S18: E11: What I've Learned from Running a Business in a Town of 175

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 : Solve a problem Lesson : Respect the history—but also listen to your gut Lesson : Diversify. Or else. Lesson : Don't forget to market to out-of-towners Lesson : Create an experience Lesson : Lean into your liabilities Lesson : Don’t listen to your customers too much Final thoughts Resources Mentioned in This Podcast Episode: Find my Old-Fashioned on Purpose planner here: Learn more about Chugwater Soda Fountain events here: OTHER HELPFUL RESOURCES FOR YOUR HOMESTEAD: Sign up for weekly musings from my homestead: Get my free homesteading tutorials & recipes here: Jill on Instagram: @jill.winger Jill on Facebook: Apply to be a guest on the Old-Fashioned on Purpose podcast: Did you enjoy listening to this episode? Please drop a comment below or leave a review to let us know. This can help other folks learn about this podcast and we also really appreciate the feedback!

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S18: E11: What I've Learned from Running a Business in a Town of 175 is an episode from Old Fashioned On Purpose by Jill Winger.

This episode is 42:20 long.

This episode was published on Mar 23, 2026.

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