In a 2024 article published by HBR, entitled How the Pandemic Rebooted Entrepreneurship in the US, the authors Kenan Fikri and Daniel Newman claim that one of the unexpected results of the pandemic was the explosion in entrepreneurship. Additionally, these entrepreneurs don’t seem dissuaded by the economic troubles. The authors wrote, “In October 2023, over three and a half years after the pandemic’s onset, Americans were still filing 59% more applications to start new businesses than they were before the pandemic.” That’s a pretty impressive number and one chambers should be paying attention to as a new target market.
These new business owners often don’t know where to start. They simply want to get out of where they are. Help from the chamber could mean the difference between them running a successful organization for years to come or giving up on their dreams. The chamber is in the perfect position to become a fairy godmother (or father) of sorts. And that’s a position that makes a big impression. Your biggest challenge filling that role of dream facilitator is helping them understand what you can do for them. Many entrepreneurs just don’t know.
What Do Entrepreneurs Need?
If you’re considering a marketing campaign to attract more entrepreneurs and (new) small business people, you’ll want to focus on what’s in it for them. If they don’t know to join the chamber, you must give them a reason why. And it must be something that they deem as a need. When we’re referring to entrepreneurs in this article, we’re talking about new business owners. Maybe they had a side hustle and they’re tired of working for someone else. Perhaps they realized the work-life balance they achieved during the pandemic and feel like they can’t get that “back in the office.”
Whatever their reason for branching out on their own, helping them understand how the chamber can be a partner in their success can be the beginning of a fruitful pairing. But you need to rework how you present chamber benefits to this group. Here’s what they need:
- Funding. Most small business start-ups fund their own. According to the Census Bureau data, personal or family savings is the most common method of start-up funding. That means most small business people are putting everything on the line in the hopes of creating a successful business.
- Support. This is one they may not even realize they need. It sounds cool to start a business but the actual work you must put in is something most people don’t understand. In a start-up, there’s no one back at the office doing your job if you want to take the afternoon off. Plus, it’s unlikely your friends and family understand the hours that go into creating a successful business. A new small business person needs the support of those who have been there.
- Word of mouth. Starting a business is hard. People need to think of you to buy from you. Marketing and advertising require money that many small business people don’t have. They need to generate buzz to help with word-of-mouth marketing.
- An online presence. This is a necessity but there are still some small business start-ups that place all of their content into the hands of Facebook or some other social media site. They simply don’t understand the dangers in doing this. Those who do have a website might simply create a landing page. While that is better than nothing, it doesn’t instill much confidence in the business’ staying power. It looks like they’re setting up a tent instead of a brick-and-mortar structure. They’re giving off the impression that they could fold at any minute.
- Legal information. As you know, starting a business in your area of the country requires the new business owner to perform certain tasks. At the minimum, they need to register with the state but it’s likely there are other registrations, fees, and preparations. They need legal and tax info but they don’t know where to get it. “YouTube told me to” is not a valid excuse for the IRS.
- Business email. While Gmail is an easy and accessible platform, it does nothing to validate professionalism. Small businesses need a custom business email. Again, it communicates a dedication to sticking around, not a hobby.
- Tech and financial tools. Many new business people don’t know the tech tools that are out there that can help them be more efficient and organized. There are tons of free (and affordable) options. But locating and auditioning them takes time.
- Advocacy. This is something most new business people don’t consider. But as entrepreneurs, it’s an important component to their ability to do business. Currently, most people (with the right guidance and assistance) can try out turning a side hustle into a business. However, imagine if legislation was introduced that would make it much harder to start a business. That’s why advocacy is so important.
Additionally, there may be all sorts of things that a small business pro needs for specific industries like cafes, service pros, etc. They likely don’t know what they don’t know.
That’s where the chamber comes in.
You can be a large help to someone with dreams of opening a business but just as they may not know about zoning codes and regulations in your town, they may be unaware of how a chamber can help them. They may think chambers only assist established businesses. They may think you are part of the Better Business Bureau.
On the other hand, they may know what the chamber does but may think they can’t afford membership. Or they may think the chamber is something to join once they are successful and want to sponsor an event.
You know this couldn’t be further from the truth but they don’t. You need to educate them.
Providing Meaningful Entrepreneurial Assistance
A major part of your entrepreneur outreach will be educating them on why they need the chamber as well as providing them with meaningful resources. You can do this in several ways. Take a look at what these chambers have done:
- Create entrepreneur videos. Create a library of short videos advising new entrepreneurs on everything they need to know. St. Landry has a very informative video series.
- Launch a co-working space. Take a look at what the Metroport Chamber offers.
- Host events to help connect entrepreneurs. New businesses need connections. The chamber can be a big help. The Cary Chamber created a Solopreneur Alliance which hosts monthly meetups for business pros with companies of under 5 employees.
- Create a small business guide. Solopreneurs and new business owners have to start somewhere. Providing them with all the information they need can be a huge benefit that they will remember. Check out the Garland Chamber of Commerce’s in-depth resources.
- Introduce a beneficial tier of membership for them. Solopreneurs (especially those with online-only businesses) need different resources, at least initially. Consider how you might meet those needs by creating a membership tier that is just for them. The Meadowlands Chamber has a tier and also does an excellent job showing why solopreneurs need the chamber.
- Help them shine. The Greater Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce launched a Solopreneur Member Profile Series to help spotlight members.
People who are new to business ownership need guidance and help. Often, they’re the type to roll up their sleeves and dig in. And it’s not until they get deep into trouble that they may consider they need assistance.
But if you can educate them on that need ahead of it, your chamber can position itself to not only provide assistance to new business professionals but also support for their efforts. Starting a business is hard work. If you’re able to help them bring their business ownership dreams to life, it’s something that will make them loyal advocates for the chamber. That’s a win for them, the chamber, and the community.
