How to pronounce SaveYour.Town
You say “Save Your Dot Town”
It’s our name and our website!
About SaveYour.Town
SaveYour.Town believes small towns can be saved by their own people using their existing assets. Deb Brown and Becky McCray joined forces in May 2015 to help small towns and rural communities thrive. They deliver speeches and presentations internationally, lead site visits and community brainstorming sessions, and create online videos and short courses of practical steps that can be put into action right away.
SaveYour.Town provides practical steps to help you shape a brighter future for your small town or rural community, no matter how small.
We specialize in low or no cost solutions, ones that will work in even the tiniest of towns. Discover our Tour of Empty Buildings, Empty Lot Economic Development and Cheap Downtown Placemaking Ideas, through our short videos, longer courses and detailed toolkits.
For in person learning, co-founders Deb Brown and Becky McCray deliver keynotes, workshops, and in-depth Idea Friendly Action Visits.
Bio of Becky McCray and Deb Brown
Deb Brown and Becky McCray are the co-founders of SaveYour.Town. They joined forces in May 2015 to help small towns and rural communities thrive, saved by their own people using their own resources. Their own experiences in agriculture, entrepreneurship, nonprofits and government keep them grounded in the real world. Their research-backed Idea Friendly Method helps communities be more resilient and more open to new ideas.
What we believe: the Small Town Creed
You can use this Small Town Creed to energize your people before or during your event. It’s available freely for download at IdeaFriendly.com
Here is the JPG version for social sharing, newsletters, etc:
Click to enlarge the Small Town Creed
You can also share the PDF version of the Small Town Creed for printing.
You can also share this narrated video version of the Creed to build excitement.
Talking Points for Podcasts and Interviews
The Idea Friendly Method
- The research-backed Idea Friendly Method helps communities thrive no matter what obstacles they face
- Put ideas into action with less formality, less overhead, no more committees, no more meetings, no more plans
- Small but meaningful participation by everyone
- Rather than voting, consensus emerges from action
- Community is our goal
Positive Rural Trends – Seeing the Small Town Future
- In an increasingly urban world, small towns still have a future
- The small towns that survive will be the ones that are open to new ideas
- Major trends in business, society and technology are positive for small towns
- Population is not the only measure of success for a town
Innovative Rural Business Models and Rural Jobs Creation Strategies
- You don’t have to settle for a normal business
- The 5 Ts of Innovative Business Models are Tiny, Temporary, Together, Traveling, and Tech enabled
- Small steps beat big leaps in business
- Shed businesses and divided spaces mean more opportunity for everyone
- Connect people with people for innovation, connect people with resources to capitalize on innovation
- No one creates jobs in a vacuum
Dealing with Opposition
- 99% of the best things you can do for your community don’t require anyone’s permission
- Negative people think they’re helping
- Pay the fine and do it anyway
- Small towns are really fluid networks of ever-changing alliances
- It will never go back to the way it was; you have to start from here and go forward
- Us vs. Them is a myth
Walk through your downtown with Becky McCray
- It’s not about gathering ideas or building consensus or writing a plan
- There is no plan, no master list of ideas, no checklist of one-size-fits-all answers
- It is more about noticing possibilities than focusing on problems
- It’s about unleashing people to take action
- Get started today with chalk, fabric, magnets, lights and crack art
Grow community support with an Action Visit by Deb Brown
- Why bring Deb to town? The best answer is because she understands you.
- She has traveled the United States embedding herself in small towns for a week in places like Roscommon County, Michigan, Columbiana, Ohio, and Bennettsville, South Carolina, York, Nebraska and her home town of Webster City, Iowa just to name a few.
- Deb spends 3-4 days in a small town, talking to as many people, groups, city people, non profits, students, service organizations and boards as possible.
- Deb asks everyone “what do you want for your community?” This question prompts everyone to start talking and working on the things they want.
- All those answers come back to you in Deb’s follow-up presentation, focused on exactly the things you want for your community.
Bio of Becky McCray
Becky McCray is a lifelong small-town entrepreneur. As co-founder of SaveYour.Town, she shares insights from her real-world experience as a business owner and cattle rancher. Her practical perspective is featured at her highly-ranked website, Small Biz Survival, and in her award-winning book, Small Town Rules. She’s been featured and quoted in books, newspapers, magazines, blogs, podcasts and university publications. She makes her home base in Hopeton, Oklahoma, a community of 30 people. Her goal is to deliver practical steps you can put into action right away to shape the future of your town.
Need more detail about Becky? Check out Becky McCray’s rural speaker website
Bio of Deb Brown
Deb Brown is a small town enthusiast and expert for small towns. Her practical approach for getting communities into action right away has been shared at national conferences, local visits, service organizations and everything in between.
A wealth of experience includes foreign casualty insurance underwriting, bartending, retail management, selling knives around the US, leading a chamber and working with small towns. Deb has lived in tiny towns, small towns, small cities and a major metro city. Yet, she’s come home to a small town and travels to many other rural communities to help. She collaborates with Becky McCray at www.saveyour.town and has her own business www.BuildingPossibility.com.
Deb has the ability to listen, find the truths in what is working and what isn’t, and share ideas for the future along with many small town examples. Deb is a relentless optimist and knows how to build possibility in your small town. Better yet, she inspires you to take small steps towards a brighter future for your community.
Need more detail about Deb? Check out Deb Brown’s Building Possibility speaker website
Photos of Becky McCray and Deb Brown
Provided with permission for promotional use:
These photos not working for what you need? Email me or use the contact form. I’ll do my best to find the right image at a resolution that works for you.
Website and Social Media Links
LinkedIn: Becky McCray, Deb Brown
Twitter: @DebWorks, @BeckyMcCray, @SaveYourTown
Instagram: @DebraInIowa, @BeckyMcCray, @SaveYourTown
Facebook: SaveYour.Town, Deb Brown’s Building Possibility, Becky McCray’s Small Biz Survival
SmallBizSurvival.com – Becky’s small town business blog, ongoing since 2006
Bonus Downloads
Need a gift, download or informational item to share with your attendees? Offer them one of these PDFs.
101 Ways to start more tiny businesses in your small town
Video
Want a video from us to add to your web page, share on social or generate more attention? Try one of these.
Small Town Creed narrated video – highly recommend sharing this one
Articles worth sharing
Events that use the Whova app often want to share articles. Here are a few of ours.
Sorry I didn’t read your “rural is dying” article
Want to help save your small town? Start your own business.
The small towns that survive will be the ones that are open to new ideas
99% of the best things you can do for your town don’t require anyone’s permission
Logos
SaveYour.Town logo:
Idea Friendly, our signature method:
Need something we didn’t think of?
If you need anything else feel free to email deb@buildingpossibility.com or call her at 641-580-0103. Or use the contact form, and we’ll get you what you need.