Local Economics

Almost everyone has faced the frustrating task of negotiating with a local, state, national, or foreign government at some point in their lives. Whether they are applying for a building permit from their local zoning board, trying to sell software to the US Defense Department, looking for approval for a merger, or planning to set up a business in Limerick or Bangalore, businesspeople confront a unique set of challenges when dealing with any form of government.

This practical and engaging guide is your modern-day roadmap to dominating online business directories—the digital evolution of the Yellow Pages. It opens with a relatable reminder of how finding local services used to mean flipping through a fat phonebook. Today, it's all about online visibility. If your business isn't easily found online, you're basically a ghost. The book breaks down how to get listed in key directories like Google, Yelp, and industry-specific sites, showing you how to attract more customers, boost your SEO, and become the go-to in your local area. Each chapter offers ...

In 2005, Margaret Jones Bolsterli learned that her great-great-grandfather was a free mulatto named Jordan Chavis, who owned an antebellum plantation near Vicksburg, Mississippi. The news was a shock; Bolsterli had heard about the plantation in family stories told during her Arkansas Delta childhood, but Chavis' name and race had never been mentioned. With further exploration, Bolsterli found that when Chavis' children crossed the Mississippi River between 1859 and 1875 for exile in Arkansas, they passed into the white world, leaving the family’s racial history completely behind.