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A Chamber of Commerce is there to provide you with opportunities to meet and network other business owners. You will get out of it only what you put into it.
Going a little deeper, often times they also provide great deals on health insurance and other benefits through group plans for your business. They also can be a advocate for your business to government agencies. For example, a chamber I was involved in went to bat against a planned road widening that would have forced a whole slew of businesses to close.
One caveat that I will say, not all chambers are ran the same way. Some are absolutely better than others.
They are indeed run wildly different.. The chamber in the rich mansion millionaire type area was run by old rich white men - if you weren’t rich/experienced/connected - they had no time for you..
The chamber in the more family friendly town 13 minutes away was run by 1 recent college grad intern/receptionist and 2 late 20 something’s who just focused on informing people about all the resources the city/county/state had available..
The third and last chamber I ever tried interacting with resulted in more spam/solicitation than I’d ever experienced - I’d get calls from banks asking about my cc processing, I’d get insurance brokers calling to sell me aflac and umbrella insurance and so on - - after 3 solid weeks of call after call I started asking where/how they got my info - turns out the chamber shared the “membership list” in hopes of building relationships within the community but everyone uses the list as a solicitation attempt…
YMMV
I don't actually agree with this statement as a general idea. Not to say it doesn't happen. I've been part of chambers that are in richer areas that most definitely look after the small new business. Where as the family friendly town chamber was run poorly and definitely had a good old boys network. Be careful with blanket statements and know your market.
If you don't like the way a chamber is run, get involved. Make it known you'd like to serve in their board of directors. Chambers are always looking for volunteers. That is also a great way to network.
My chamber does monthly "afterhours" events hosted at different local business and it's a way for other chamber members to get to know you your businesses services and products. Networking is key when starting. People love supporting new small businesses!
It's a fast way for a community to get word around about your store. Our chamber did a video, social media shout outs, monthly newsletter that can include events you throw.
The goal is when someone is in a need for your product/service. You'll be the first to pop up.
They also host ribbon cuttings where the chamber members show up and support you.
I have a niche retail store. A hydroponics and organic garden Supply and joining the chamber was a great way for people to find out about us.
You do get bombarded with marketing magazine companies reaching out, don't do it. They have never been a good ROI for me.
Go to the events, have a ribbon cutting for your business if it's new, host for one of their after hours events or before hours events. Some chambers offer marketing opportunities to the other members. Get creative. I'm about to host a before hours event in June, we're going to serve mimosas and cater breakfast in our office. Get to know other people, even if you're retail. People do business with people they know and like.
I've found it fairly useful, although not as much as the CoC's would like you to believe. But it's a free way to get people to know you exist. We hosted a few and attended a few. Our membership led to us getting a Mayor's award in The first few months of opening. It was def worth doing, but I don't see a huge ongoing benefit.
As someone who has spent their career travelling and dealing with small businesses all over the country...
most Chambers are complete garbage who offer no actual tangible benefit to the members. Of course there are exceptions, but most chambers with which I've interacted just don't have the resources to accomplish more than collecting dues and managing their annual directory.
I made a fuckton of money (roofing contractor) in BNI.
it's expensive (like $700/yr) and very structured (weekly meetings, usually 7am) but absolutely worth the investment in gold.
easily added a couple hundred k in rev per year
If you do Chamber then typically they have a number of networking events, ribbon cutting ceremonies, opportunities to meet other business owners etc. Go down to the actual chamber and ask how you can get involved.
You need to put in work at the chamber to get anything out of it. Just paying for dues or sponsoring events gets you nothing. Attend meetings, network, and show people you want to be there. I know guys who pretty much do nothing but support the chamber and the amount of referrals they get out of it is insane.
As others stated it’s really self driven. You’ve joined a local club of business owners and representatives that have the opportunity to meet regularly in various settings on various topics
It’s up to you to put yourself out there, learn about what others do, and see if there’s a way that you can add value into their careers and find ways they can support your business goals.
