A few months ago, I did a quick interview for this case study by the Center on Rural Innovation (check me out on page 20!). 

Maybe you're a rural resident like me, and you ask yourself this question every time you travel to an exotic place. Every time you visit family or friends in the big city. Isn't there more opportunity out there? More fun and excitement? 

Then you return to your rural town and take a big breath of fresh air. You're home. Where you know people, and they know you. Not to mention a refreshing lack of traffic! And as it turns out, rural places DO have opportunities. 

1. Rural is a great environment to start and grow a business.
 
Stick with me here, because I know it's counterintuitive. Rural areas offer a lower cost of living, which for me meant less pressure to scale my business fast. I actually had time to build it right. I have also experienced the encouragement, support, and culture of learning around the university in my "college town" - I don't feel isolated like I might in a big city. (Shout-out to LA Tech and its Innovation Enterprise, spotlighted in the case study I mentioned above!)

2. Technology has exploded in the last 10 years, giving a rural home base even more opportunity to thrive.

Even before COVID, I started to strategically choose work that could be done remotely - being rural forced that problem solving! And now, especially in my work evaluating grant projects, technology is such a great tool. I can hold meetings with clients all over the nation with a few clicks. I don't need a huge infrastructure to do my work - I have apps for bookkeeping, online banking, time tracking, project management, and even writing this post. I love using technology to my advantage and surprising people by what can be done from my little ole rural town!

3. Rural communities are hidden diamonds, especially in the grant world.

Did you know that some grants are set aside especially for rural communities? Lots of funding organizations are focused on spreading more opportunity to rural areas - in economic development, healthcare, arts, education, internet access, you name it. And who better to understand what a rural community needs than someone in that community! Try using "rural" as one of your search terms when looking for grants, and definitely highlight rural aspects in your proposal. If we're going to stay rural, let's keep opportunity flowing that way!