This is a guest post from Deb Brown, an internet workshifter and small business owner of www.debworks.com

An Internet Workshifter in the Hinterlands

In my county of 10,000 people, I'm a workshifter.  I bring my business to you.  I teach small businesses how to determine a social media plan that works for them, then I help them get it started and we work together to grow it. 

I meet in the local coffee shop with a client, determine what kind of assistance they are looking for, work with them to match my services with their needs and make the appointment for our first on site visit.  The coffee shop does not have internet service.  It does have a group of local people that show up there regularly for coffee.  We all know each other and believe in supporting our local businesses.  

My client wants to know how to use social media.  Should they blog?  Or create a Facebook account and reach out to the community?  We've devised a plan based on what they need, and what they can commit too.  They are not sure what kind of computer they have, but are pretty sure they have cable.  (There's my first clue.)

Are You Ready for the Surprises?

I show up on time at their office or store, with my lovely Dell Inspiron, ready to hook up to their router system.  Except they don't have one.  They have a desktop running Windows 98 in the back office.  The desktop hooks up to the phone line.  That would be dial up.  You know what internet service they use - yup, AOL.

You know the desktop has no real memory, moves slower than molasses in January in Iowa and is not equipped to work with photos, doesn't have Word - and was only really designed to be used to read email and maybe look at a site or two.  Mac?  That's the cousin who lives in Missouri.  Not a known animal in the hinterlands. 

This happens.  If you're not smart, it will happen to you a lot.  Don't give up on these rural small businesses.  They have been doing the best they know how to do with what they have.  It's YOUR job, local workshifter, to show them the way. 

Listen, Really Listen

I learned quickly to start interviewing my clients before making any kind of agreement for work. I ask a lot of questions.  I listen to the answers.    I know when I walk into that office or store exactly what kind of computer, what kind of internet service, what kind of hook up they have.  I keep The Computer Guy on speed dial.  That's our local man that provides computer repair service, new hook up service and new computers for sale.  He can be at my location within 20 minutes - ready to service the client.  He will also bill them and work with them on payment.  Who does that?  We do that in a small community.
 

A Commitment to the Community

Workershifters in a rural community have a great challenge.  We are asked to bring our friends and families into this century.  We choose to do it, because it needs to be done.  We have stepped up to the plate and expect to hit the ball out of the park.  Because that is what people in rural America do - we help each other.
 
Score.org gives these statistics for small businesses in the rural economy:
 

• Since 1969, the number of self-employed persons in rural America has increased over 240 percent to 5.3 million.
• There are more than 1.2 million rural, small businesses. 
• In the rural economy, small business comprises almost two-thirds of jobs and 90 percent of rural establishments.
• In the service sector, rural firms are particularly important where they account for 64 percent of rural jobs and 89 percent of rural establishments.
• It is estimated that by 2015, one in three persons in rural America will be self-employed in some capacity.
  

We have a commitment to the community.  This workshifter is determined to work with the small businesses where she lives to keep our community vibrant, exciting and growing.

Photo Credit: David Michael Morris