Great talk. I would like to add that a huge disadvantage that many small towns have is that they tend to not be welcoming to outsiders (those who didn’t grow up there) especially if they look different. As a result a lot of talented people who see opportunity in a small town end up leaving because it’s not worth it. I understand you said it’s mainly a retention issue but outsiders might provide things that help to retain others. Just my two cents.
He makes some good points, so many small towns just don't help small businesses and startups. Nor do most try to retain the young or attract new families. Sadly there are no solutions offered other than the ever vague and troublesome "technology" that may end up draining the town's limited funds with no real direction.
Great presentation Noah. Thank you for this. Could I ask you to please say a little bit more about what the small towns could potentially do beyond improving their Internet and changing their mindsets and attitudes to realise this is a retention issue?
I wish to creat a success business ecosystem in Carlow (Ireland), where I'm from. We had 2 big companies that disappeared a few years ago. I too left the town as soon as possible (17), now I'm 27 and my dream is to create jobs in my hometown. If anyone has any good case studies of successful business generation in small towns could you please share?
Good presentation though. I watched because I grew up in a tiny town and couldn't wait to get out. I told my parents when I was about 13 that I was planning to leave and never come back except to visit them. I was true to my word and left after high school and never came back for more than a weekend to visit. It was Bryan, Ohio. Now I'm living in an even tinier town, but very close to Lansing MI. I'm fascinated with the new economy and the death of the industrial age. I'm looking for answers to help Michigan with the major brain drain going on here. Now that the manufacturing jobs are leaving, the state needs to reinvent itself.
Matt KnowsThat Thanks Matt. I'm a pacer. It might be my ADD. Is is the State that that needs to reinvent itself or the people who need to reinvent the state. We're seeing this in Detroit, right? Lots of entrepreneurs are able to see lots of great opportunity! We need people to realize that there's just as much opportunity in Michigan as anywhere else - the question is are people willing to see it? Thanks
I am trying to find a idea for living in a small town. I work for a large company that is in a small town great money. but I want to do my own thing. so I have been listening to TED and reading trying to come up with a idea. it is boring slow and everyone loves church. i am a computer guy and i feel like there are no ideas that country people need with computers. if i own cows or sheep maybe. but i like your talk. your pacing was fine.
Many of you don't seem to understand that small town people are not interested in the big technology and doing anything with inter fracture, getting bigger, whatever and yadda yadda yadda. Keep the small towns ...small towns- is what we are about. There is nothing wrong with that. If you want the big city things then stay there. So tired of people moving from large cities to the small towns. So many reasons to mention why. I will try a few. 1)The driving. The big city persons get on lil' town people's rear-ends. They drive crazy, sporadic and waaay too fast. They don't follow the speed limits. It's infuriating! Why did ya come here just to drive the same dog gone way? Why would you leave where you like it and how you like to be?? Acclamate to where you move not the opposite. Yikes! Trying to change a small town and really, what it feels like is, "ravaging" a small town, it's just not right. 2) Our house prices have skyrocketed to where the people who were born and raised here can not afford to buy a house! People who have lived here all their lives, our children, our families and friends.... We can't have a basic need, such as a home? The greed is sometimes so hideous with a lot of these things we are seeing with real estate. Stop and think of the impact you are making on people's lives, specially when you "think" you are helping. Seriously, just for the sake of you thinking we need to be saved? 3) In all kindness, there is also nothing wrong with the Bible as one mentioned on here that it is. That commenter said it like we have a growth that needed to be removed. Haha. Seriously. We truly are mostly God fearing people who follow rules, have a slowed down pace, and have a decency moral code. We like it like that. I'm just on here to hopefully, help you see that small towns don't need to be rescued. Nor do we like the sensation of mass amounts of "speed-demon drivers" or non-waving or non-polite people moving into town. That is why we are not so "friendly" to new ones moving in. We've tried, we have gotten cold stares and even down right rude ignoring. It is plain old strange to us. The one person commented that we aren't open to people moving to our small towns. Please, you don't stop to think that it could be what YOU are doing when you get here. Why is it all our fault? Think about that for a while. Would if we came to the big cities and drove real slow or drove the speed limit? Would if we started small talk with everyone we came across. We waved hi to people we pass. On and on, we would do our small town ways. You wouldn't like that either. Understandable isn't it? I hope you can look inside and see, though, we live in the same country, we live differently from a big area. We do have differences and It's okay. We can be or stay in the area we fit - without trying to change each other or our areas, big or small. (Also, there was a commenter from Ireland wanting to create a "big" city situation in the small area he came from. Please, hear what I said here too. It is the same. We have to have our small areas. It all can't be big city. Places in Ireland, beautiful, small areas to be kept small. Wonderful as they are too.) No one really says these things but I dared for the fact I say it in the nicest way it can be in hopes we can accept the differences. Be happy WHERE you are happy.
Great talk. I would like to add that a huge disadvantage that many small towns have is that they tend to not be welcoming to outsiders (those who didn’t grow up there) especially if they look different. As a result a lot of talented people who see opportunity in a small town end up leaving because it’s not worth it. I understand you said it’s mainly a retention issue but outsiders might provide things that help to retain others. Just my two cents.
