A reader asks:

I’d like to start a small local business but I live in a small town (barely more than a village really) in Somerset. I can’t seem to find any business ideas that are suitable. Can you suggest any?

Well the first thing to ask yourself is “should I limit myself to small town business ideas?” With the advent of modern technology you can run a lot of businesses from almost anywhere. For example I know a software development consultant who has spent the last few years living and working (for London based clients) off his yacht while sailing around the Mediterranean. I run my business (and this blog) from a small town in Wiltshire and a fellow business blogger Lindsay blogs from his sailing boat off the coast of Australia, yet we both reach a global audience. The easiest way to achieve this is to run an Internet business.

However if you don’t want to pursue that option then here’s some small town business ideas for you to consider:

• Make and sell clothing that relates to your town and it’s surrounding area. It could be:
  • Aimed at tourists – I’m the proud owner of T-shirts from white water rafting in Wisconsin, my time living in Brazil and a local Wiltshire village where I took part in a 5K run.
  • Aimed at local residents who are proud of where they live.
  • Related to local sports teams (don’t forget to seek permission if you want use their brand).
• Sell local specialities, this could be food (Cornish pasties, Somerset’s lard cakes), jewellery or costumes.
• Take and sell local pictures, obviously you’ll need to live somewhere that’s quite photogenic.
• Organise some local events.
• A lot of small towns and villages are loosing their local pubs, it would be good to find a way to offer a replacement, or part time pub (hint: most local village halls would work as a venue and it is possible to get a license for them to sell alcohol).
• Take a look at the local community, is it predominantly made up of a certain class of people, or certain type of workers (i.e. farmers) if so what are the things they want/need but can’t get locally.
• Assuming it’s a tourist area:
  • Create a local guidebook and/or offer local tours.
  • Start a bed and breakfast.
• Does your local community make anything that is unique that could be exported to other markets?
• Look at services that many city folk take for granted (shops, nurseries, schools, laundries, etc.) and see if there is way of providing the service for a small local market.
• Consider a local takeaway or restaurant.

There are many other small business ideas that you can start and run from a small town, but hopefully this list will get you started.

Asking John:
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