Location…location…location. It’s often said this is the difference between success and failure in the business world. However, that does not have to be the case.
Participants at a workshop held during Small Business Week at the Pugwash Library on Wednesday, Oct. 22, learned successful marketing can result in business success in rural Nova Scotia.
Michelle McCann, owner of Bold and Italic, talked to a group of small business owners about what they can do to attract attention and customers.
“Just because you live in a rural or small community doesn’t mean you are stuck or limited in terms of marketing your business. It’s about the importance of relationships,” McCann said. “When you live in a rural community anywhere it’s about building relationships with your customers and other businesspeople in your community.”
Michelle McCann leads a small business workshop at the Pugwash Library on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025. The session, Marketing that Connects: A Workshop for Rural Business, was part of Small Business Week celebrations around the Municipality of Cumberland and in Amherst. Darrell Cole – Municipality of Cumberland photo
She added it’s more about living in the community, but it’s also about being part of the community and being involved in its daily life, such as by participating in groups and organizations.
McCann said there are so many digital marketing opportunities available today that weren’t there a decade or two ago. This allows businesses to reach out beyond borders to larger centres inside and outside Nova Scotia, across the country and globally.
“Social media and digital marketing allow you to do that from wherever you are. You don’t have to feel that you can’t do something from Pugwash, that you have to live in Halifax or a bigger city,” she said. “You can do it from the comfort of home basically.”
While there are challenges in rural areas there are also many advantages to being in a small community.
“You have to tell customers who you are to get them to come to you,” she said. “You have to hook them in, get them interested in what you do and they will come.”
Ron Furlong with the Cumberland Business Connector said McCann’s presentation was well received by participants.
“There was a lot of engagement and a lot of heads nodding as she was making points,” Furlong said.
Furlong, who has operated numerous businesses over the years, said he never found being in a small town a hindrance. Yes, he found challenges, but by being creative and engaging with customers those issues can be overcome.
He agrees businesses need to be community minded.
“The part where she talked about being involved in the community is so true. People have to get to know you and have to see you as being part of the community,” Furlong said. “If you do that they will see you, learn about what you offer and come to you.”
The workshops are part of the Mind Your Business program, a series of workshops designed to give business owners and professionals an opportunity to expand their knowledge on a number of topics that help improve their business and accelerate growth.
Mind Your Business Cumberland Workshop Series is a partnership between the Cumberland Business Connector, the Cumberland Chamber of Commerce, CBDC Cumberland, the Town of Amherst, and the Municipality of Cumberland.