What comes to mind when you read this sentence: “Sometimes the idea for a small business comes from a bad experience, such as paying too much for something and thinking there must be a better way to get the product or service.”

This is the ninth year that Rural Lifestyle Dealer has compiled and shared the most comprehensive look at equipment trends in the rural lifestyle market. We summarized the findings from our 2015 Business Trends & Outlook Report in our winter issue — sharing that nearly 84% of the responding dealers expect revenues to be as good as or better than last year.

The same Tractor Supply that opened 107 locations in 2014 alone faced the business reality of closing a store this past week.

As more and more big and mid box stores open nationwide, the announcement about Tractor Supply closing in New Holstein, Wis., stands out.

The digital edition of the Winter issue of Rural Lifestyle Dealer has arrived showcasing the 2014 Dealership Business Trends & Outlook report!

Leading agricultural and equine publisher Lessiter Publications has a unique opportunity for a passionate sales performer in its Brookfield, Wis. headquarters office.

A recent editorial ("Your #1 Ally Against Big Boxes") shared research that says that customers want smaller, independent businesses to win over big box stores and I suggested strategies to take advantage of that.

Small is good, big is bad and your customers want small to win. That's the takeaway from a recent study, titled "Positioning Brands Against Large Competitors to Increase Sales."

New eras, big boxes and unhappy customers are among the top stories of 2014, according to you. We pulled the list of Rural Lifestyle Dealers most read stories for the year and Kubota's strategy to enter the large ag market tops the list

Rural Lifestyle Dealer's 2015 Business Trends & Outlook survey is now wrapped up and thank you to the dealers who responded. The official results will be released in our winter issue, but here's one nugget I can share: Your decision to pursue the rural lifestyle market is a good one.