Tweet

Chambers of Commerce

Written by: Bonny Albo

Article Overview: A basic run-down of the Chamber of Commerce system, why it is important for entrepreneurs, and where to get more information.

Chambers of Commerce

Many long-term business owners and entrepreneurs have a Chamber membership, but when it comes down to it, they cannot explain just why they have one, or what being a member of the Chamber of Commerce really entails.

If asked, most people remember the last time they witnessed the Chamber of Commerce at a ribbon cutting event for a new business opening, and many new self employed entrepreneurs use their highly informative statistical information for basic business planning. But these aren't features that one needs to be a member to receive. So why do so many long-standing business owners belong to these groups?

For starters, it's because of their mandate. Officially,

"A Chamber of Commerce is a voluntary organization established to promote civic, commercial, industrial and agricultural progress of the community and district for which it serves and to work for sound legislation and efficient administration of the community and all of the government levels."

If this sounds a bit like lobbyism, that's because it is. Chambers are basically a meeting place for all established businesses in a given area to lobby the government for better, more or specific business legislation. Therefore, by joining, entrepreneurs can fight larger causes that affect them financially as a group, rather than one-on-one.

Additionally, Chambers are usually coupled with Visitor Centers (more so in smaller areas), so newcomers to the region will have in-your-face access to your, and every other Chamber-represented business quickly and easily. As long as you have a flyer, map, brochure or magalog, your local Chamber of Commerce will essentially 'sell' your business to anyone who walks in the door, just by virtue of having your information available. Plus if your business has a website, they will link to your services on their highly-advertised website.

To determine whether or not a Chamber membership (or any business organization) will benefit you and your company, read our Associations and Memberships section for more information.

Links:

International Chamber of Commerce
http://www.iccwbo.org/

World Wide Chamber Guide
http://www.chamberfind.com/

Related Articles
  Your Chamber Of Commerce Can Help Grow Your Business
  The Dirty Secret of Why Many Chambers of Commerce Fail to Increase Sales
  Effective Networking = Business/personal Success
  "What the world really needs is more love and less paperwork."
  10 Sources for Quality Market Research and Market Statistics

Article Tags:



Related Forum Posts
SecondLife Statistics - Here are some statistics on SecondLife's growth: Second Life citizenship grew 995% just this year. Commerce, a more important statistic, rose to $9M, up 287% this year The male/female split is close to even -57 to 43% Finally, more than 55% of citizens hail from outside the US. I tried it out but don't get why it's so exciting - it takes so long to learn how to play and get used to all the settings.
Re: What Sells Online? - Its really true that gadgets, books and fashion wears are more in demand on the internet business.. But firstly, the assumption I am going to make is that you are looking to install an open source software. The one I recommend is Magento Commerce, which is an extremely powerful platform to use for any e-commerce business. Tyrone Shum Internet Business Path dot com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Need help with understanding ecommerce? Visit my blog and learn how to profit from ecommerce.
10 best franchises to get involved - My advice is: 1) Go to the library and start reading business books (accounting, finance, etc.) 2) Go to your local community college and enroll in night classes 3) Join the local Chamber of Commerce 4) Network / Network / Network -- through the above sources. Once you have spent two years doing the above, then look for a 55 - 60 year old business person that is looking to reduce their time in the business. Then you can work on a sweetheart financing option.
Local Chamber of commerce - I would say your local chamber of commerce is an excellent resource. Not just for lists, but for networking. Get to know the people who work at the chamber. Go to their events to "rub elbows" with other chamber members. Most Chamber of Commerce benefits are geared toward local businesses... Local businesses can always use commercial bank loans, everything from simple lines of credit to help their working capital... to long-term fixed-rate loans for equipment purchases, etc. Also, it would be a great help for you to increase and consistently update your knowledge of what your bank offers. If there is an SBA Loan Department, get to know the parameters. If there is no particular department for that, then learn about SBA loan parameters offered by the government. In case you're not aware, an SBA loan is a secured loan, but partially underwritten by the government... however it is secured by private banks, by people doing exactly what you'll be doing. Hope you don't mind the long-winded answer. I've run my own small business for five years now, and one of my company's best friends is my commercial loan officer. He helped me secure my first SBA loan four years ago, and has provided a number of other lending products since then. He's always telling me about new products to see if they're right for me. No matter what happens with the rest of my dealings with his bank, I can't see myself going elsewhere, simply because he has been such a great resource to me and my company.
Seek Venture Capital & Funding - Hello, Greetings from India. I am Seeking Venture Capital for Offshore Software Company Start-up. Need advise along with Business Model Sample. I have a basic outline for an offshore company. 1. Technology - like Microsoft Dot Net, Java, LAMP 2. Talent Team - Found Good Technology Developers. 3. Where I can get the leads/potential customers - Leads have been identified who are willing to move forward offshore projects. 4. I do not have resources like funding. It is a very critical factor to me Industries: Manufacturing, Real Estate, Retail, Insurance, Distribution & Logistics, Healthcare, Industry Associations and Software Product Development, Agricultural Industries and Etc. Services: Offshore Software Development Company. Offices to be located: Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India and USA. Products/Services/Applications in areas like POS & Billing, Sales & Distribution, Production Planning, Material Management, Inventory Control, Plant Maintenance, Purchasing, Accounting and Logistics. Dynamic Web Programming with Database Driven Content Management Systems, Online Stores for E-Commerce, B2B Solutions, Community Portals, Website Redesign and Development, Custom ERP with Enterprise Wide Functional Modules such as Marketing, CRM, Accounting, Inventory Control, Sales & Distribution, Production Planning, Purchase & Stores, Logistics and Supply Chain. Seek your further questions and help. Thank you, Best Regards, Jayapratap.


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

10 Steps to Excelling at Franchise Sales

What If You Had a 100% Success Rate?

The Neglected Art of Receiving

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.