Which brings us back to the point -- succession means different things to different people.  Perhaps Sarah’s and Joey’s children may have different ideas of what works for them and for Dude’s. Maybe they’ll decide it means only being open for dinners. And who knows? That may work for them.

  Spelling aside, “succession” and “success” are two different words. Just because one buys into or inherits the family business, there’s no guarantee of continued success.

   When we hand off “our baby” that we nurtured and watched grow through trials and triumphs, it’s hard to step back. It’s hard to relinquish control, to not dictate or say “we’ve always done it like that.” ​
And it’s doubly hard to not step on toes as our successors make their own mistakes and learn from them. We made our own mistakes and they need to make theirs, no matter how much we’d like to save them from the experience.

   Each generation has its own idea of what will work and what won’t, and how to achieve their goals.  And it’s up to us -- the ones handing off -- to accept that there will be changes.
​  We may not like them any more than our folks liked ours, but accept them we must. After all, those changes may be what stops the next one from “losing it.”
~Katy and Annette~

**This article will appear in an upcoming AGWEEK Magazine.   - On a personal note- My husband and I LOVE this place. The history, the vibe, the incredible food. Dudes truly embraces the spirit of the west. 

    Ahhhh- Sharkndao.... That ultra riveting, undeniably fake monster shark series of movies...
It's like an accident, once you see it, you can't look away. You have to continue watching just to see what craziness comes next. 

Yes. I dig cheezie sci-fi movies. The cheezier the better.  And yes- I watched ALL the Sharkndo's … multiple times. 
There  are ​marketing lessons to be learned from Sharknado!

1-  If you're going to use cheeze- The Cheezier the better.  Like we already said, undeniable fake and at the same time riveting, ultra cheeze  SELLS!  When it's that unrealistic, we keep watching. We get sucked in by 'what's next?' 

2- Keep 'em hanging.  At the end of each Sharknado, there was a little teaser to keep you hoping there would be another.  You can easily do that with your own marketing... a little something to let your customers wonder what will come next. 

3-Have FUN!  Might as well have as much fun as you can with it. Take advantage of it, and bring your crazy to life. Doubly so when you can make someone laugh. -Make it memorable
~​Katy~

                                     One of the 'new'  buzzwords is "Walkability". 
   What does that mean exactly? Basically it means the ease of getting around on foot, or how pedestrian friendly is your town.  There is a nifty site you can use to determine your own towns score-  Walkscore   The scoring is 0-100. 

    Remember back when - when folks walked to the market? Or to the pool? Or the DQ?? That was 'walkable'   Entire neighborhoods and towns were designed so families could walk from one end to the other. We have gotten away from that as a norm, but it's making a comeback! 
I just used Walkscore to determine the walk-ability of the five closest towns to us. (we're within 25 miles of all)  The results were 39, 21, 0,  27, 38 and 0. Those are all on the low end. 
I was thinking about this today when we were discussing our mythological retirement. (Do ranchers really retire?)  I now understand why so many retirees want to head South- Walk-able neighborhoods and ease of use. 
Two of our nearby towns are, in my opinion, more walk-able than their scores suggest. However, I know that isn't the norm in rural communities. For many, the reality is that the folks who live there need to be mobile- meaning they need to drive or get rides for everyday tasks like groceries or going to the doctor. ​

  
Which leads to more questions.... Are these communities using walk-ability as a means of attracting new families or retirees? Are they using it to retain the people they have? Are they creatively promoting their walk-ability? 

    I know several are. Yes, it's still many miles 'to town', but Washburn, ND is doing a good job promoting how quickly you can walk downtown from anywhere, or right to the river.  
WHY is walk-ability important? Walk-ability has many facets. Everything from health benefits to retention.  Having good walk-ability can mean that retiring 'outlyers' or city folk may want to move to your small town. That translates into more dollar tax dollars, tourism dollars, retail dollars and so on.
Good walk-ability is also healthful. We've become so health conscious as a nation and environmentally friendly - a walk-able town is a very marketable asset.  It is also great for recreation opportunities like nature walks, photo strolls, coffee shop walk...walk to the pop-up dog park.  The ideas are endless really. 

  Walk-ability is a good marketing tool for retaining or finding  residents and attracting new employees or businesses. 
  While many small towns do not have the amenities of the city, I do know we can raise our 'walk-able score'- Cheaply, easily and nearly free- We can start by highlighting fun or interesting  walking places like an architecture or garden walk, or start talking about how quickly we can walk (or bike) to the local pool/gym/baseball diamonds. We can showcase how easily people walk downtown (or up town) for fun events. Just by thinking creatively and TALKING about it... better yet- people could share their ideas on social media. 