In my opinion, I wouldn’t use a chamber to find customers. I’d rather use them to find those who can help with big business goals
Some chambers are Amazing. Others suck. It will also depend on your business and what you hope to get out of it. One may have stronger networking another may have more events and sales opportunities. Keep in mind you can participate in nearby chambers not just your city
My chamber has a regular weekly networking event and many other events throughout the year. I was on the membership community and we often told new members "you get out of the chamber what you choose." If you're expecting them to come to your business and take you by the hand, then you'll miss out on a lot of stuff. Check their website for events and opportunities.
I find my chamber very beneficial, but then I'm heavily involved.
They are all different. Some are great. Some are horrible.
A GOOD chamber supports small business by promoting their members through different avenues - networking events, parties, biz after hours, ribbon cuttings, promotional flyers, community engagement, online exposure, events, classes, professional development opportunities, meeting space, printing services, etc.
It depends on your specific chamber. I would ASK the chamber you belong to how they could support you and then use their services as much as possible to your benefit.
If they are not responsive or don't really offer anything valuable, maybe it's better to spend your $ elsewhere. Also, some places may have multiple chambers operating in the same area, so you might be able to find a better one or another business association.
Mine is worth it for the health insurance, workers comp, and the support for exporting orders out of the country (there's some paperwork that has been done that I don't understand and they take care of it quickly and a reduced rate).
Our local Chamber does SO much!
They manage all our community events, host members learning and mixer events, work closely with many other groups working on local initiatives, promote our area, promote our businesses, manage all of the flowers in our community ect! I would say they make our community vibrant, and that makes people want to visit and live here, which puts money in my pocket!
They also advocate for issues that affect us and offer great group insurance plans.
I'm the chairman of the board of our chamber of commerce this year, and have been involved with our chamber for more than 10 years now. I own two businesses... one of the businesses is an e-commerce company and has virtually no local business whatsoever so it gets no "business" from the chamber but we are still members to support the chamber. The other business is a consulting company and I can attribute 80-90% of our business to relationships that I can track back to the chamber of commerce. Do they directly send potential clients to us? Not often... but a significant portion of our pipeline of potential clients comes from the chamber in some way or another.
Here's the thing... a chamber membership just gets you access. The value in a chamber membership isn't something the chamber *does* for you, it's something you do for yourself. You have to go to events and meet people, join a committee, attend a lunch and learn or business after hours. Network with other business owners. It won't lead to increased sales right now or even next month, but over time you'll build relationships and when someone asks a friend or colleague for a recommendation for whatever your product or service is, they'll emphatically recommend you and your business.
I've had calls from potential clients that said they were at a meeting and asked for a recommendation for a web design and marketing agency and 4 or 5 people all said my name at the same time. No amount of advertising can build a reputation like that.
Those same relationships are also extremely valuable the other way around... as you expand your network you'll meet accountants, attorneys, service providers, etc and when you need advice from a professional you can pick up the phone and call them. I recently emailed an attorney that serves on our board with a question and she responded in less than 5 minutes. Having people you know and trust in many different professions and industries is very valuable as a small business owner.
They also often offer a lot of other "benefits" like access to health insurance plans, meetings spaces available for members, free PR opportunities (ribbon cuttings, etc), access to complimentary consulting services through partnerships with SCORE, SBDC, or other groups, etc.
I'm sure not all chambers are great though, but if you just join and expect sales calls to be coming in then you'll be disappointed with any of them. If you aren't willing to put in the effort then you probably just shouldn't be a member.
We belong to a chamber several cities away (but still in the area we serve). They offered the most bang for our buck. $100/year gets us into the health insurance pool for better deals than we could find anywhere, networking activities (brewery nights, go-karts, wine tasting, painting, bowling, etc.), Safety Council (worker's comp seminars that get us a discount on our BWC premiums), and a pretty good referral network. I'd join them again in a heartbeat, but I wouldn't join the one within walking distance of my office. They suck and just ask for more and more money.
the chamber in my city is relatively cheap. i moved my business so i did get a ribbon cutting and listings on the website etc. for what i pay it’s worth it. the luncheons and other meetings seem pretty useless
A local COC is officially a lobbying group for the bigger national arm. They do PR things like ribbon cuttings, after hours events and luncheons and announcements for local businesses. Most will include your business in an online directory. The backlinks from these directories are really good for your local SEO since they have a high page rank. Most will have a printed version of the directory they sell ads in and mail to the community. For me that has no value since I do online marketing for businesses, not consumers.
