Small Town Expert
Co-Founder, Save Your Town
Becky McCray is here to shape a brighter future for your town- in any circumstance. You’ll get practical steps you can implement immediately. Becky’s advice is based on her real-world experience as a lifelong entrepreneur and cattle rancher. She doesn’t just talk about rural issues- she lives them.
Becky energizes her audiences into action. After her keynotes, they know they can make a difference in their community starting now despite any opposition. She includes the “get your hands dirty” reality that others gloss over.
Her programs on the Idea Friendly method, rural trends, economic development and community development have given practical ideas to audiences at over 200 events worldwide. These audiences included rural and small-town conferences, economic development organizations, councils of government and chambers of commerce in the US, UK, Canada and Australia.
“Small towns have been beaten up by too many experts who claim to have the one solution that will save every town.”
TOPICS
Positive Rural Trends – Seeing the Small Town Future
All your life, you’ve been told that small towns are dying, drying up, and disappearing and that there’s nothing you can do to change it. What if, just once, there was some good news about rural? There is! Big trends are moving in our favour. Growth isn’t the only measure of success, and small towns are the testing grounds for the future. Learn why we have a future and how to shape the future of your town.
Rural audiences love this topic because it is a breath of fresh air: the good news about small towns!
Developing Idea Friendly Communities: Thriving into the Future
You don’t need another committee or another meeting. Today you can put your ideas into action with less overhead, less drag and more meaningful participation by more people. Learn three practical ways the research-backed Idea Friendly method will help you improve the climate for new ideas and position your small town to thrive, no matter what the future brings.
This topic shakes up old ideas about small towns. Audiences leave feeling measurably more optimistic (16.8% more optimistic in one survey) because they see exactly how they can shape a better future for their town.
Rural Jobs Creation Strategies
Jobs are changing, and the very nature of work is changing. That means job creation is changing, too. Learn ways small towns are connecting their small businesses and would-be entrepreneurs with the support and network they need to be successful and create jobs. Learn about business resource nights, networking events and backroom tours that support entrepreneurs in exactly the right ways. You’ll hear about actual small towns who are successfully using these techniques right now.
This topic gets the attention of business and economic development audiences.
Innovative Rural Business Models
You don’t have to settle for “normal business” practices. Rural businesses are exploring new shapes, new locations and new ways of doing business, including pop-ups, shared buildings, businesses inside of other businesses and more. Entrepreneurs are using these smaller-scale experiments and tests to learn what works before making a huge investment. Learn how to tap these innovative models to revitalize businesses and your local economy.
Not only are entrepreneurs interested in these potential models, but local leaders also can put them to work spurring new business development and supporting fuller participation in the local economy.