   The best perk of Walk-ability? It builds community. We tend to stop and chat, or at the very least smile and wave as we hurry on our way.  When people talk- community happens. 
So, how walk-able is YOUR community? 
Take a stroll around your neighborhood or town and get inspired!
~Kate

     Are You a Bad Boss?? Would you know if you were? Would anyone tell you?
Or are you the kind of boss people want ​to work for?
                          Bad Bosses  are bigger problem in small towns than one would think. 

I was a Horrible Boss. I didn't know I was. At least not until a 16 yr old told with more pluck than the grown ups asked me is I was always 'like that?'. 

   Statistically 75% of people will quit a job, even if they love what they do, on account of a bad boss. (I have.) According to a study, 19.2 hours a week is spent worrying about bad bosses. Employees who have bosses they don’t like are 60% more likely to have a heart attack- that’s a staggering number! (Journal of Occupational Medicine)
  Research on “The Damage Inflicted by Poor Managers” by the Gallup Organization shows that “actively disengaged” employees outnumber engaged employees almost two-to-one. Disengagement corresponds with lower productivity, loyalty, and profitability, and higher rates of absenteeism, ​safety incidents, and employee turnover, which “can cost businesses approximately 1.5 times the annual salary of every person who quits.

   Working in a city, it is usually no big deal to simply quit a job, because there are so many more to choose from. Even if it’s not your dream job or it doesn’t pay as well, there are multiple jobs to be had.
  In a small town, the pickings can be very slim. Most folks who work in a small town stay in that job no matter what. No matter how  much they may dislike the way their boss acts, they know that there’s probably not another job in town. 

    Invite the community to host a free-will breakfast/luncheon/dinner at the old school, the park (if the weather’s good), someone’s house, or at a church. Donations can pay for a main dish and/or picnic supplies, with any proceeds going to a local charity. Invite the whole town to bring potluck dishes and introduce the visitors to everyone!
                                                    
​Good food, new friends, plenty of fun!
   And while they’re visiting, and enjoying local cuisine, make sure to round up every home vendor/foodie/artisan/crafter/small business and have a pop-up show for the entire town. Play games, visit, tell stories … have a fun for all!

  There’s an old joke about “Our town’s so small we don’t have a town drunk – everyone has to take turns.” If you get past the “town drunk” part, there’s a ring of truth to the statement – it takes everyone to get the job done.

  Not too long ago we were at one of those solo events for rural women – Ladies Ag Night -- which started out as an evening of fun and learning for the ladies but has branched out to include the gents as well. We had some fun, enjoyed an up-and-coming comedian who shared her typical, but hilariously told, experiences as a city girl learning farm life, and learned a bit about the personality side of Real Colors.
No, this wasn’t one of those “what not to wear” color profiles. It was the 10-minute – okay, more like about 45-minute – tour through a system that helps people identify their strongest personality leanings, understand how people who fall under the other colors see life, and how to best work together. It’s a lot of fun, and some of the groups’ list items and moderator’s comments had us rolling – not laughing at each other, but with each other in agreement.

   In a nutshell, everyone self-selected behaviors, values, and beliefs they connected most strongly with. There were several phases that used different methods, so as to reach a more accurate result than could be achieved using a one-size-fits-all model.

     The best part was the side discussions of how people saw themselves when the color they selected suggested different skill sets than they expected. We talked among ourselves about how analytical traits combined with empathy, how leadership traits combined with flexibility, and how great people skills and valuing relationships helped offset competitiveness and the affinity for structure.

    Think about it. Logical, scientific, research-oriented (green category) people are great to have on a committee looking at revamping the park or making improvements to the school. They’ll get the details and the numbers straight. But adding other traits to the mix will make the committee even better. Bringing a few golds into the group will add greater organization, conservatism and positivity – traits that help move the project forward, while also playing devil’s advocate when needed. A blue or two will help keep everyone working together by using their insight and caring to help consider the needs of those who use the park or the school, while also helping to keep peace when disagreements arise. And let’s not forget the orange category – these folks are great trouble-shooters who like to keep the working environment positive. Need to raise money for the project? Orange traits like persuasiveness and optimism shine at recruiting volunteers and fundraising.

   As you can see, all of the traits have value, and all of the personality “colors” bring something to the table -- some off-setting others to create a better whole. And -- no matter the size or scope of the project -- who doesn’t want the best possible outcome?
​~Annette~