I had the pleasure to attend a Troy (Michigan) Chamber of Commerce meeting today and received a debrief from the 2009 Mackinac Island Policy Conference. It was great to brainstorm with my fellow members about ways that we can drive positive change in the region. The message that sticks with me is that “they are we”. Meaning, if we want to see change in our local economy, we are in a position to facilitate change through discussions with local politicians, large company business leaders and most importantly for me, other small business owners. We can’t wait for others to do it for us. As an entrepreneur, that makes a lot of sense. As a start, I will be attending local “office hours” with our state senator and representative as often as I can to provide input and ask questions.
If you are a small business, run, don’t walk to your local Chamber of Commerce. They can provide you with business information, networking opportunities and training. If you are in Troy, Michigan, I highly recommend our Troy Chamber of Commerce. It is a valuable organization that helps drive positive business change in our community.
Do you belong to a chamber of commerce? What do you see as the best benefits?
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