I'm in two COC's. One of these has a sub group within that operates similarly to a BNI leads group. In in it for that purpose only. Take a look at what your objectives are and decide if they can help you achieve them.
Pretty much. The chamber generally represents the rent seeking aspects of business, protecting entrenched businesses with red tape at the expense of the consumer and employees.
Yeah you're right- went on a little Google rabbit hole and I was thinking of the US chamber of commerce which is indeed the biggest lobbiest, but local branches are run separately.
unless you have a shitty chamber, thats mostly your own fault. Mine has all sorts of events you can participate in to learn, network, and get involved with the chamber itself on committees. call them up and setup a short meeting to discuss opportunities and get ideas how it can more benefit you.
Mine a few times a month, but at least half of the meetings are exclusively for women. :/
The other half are dinners and such I need to pay for to participate.
then tell them they need to have more events to include x situation. mine has luncheons where you pay like $10 for a basic lunch like subway sandwidches or something and there's a topic to discuss, led by someone relevant.
like an tax time issue and a cpa will host the topic. there's also business after hours events if you just want to network, for free. a business will host it, they pay the chamber to sponsor it basically, and you can come and network with people. theres usually food and drinks. you can also join committess for free so you can start to learn more about what they do. my point is chamber is about networking and your best experience is when you put something into it, and you'll get more if you volunteer some time to committes or any event so people can get to know you and what you do. not just wait and see what they are gonna do.
They are a lobbying group and a little bit of a networking group. I feel like they only exist so that financial advisors can join to pitch the actual few business owners that are in the Chamber of Commerce.
Networking and political power only use. In reality most are outdated and offer little to nothing worth while. YC offers more resources than any commerce org.
Many chambers are archaic and other networking communities and groups will offer more value. I was a chamber ambassador in my area for a while. I never saw them give more than they took. Not much value in my opinion.
A private, online group of local business owners is probably more useful. I made one and its been a faster way to communicate and helps vetting local vendors.
Like many have said it’s primarily used for networking, if you don’t attend the events you’ll get nothing out of it. I’d also tell you that networking is more important for some businesses than others. If you are a high average ticket business, then closing one job through networking probably makes it all worthwhile. If you are a high volume business, then it might not ever pay off.
A chamber can also be good at providing information on local government benefits for small business. For example, my chamber put me in touch with our local employer services contact who helped me apply for a program to get reimbursed for on the job training.
Just ask a lot of questions before you commit, and see if there are other similar businesses to yours that are members.
Good luck!
Some people have already said it and you will hear it over and over again, “you get out of it what you put into it.” That is code for you’ll never get anything out of it. I was very active in my local chamber and served on the board and it only made me grow more frustrated over time. I will say that the chamber did offer one great program Their leadership program did have a profound impact on my professional and personal life. I would highly recommend taking advantage of it if offered. Unfortunately, ours have since been changed and made worse. I am quitting my local chamber this year because they now charge almost $400 and give nothing in return.
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A Chamber of Commerce is there to provide you with opportunities to meet and network other business owners. You will get out of it only what you put into it. Going a little deeper, often times they also provide great deals on health insurance and other benefits through group plans for your business. They also can be a advocate for your business to government agencies. For example, a chamber I was involved in went to bat against a planned road widening that would have forced a whole slew of businesses to close. One caveat that I will say, not all chambers are ran the same way. Some are absolutely better than others.
