When founded, local chamber of commerce organizations were intended to help out those small business owners in America who desperately needed the help of a support system. With more and more competition popping up, life is hard right now for small business owners. This is the time that they need that support system more than ever before. But unfortunately, it is just not there.
These days, the only way for owners to take advantage of a support system is to go out and get a small business consultant to help with their planning and their efficiency. The chambers were designed to be a voice in local government for business owners and they were there to work on things like grants and actually cultivating interest in the local business scene.
This is not happening anymore and the chamber of commerce associations are not serving their original mandate. Some business owners have not been able to adapt, so they have been left by the wayside as a result. The local chamber of commerce has very little to offer businesses in this predicament.
This is a huge negative, but it happens to be a reality that we are dealing with today. Today’s small business owners also face difficulty because of the big businesses pushing them out.
This makes life even more difficult for small business owners who already face enough challenges. When you add in the current attempts to reform the health care system it is a tough row to hoe.
There is as large a role for the chamber of commerce as there has ever been. Many businesses would be able to survive if they had such an advocate on their side. The truth is, the chamber has been overrun by special interests and it has been taken over by new goals. The chamber of commerce is more often than not no longer the spokesman for small business. Let’s hope things change.
Joe Abraham is a small business consultant with expertise in all the key areas of small business growth including business startup, business development, traffic generation, sales development, marketing and succession planning. Unlike many self-proclaimed small business gurus he has actually built several successful small businesses from the ground up.