By Leslie Cholowsky, Editor
What if there was a way, as a small business owner, or startup, to learn from someone else’s mistakes? Someone who operates in the same general area as you, and who might share some of the same issues.
Most business owners might consider that a valuable resource, and Flagstaff County’s Economic Development Department has made this resource possible through the Rural Unrecognized program.
Kerri Lefsrud, Economic Development Coordinator for Flagstaff County, says, “I’m very passionate about sharing the stories of our local small businesses and the journeys behind them.”
She says the ultimate goal of the program is to highlight not only their successes, but also the challenges they’ve faced along the way.
“I hope these stories help other entrepreneurs feel less alone and see that even the most successful businesses have overcome obstacles.
“More than anything, I want to encourage business owners not to play small just because we live in a rural area, but to think big and reach for what’s possible.”
Lefsrud says she loves that Flagstaff County councils have been willing to invest in small businesses in the region to help them grow.
“Flagstaff County is unique in its support of small business. But small business makes up 96 to 98 per cent of businesses in rural areas. If we don’t focus on our small businesses, we run the risk of losing them.”
Lefsrud says that the Rural Unrecognized podcast is where real stories of rural entrepreneurs are being told. “They aren’t all from the Flagstaff Region so far,” she says, “but they are definitely all rural.”
She says hearing about their experiences, and challenges, is a good resources for other businesses in the region to learn and avoid the mistakes they’ve made.
She adds that while some of the businesses may be common to Flagstaff Crafted, this program is not related. For instance, one podcast features Flagstaff Crafted member Sweet 3 Designs owner Candace Patten, who has built her business from making jewelry at her kitchen table to a full time business that supports her family and retails across Canada. “Learning and sharing part of her success helps others.”
For many small businesses, the support from Flagstaff County has been invaluable.
Lefsrud says, “We have a lot of programs available to local businesses outside of the Flagstaff Crafted umbrella.” She says that Flagstaff Crafted is a showy program with its own success, but adds, “It’s a small piece of what we do as a department.” Council has set a budget to provide formal and professional supports in a more in-depth way through their Succession Readiness Support, Entrepreneurship Empowerment, and Business Support Programs, and also provides other supports and resources.
Lefsrud says so far there are four Flagstaff County businesses who have been featured in the Rural Unrecognized podcasts. There’s also a blog, she says, and going forward, that will also be shared in The Community Press. Since some people learn from hearing, and others from reading, they decided to release the podcasts two ways.
It’s worth checking out the whole series, she says. “Let’s not let rural limit us. The resources you need as a small business owner are here, you just have to find them.”
The podcasts have a new host, in Jessica Janzen, who many will remember as a guest speaker from 2024s Flagstaff Celebrates Success.
Lefsrud says that Janzen brings a lot of energy and excitement to the interviews. “She gets people excited and inspired. She gets business owners excited about their own stories.” She says when podcast guests sit down and tell their stories, it’s often revelatory to them, and reminds them of the obstacles they’ve overcome and the success they have achieved. “It revitalizes them and gets them excited about why they do what they do,” Lefsrud says. “Jessica is that kind of host who gets into the weeds with them.”
Janzen also has a rural background, growing up on a farm in Saskatchewan, one that her family still owns and operates. Lefsrud says, “And that has come through more than once, we had some farming related topics and she knew what she was talking about, and it came through!”
Lefsrud says the key takeway for the Rural Unrecognized program is that rural small business is not small in its impact to our community and its economy.
“And our podcast is connecting people through learning and celebrating rural entrepreneurship.”
She says that whether someone is still in the ‘dreaming about it’ stage, or whether they’ve already started their business, there are a lot of supports available through Flagstaff County.
“They should reach out if they need something, and we’ll be happy to help.”
Being a rural entrepreneur brings unique challenges. By sharing stories, successes and challenges, through programs like Rural Unrecognized, Lefsrud says business owners can support one another and avoid some of the pitfalls that might stand in the way of success.
She says the podcast is hosted on the County’s YouTube account, and that the engagement numbers are good. “Many people say they wish that their municipalities would support small businesses like Flagstaff County does.”
When people hear ‘podcast,’ they might think it’s purely audio, but these are videos, and are accompanied by a blog. Lefsrud says Janzen loves to do in-person interviews, but when that’s not possible, the interviews are done via virtual meeting platforms, and are still very effective at getting the stories out.
Each video is produced and directed by Josie Storbakken of JCE Films.
You can listen, watch, or read these stories through Flagstaff County’s YouTube at: youtube.com/@FlagstaffCountyVideos; or at flagstaffcrafted.ca/podcast
Read this and more from the May 13 edition of The Community Press!