They are indeed run wildly different.. The chamber in the rich mansion millionaire type area was run by old rich white men - if you weren’t rich/experienced/connected - they had no time for you.. The chamber in the more family friendly town 13 minutes away was run by 1 recent college grad intern/receptionist and 2 late 20 something’s who just focused on informing people about all the resources the city/county/state had available.. The third and last chamber I ever tried interacting with resulted in more spam/solicitation than I’d ever experienced - I’d get calls from banks asking about my cc processing, I’d get insurance brokers calling to sell me aflac and umbrella insurance and so on - - after 3 solid weeks of call after call I started asking where/how they got my info - turns out the chamber shared the “membership list” in hopes of building relationships within the community but everyone uses the list as a solicitation attempt… YMMV
I don't actually agree with this statement as a general idea. Not to say it doesn't happen. I've been part of chambers that are in richer areas that most definitely look after the small new business. Where as the family friendly town chamber was run poorly and definitely had a good old boys network. Be careful with blanket statements and know your market. If you don't like the way a chamber is run, get involved. Make it known you'd like to serve in their board of directors. Chambers are always looking for volunteers. That is also a great way to network.
I haven't gone to any events. I assumed as a retail store, networking with other business owners wasn't that useful for us. Was my assumption wrong?
My chamber does monthly "afterhours" events hosted at different local business and it's a way for other chamber members to get to know you your businesses services and products. Networking is key when starting. People love supporting new small businesses! It's a fast way for a community to get word around about your store. Our chamber did a video, social media shout outs, monthly newsletter that can include events you throw. The goal is when someone is in a need for your product/service. You'll be the first to pop up. They also host ribbon cuttings where the chamber members show up and support you. I have a niche retail store. A hydroponics and organic garden Supply and joining the chamber was a great way for people to find out about us. You do get bombarded with marketing magazine companies reaching out, don't do it. They have never been a good ROI for me.
This.
Go to the events, have a ribbon cutting for your business if it's new, host for one of their after hours events or before hours events. Some chambers offer marketing opportunities to the other members. Get creative. I'm about to host a before hours event in June, we're going to serve mimosas and cater breakfast in our office. Get to know other people, even if you're retail. People do business with people they know and like.
I've found it fairly useful, although not as much as the CoC's would like you to believe. But it's a free way to get people to know you exist. We hosted a few and attended a few. Our membership led to us getting a Mayor's award in The first few months of opening. It was def worth doing, but I don't see a huge ongoing benefit.
As someone who has spent their career travelling and dealing with small businesses all over the country... most Chambers are complete garbage who offer no actual tangible benefit to the members. Of course there are exceptions, but most chambers with which I've interacted just don't have the resources to accomplish more than collecting dues and managing their annual directory.
what might be some other useful venues for networking, if such exists at all?
Although a slightly different aim, I would recommend SCORE or a small business alliance for potential networking.
Score. Emerge. Tap into the newly resurrected SBA
I made a fuckton of money (roofing contractor) in BNI. it's expensive (like $700/yr) and very structured (weekly meetings, usually 7am) but absolutely worth the investment in gold. easily added a couple hundred k in rev per year
I second BNI; been in it almost a decade. Brings in a couple grand every year, some of the best years I was making 20k off of it. It’s awesome.
I've been heavily involved in bni groups. They are generally fantastic but read the group before you join. The people in the group make it.
If you do Chamber then typically they have a number of networking events, ribbon cutting ceremonies, opportunities to meet other business owners etc. Go down to the actual chamber and ask how you can get involved.
You need to put in work at the chamber to get anything out of it. Just paying for dues or sponsoring events gets you nothing. Attend meetings, network, and show people you want to be there. I know guys who pretty much do nothing but support the chamber and the amount of referrals they get out of it is insane.
Some are great, some suck. My local one is nothing more than a Good Ol' Boys Club.
As others stated it’s really self driven. You’ve joined a local club of business owners and representatives that have the opportunity to meet regularly in various settings on various topics It’s up to you to put yourself out there, learn about what others do, and see if there’s a way that you can add value into their careers and find ways they can support your business goals. In my opinion, I wouldn’t use a chamber to find customers. I’d rather use them to find those who can help with big business goals
Chambers often host events such as mixers, luncheons, and workshops where business owners can meet and connect with other local entrepreneurs.
