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Has The Chamber Of Commerce Lost Its Way?

By: Nick Messe


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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. Starting up a company has many challenges, from marketing to sales to planning and everything in between. 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, the rug has been pulled out from under them.

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. All across the country, in some small towns and some medium sized cities, the chamber of commerce groups were designed to help business owners and look after their interests. From things like succession planning to helping with marketing plans, the chamber of commerce was intended to be the ultimate backer of business owners. 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. Ask anyone who runs a small business and they will tell you the same thing. Today's business world is tough and they have had to adapt in order to survive. Some business owners have not been able to adapt, so they have been left by the wayside as a result.

This is a huge negative, but it happens to be a reality that we are dealing with today. In this business climate, owners need help with things like the internet, setting up websites, and e-commerce. Handling these on their own without input from a small business consultant can be a huge hurdle for many individuals. In addition to those things, business owners today face difficulty because of the big businesses pushing them out.

With cheap labor available at big stores and the fact that they can produce goods at such a low cost, big businesses have all sorts of leverage to use. This makes life even more difficult for owners who already face enough challenges. When you add in the current health care reform system and how it's making running a business even more expensive, you get a clear picture. That picture grim.

Business owners need the chamber of commerce more now than ever before and many businesses would be able to survive if they had such an advocate on their side. Unfortunately, this is not happening in many areas of the country. The chamber has been overrun by special interests and it has been overrun by new goals that just don't mesh with the original mandate. Let's hope things change.

Article Source: http://depositarticles.com/

Nick Messe is president of Lead Frog LLC. 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.

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