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After reviving the oldest operating soda fountain in the state of Wyoming, I can tell you firsthand that there is something deeply meaningful about bringing an old place back to life. Yet, like most things we romanticize from a distance, it’s usually a whole lot less romantic up close.
Since buying the soda fountain five years ago, I’ve had a lot of people ask about following in my footsteps. So in this podcast episode, I pulled together a few of the lessons that I feel are the most important when it comes to running a small-town business. Here we go.
Podcast Episode Highlights:
- The element of risk in running a small town business
- Lesson #1: Solve a problem
- Lesson #2: Respect the history—but also listen to your gut
- Lesson #3: Diversify. Or else.
- Lesson #4: Don’t forget to market to out-of-towners
- Lesson #5: Create an experience
- Lesson #6: Lean into your liabilities
- Lesson #7: Don’t listen to your customers too much
- Final thoughts
Resources Mentioned in This Podcast Episode:
Find my Old-Fashioned on Purpose planner here: https://www.prairieplanner.com/
Learn more about Chugwater Soda Fountain events here: https://www.chugwatersodafountain.com/
Other Helpful Resources:
Get weekly musings from my homestead: https://jillwinger.substack.com/
My homesteading tutorials & recipes: www.
Jill on Instagram: @jill.winger
Jill on Facebook: http://facebook.com/
Apply to be a guest on the Old-Fashioned on Purpose podcast: https://www.
More Details on Our Soda Fountain Adventures:
- Unfiltered Confessions of a Small-Town Restaurant Owner (podcast episode)
- We Bought a 107-Year Old Restaurant… What were we thinking?! (youtube video)
- Getting Ready to Restore a 1920’s Restaurant– in over our heads?!” (youtube video)
- I’ve Owned a Restaurant for 60 Days. Here’s What I’ve Learned (podcast episode)
- Soda Fountains, Small Towns, and Life Lessons (podcast episode)
- We’re Selling the Soda Fountain. Here’s Why. (podcast episode)