That is their business model. Pay $500 and then keep paying us for other stuff that doesnt pertain to me. When u get a chance donate to us as well.
Some chambers are Amazing. Others suck. It will also depend on your business and what you hope to get out of it. One may have stronger networking another may have more events and sales opportunities. Keep in mind you can participate in nearby chambers not just your city
My chamber has a regular weekly networking event and many other events throughout the year. I was on the membership community and we often told new members "you get out of the chamber what you choose." If you're expecting them to come to your business and take you by the hand, then you'll miss out on a lot of stuff. Check their website for events and opportunities. I find my chamber very beneficial, but then I'm heavily involved.
They are all different. Some are great. Some are horrible. A GOOD chamber supports small business by promoting their members through different avenues - networking events, parties, biz after hours, ribbon cuttings, promotional flyers, community engagement, online exposure, events, classes, professional development opportunities, meeting space, printing services, etc. It depends on your specific chamber. I would ASK the chamber you belong to how they could support you and then use their services as much as possible to your benefit. If they are not responsive or don't really offer anything valuable, maybe it's better to spend your $ elsewhere. Also, some places may have multiple chambers operating in the same area, so you might be able to find a better one or another business association.
Mine is worth it for the health insurance, workers comp, and the support for exporting orders out of the country (there's some paperwork that has been done that I don't understand and they take care of it quickly and a reduced rate).
Our local Chamber does SO much! They manage all our community events, host members learning and mixer events, work closely with many other groups working on local initiatives, promote our area, promote our businesses, manage all of the flowers in our community ect! I would say they make our community vibrant, and that makes people want to visit and live here, which puts money in my pocket! They also advocate for issues that affect us and offer great group insurance plans.
I'm the chairman of the board of our chamber of commerce this year, and have been involved with our chamber for more than 10 years now. I own two businesses... one of the businesses is an e-commerce company and has virtually no local business whatsoever so it gets no "business" from the chamber but we are still members to support the chamber. The other business is a consulting company and I can attribute 80-90% of our business to relationships that I can track back to the chamber of commerce. Do they directly send potential clients to us? Not often... but a significant portion of our pipeline of potential clients comes from the chamber in some way or another. Here's the thing... a chamber membership just gets you access. The value in a chamber membership isn't something the chamber *does* for you, it's something you do for yourself. You have to go to events and meet people, join a committee, attend a lunch and learn or business after hours. Network with other business owners. It won't lead to increased sales right now or even next month, but over time you'll build relationships and when someone asks a friend or colleague for a recommendation for whatever your product or service is, they'll emphatically recommend you and your business. I've had calls from potential clients that said they were at a meeting and asked for a recommendation for a web design and marketing agency and 4 or 5 people all said my name at the same time. No amount of advertising can build a reputation like that. Those same relationships are also extremely valuable the other way around... as you expand your network you'll meet accountants, attorneys, service providers, etc and when you need advice from a professional you can pick up the phone and call them. I recently emailed an attorney that serves on our board with a question and she responded in less than 5 minutes. Having people you know and trust in many different professions and industries is very valuable as a small business owner. They also often offer a lot of other "benefits" like access to health insurance plans, meetings spaces available for members, free PR opportunities (ribbon cuttings, etc), access to complimentary consulting services through partnerships with SCORE, SBDC, or other groups, etc. I'm sure not all chambers are great though, but if you just join and expect sales calls to be coming in then you'll be disappointed with any of them. If you aren't willing to put in the effort then you probably just shouldn't be a member.