Excellent talk and work. Using it for our town.
He makes some good points, so many small towns just don't help small businesses and startups. Nor do most try to retain the young or attract new families. Sadly there are no solutions offered other than the ever vague and troublesome "technology" that may end up draining the town's limited funds with no real direction.
Underrated talk. Has your perspective changed, six years on?
This is a fantastic listen!
Great presentation Noah. Thank you for this. Could I ask you to please say a little bit more about what the small towns could potentially do beyond improving their Internet and changing their mindsets and attitudes to realise this is a retention issue?
Diversify revenue sources, improve local infrastructure and take advantage of the natural, physical and human resources of the small town.
Yeah the thing is I grow up in a big city and NOW I'm in a small town andI feel weird...
I think a family moved to Hamilton, Missouri and created jobs and businesses related to quilting. Might want to find out how they did it.
That's interesting. I looked up Hamilton, they do have many quilting related businesses.
From 6:00
I wish to creat a success business ecosystem in Carlow (Ireland), where I'm from. We had 2 big companies that disappeared a few years ago. I too left the town as soon as possible (17), now I'm 27 and my dream is to create jobs in my hometown. If anyone has any good case studies of successful business generation in small towns could you please share?
STOP PACING!
I can't stand still.
Good presentation though. I watched because I grew up in a tiny town and couldn't wait to get out. I told my parents when I was about 13 that I was planning to leave and never come back except to visit them. I was true to my word and left after high school and never came back for more than a weekend to visit. It was Bryan, Ohio.
Now I'm living in an even tinier town, but very close to Lansing MI. I'm fascinated with the new economy and the death of the industrial age. I'm looking for answers to help Michigan with the major brain drain going on here. Now that the manufacturing jobs are leaving, the state needs to reinvent itself.
Matt KnowsThat Thanks Matt. I'm a pacer. It might be my ADD. Is is the State that that needs to reinvent itself or the people who need to reinvent the state. We're seeing this in Detroit, right? Lots of entrepreneurs are able to see lots of great opportunity! We need people to realize that there's just as much opportunity in Michigan as anywhere else - the question is are people willing to see it? Thanks
I am trying to find a idea for living in a small town. I work for a large company that is in a small town great money. but I want to do my own thing. so I have been listening to TED and reading trying to come up with a idea. it is boring slow and everyone loves church. i am a computer guy and i feel like there are no ideas that country people need with computers. if i own cows or sheep maybe. but i like your talk. your pacing was fine.
This people born the city's and now they want to take the fire to small town god loving people. Make sure we keep the churches
Many of you don't seem to understand that small town people are not interested in the big technology and doing anything with inter fracture, getting bigger, whatever and yadda yadda yadda.
Keep the small towns ...small towns- is what we are about. There is nothing wrong with that. If you want the big city things then stay there. So tired of people moving from large cities to the small towns. So many reasons to mention why. I will try a few.
1)The driving. The big city persons get on lil' town people's rear-ends. They drive crazy, sporadic and waaay too fast. They don't follow the speed limits. It's infuriating! Why did ya come here just to drive the same dog gone way? Why would you leave where you like it and how you like to be?? Acclamate to where you move not the opposite. Yikes! Trying to change a small town and really, what it feels like is,
"ravaging" a small town, it's just not right.
2) Our house prices have skyrocketed to where the people who were born and raised here can not afford to buy a house! People who have lived here all their lives, our children, our families and friends.... We can't have a basic need, such as a home? The greed is sometimes so hideous with a lot of these things we are seeing with real estate. Stop and think of the impact you are making on people's lives, specially when you "think" you are helping.
Seriously, just for the sake of you thinking we need to be saved?
3) In all kindness, there is also nothing wrong with the Bible as one mentioned on here that it is. That commenter said it like we have a growth that needed to be removed. Haha. Seriously. We truly are mostly God fearing people who follow rules, have a slowed down pace, and have a decency moral code.
We like it like that.
I'm just on here to hopefully, help you see that small towns don't need to be rescued. Nor do we like the sensation of mass amounts of "speed-demon drivers" or non-waving or non-polite people moving into town. That is why we are not so "friendly" to new ones moving in. We've tried, we have gotten cold stares and even down right rude ignoring. It is plain old strange to us.
The one person commented that we aren't open to people moving to our small towns. Please, you don't stop to think that it could be what YOU are doing when you get here. Why is it all our fault? Think about that for a while.
Would if we came to the big cities and drove real slow or drove the speed limit? Would if we started small talk with everyone we came across. We waved hi to people we pass. On and on, we would do our small town ways. You wouldn't like that either. Understandable isn't it?
I hope you can look inside and see, though, we live in the same country, we live differently from a big area. We do have differences and It's okay. We can be or stay in the area we fit - without trying to change each other or our areas, big or small. (Also, there was a commenter from Ireland wanting to create a "big" city situation in the small area he came from. Please, hear what I said here too. It is the same. We have to have our small areas. It all can't be big city. Places in Ireland, beautiful, small areas to be kept small. Wonderful as they are too.) No one really says these things but I dared for the fact I say it in the nicest way it can be in hopes we can accept the differences. Be happy WHERE you are happy.