In a Small Town

America is dotted with small towns. They come in various shapes and sizes – though, by definition, all are small – have unique histories, diverse traditions and customs, and support different mixes of industry.

Small towns also house, in my opinion, national treasures: their residents.

Small towns are where some of the best people live. I’ll admit that I’m hopelessly biased. I grew up in a small town and plan to live the rest of my life in a small town.

I’ve lived in the “big city.” I’ve worked for a big company. While they both boast plenty of opportunities, they don’t have a monopoly on good people. Or intelligent people. Or enterprising people. In fact, six months into my first big job at a big company in a big city, I distinctly recall thinking, “Most of my high school classmates and friends could run this or that part of the company’s operations. These people aren’t geniuses.”

Before then, I held an ill-conceived view that the best and brightest don’t stick around in rural America.

Boy, was I wrong.

If you are looking for world-class manufacturing know-how, come to a small town. If you need cutting-edge agricultural technology, come to a small town. If you are seeking expert legal, health, financial, insurance, or accounting advice, come to a small town. Some of the best and brightest in the world have decided to locate their businesses and talents there.

But it’s not easy. Some people – even small town residents – have a perspective, as I previously did, that experts live elsewhere.

One of my favorite financial writers, Morgan Housel, once wrote, “It’s easiest to convince people that you’re special if they don’t know you well enough to see all the ways you’re not.”

I’ll pick on my industry of financial planning and investments. If you live in rural America, I can understand why you may think you should do business with the guy or gal you see on commercials from a nearby city. They look and sound like an expert. And you never see them on the street or at high school sporting events, living a normal life. This lack of familiarity creates a sense of mystique and intrigue. “They probably know something these local folks don’t.”

What I’ve discovered is that couldn’t be further from the truth.

It’s the same mentality as “you can’t be an expert in your own community.”

Mark Twain defined an expert as “an ordinary fellow from another town.” Will Rogers followed up with “a man fifty miles from home with a briefcase.”

Distance creates the illusion of superiority.

But some of the smartest, most innovative, most dedicated, and most qualified experts chose to settle down in small towns, living normal lives among normal people. That’s one of things that make them so extraordinary. They do amazing work in the most unassuming way.

Whether we recognize it or not, we are fortunate to live where we do. It’s a great way of life. But don’t discount the quality of work that your neighbors produce. It is undoubtedly on par with anything you’ll find down the highway.

In a small town, you can find comfort and meaning.

And in a small town, you can absolutely find world-class professionals.