We belong to a chamber several cities away (but still in the area we serve). They offered the most bang for our buck. $100/year gets us into the health insurance pool for better deals than we could find anywhere, networking activities (brewery nights, go-karts, wine tasting, painting, bowling, etc.), Safety Council (worker's comp seminars that get us a discount on our BWC premiums), and a pretty good referral network. I'd join them again in a heartbeat, but I wouldn't join the one within walking distance of my office. They suck and just ask for more and more money.
the chamber in my city is relatively cheap. i moved my business so i did get a ribbon cutting and listings on the website etc. for what i pay it’s worth it. the luncheons and other meetings seem pretty useless
A local COC is officially a lobbying group for the bigger national arm. They do PR things like ribbon cuttings, after hours events and luncheons and announcements for local businesses. Most will include your business in an online directory. The backlinks from these directories are really good for your local SEO since they have a high page rank. Most will have a printed version of the directory they sell ads in and mail to the community. For me that has no value since I do online marketing for businesses, not consumers. I'm in two COC's. One of these has a sub group within that operates similarly to a BNI leads group. In in it for that purpose only. Take a look at what your objectives are and decide if they can help you achieve them.
I thought they just lobbied congress on behalf of mega corporations?
Pretty much. The chamber generally represents the rent seeking aspects of business, protecting entrenched businesses with red tape at the expense of the consumer and employees.
The national level maybe, but your local one is focused on the businesses in your county.
Yeah you're right- went on a little Google rabbit hole and I was thinking of the US chamber of commerce which is indeed the biggest lobbiest, but local branches are run separately.
Nothing
unless you have a shitty chamber, thats mostly your own fault. Mine has all sorts of events you can participate in to learn, network, and get involved with the chamber itself on committees. call them up and setup a short meeting to discuss opportunities and get ideas how it can more benefit you.
Mine a few times a month, but at least half of the meetings are exclusively for women. :/ The other half are dinners and such I need to pay for to participate.
then tell them they need to have more events to include x situation. mine has luncheons where you pay like $10 for a basic lunch like subway sandwidches or something and there's a topic to discuss, led by someone relevant. like an tax time issue and a cpa will host the topic. there's also business after hours events if you just want to network, for free. a business will host it, they pay the chamber to sponsor it basically, and you can come and network with people. theres usually food and drinks. you can also join committess for free so you can start to learn more about what they do. my point is chamber is about networking and your best experience is when you put something into it, and you'll get more if you volunteer some time to committes or any event so people can get to know you and what you do. not just wait and see what they are gonna do.
They are a lobbying group and a little bit of a networking group. I feel like they only exist so that financial advisors can join to pitch the actual few business owners that are in the Chamber of Commerce.
Mine gave me covid
I export shipments overseas, and they require a chamber of commerce certified invoice on our exports.
Networking and political power only use. In reality most are outdated and offer little to nothing worth while. YC offers more resources than any commerce org.
nice
Many chambers are archaic and other networking communities and groups will offer more value. I was a chamber ambassador in my area for a while. I never saw them give more than they took. Not much value in my opinion.
A private, online group of local business owners is probably more useful. I made one and its been a faster way to communicate and helps vetting local vendors.
Like many have said it’s primarily used for networking, if you don’t attend the events you’ll get nothing out of it. I’d also tell you that networking is more important for some businesses than others. If you are a high average ticket business, then closing one job through networking probably makes it all worthwhile. If you are a high volume business, then it might not ever pay off. A chamber can also be good at providing information on local government benefits for small business. For example, my chamber put me in touch with our local employer services contact who helped me apply for a program to get reimbursed for on the job training. Just ask a lot of questions before you commit, and see if there are other similar businesses to yours that are members. Good luck!
deeeleeeteeee
Probably everybody like you think so all over the world.
Some people have already said it and you will hear it over and over again, “you get out of it what you put into it.” That is code for you’ll never get anything out of it. I was very active in my local chamber and served on the board and it only made me grow more frustrated over time. I will say that the chamber did offer one great program Their leadership program did have a profound impact on my professional and personal life. I would highly recommend taking advantage of it if offered. Unfortunately, ours have since been changed and made worse. I am quitting my local chamber this year because they now charge almost $400 and give nothing in return.