Small Town Dreams Or Business Nightmares?

Let’s talk about building businesses in small towns because I think people romanticize it, especially when they see the desert sunsets and the “small town dream” aesthetic.

Hi, I’m Mallory, and I run businesses in a small, remote town called Terlingua, and let me tell you, it’s not glamorous in the way people imagine. It’s beautiful, yes. It’s fulfilling, absolutely. But it is not easy.

Out here, you don’t just run a business. You become a full-time problem solver. Deliveries don’t always show up on time and sometimes they don’t show up at all. If a freezer goes down or a toilet breaks, there’s no “same-day service.” There’s no backup vendor around the corner. You troubleshoot, you improvise, or you wait. And waiting in a remote town can mean days, not hours. Weather can shift overnight and completely change your foot traffic. A cold snap, heavy rain, high winds, that’s your revenue that week. There’s no extra strip center down the street bringing overflow traffic.

You also wear every single hat. Owner. Manager. HR. Maintenance. Marketing department. Social media manager. Sometimes all before noon. Staffing is harder. Resources are limited. Convenience doesn’t exist. You learn very quickly that if you want it done, you’re probably going to have to figure it out yourself.

But here’s what I’ll say, what you lose in convenience, you gain in resilience. You learn how to adapt fast. You learn patience whether you want to or not. You stop expecting things to be easy and start expecting to grow through it. And when you win out here? It feels earned. Deeply earned.

There’s something powerful about building a business where community actually matters, where customers drive miles to support you, and where every busy night feels like proof that grit works.

It’s not glamorous. It’s not polished. But it’s real. And I wouldn’t trade the lessons or the strength it’s built in me or anything.

As always,

I'm here cheering for you!