds of diners than we do in Canada. If I had the time and money, I'd do that road trip all around North America and write this book! I'm picturing doing it while towing one of those silver Airstream trailers with my dog lol.
Here's the link:
https://wildhoodwanted.substack.com/p/the-greatest-comeback-stories-of
Oh, if I had time and money! I picture towing an Aistream trailer, going to outdoor events, and doing demos of really unusual bikes and highly compact adventure gear under the banner of "Live Large Pack Small".
As always Ash, you've NAILED it! I live in a small town in Australia and it requires more courage in many ways than living in a city. You are so visible in a small town. People KNOW you (or think they do) and they have opinions about you. Same on bigger platforms, eg online, but the difference is in a small town people stop and chat to you in the toiletries aisle while you're slipping tampons into your shopping basket. They ask about your kids. They've heard you're marriage is on the rocks (but politely don't mention it). There is less room to pretend your life is different than it really is in a small town. In the long run I think this is a good thing. You put down roots and find your people who will bring you multiple chicken pasta bakes when your Dad dies and laugh at your viciously competitive streak in board games. You also have to make peace with that friend you had a falling out with because you will see each other. There's no population to melt into. It takes courage to be seen and known and there's huge opportunity for that in a small town. Also - the middle aged rage at unsatisfactory endings of shows is REAL! Have you seen Night Sky???
I see this in my local Ukrainian community in Melbourne. My 16 yr old son has been learning Ukrainian dancing for almost 11 years. He stands out as a dancer because our community is a small subsection of Melbourne. He’s put in the effort and hard work for 11 years and he reaps the rewards of being noticed and providing hope to our community that there are still young people “carrying the flag” of our culture forward (and he’s incredible to watch when he performs).
On the other hand I see the boys that have dropped out of dancing (ones who were in my sons class), they pursue sport (soccer, basketball, etc) in the broader community and they are essentially invisible. Unless they’re one of the tiny percentage that actually have talent, they will remain unseen.
They are just another kid participating in one of the hundreds of sporting teams across the state.
It's good to see you so in love with this new life you're creating for yourself!
I myself will take a small town over a big city any day. Running into my dentist at the Independence Day fireworks show and having him share his favorite dessert with me, reminiscing with fellow natives about how the smell of orange blossoms wafts in through your car's AC vents in spring, the free concert series that brings the entire community together every summer . . . those are small town treasures. 💜