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Starting a new business takes moxie, no matter where you are. 

But entrepreneurs in small towns face particular challenges. 

In September, MPR News host Kerri Miller convened a town hall at Schell’s Brewery in New Ulm, Minn., to talk about those challenges and what can be done to overcome them. It ended up being a vibrant back and forth between small business owners and community leaders in the state’s southwest region about how to encourage and support entrepreneurs.

How do you build a business plan? Where do you find funding? And who is available to mentor owners just starting out? 

This is part one in a four-part series featuring conversations from the 

 project — a series of town halls hosted by Miller in communities across the state about the rewards and challenges of making a home in rural America. 

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What does it take to start and grow a small business in rural Minnesota? Last month, MPR News host Kerri Miller hosted a town hall in New Ulm, Minn., to hear from entrepreneurs and community leaders about how to encourage small businesses in greater Minnesota. This is the first in a four-part series featuring conversations from the Rural Voice project. 

Last month, MPR News host Kerri Miller hosted a town hall in New Ulm, Minn., to hear from entrepreneurs and community leaders about how to encourage small businesses in greater Minnesota. This is the first in a four-part series featuring conversations from the Rural Voice project.

Rural Voice: What it takes to build a business in rural Minnesota

A woman holds a microphone forward for a man who is speaking.

Rural Voice: What it takes to build a business in rural Minnesota

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