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Our chambers of commerce are posting and sharing their businesses’ COVID stories online these days, and it is great to hear so much reassuring positive news. There is an endless list of northern Michigan business generosity.
As these stories rolled out on chamber Facebook pages and newsletters, I decided to follow/subscribe to as many chamber pages and newsletters as I could find in our region — about 20 of them! Reading about the chambers reminded me how important they are to our businesses and local economies. Of course, these chambers have always been a key hub for their members, but I was inspired by how rapidly they transformed into major centers of information, action, teamwork and leadership. The Petoskey News-Review had an uplifting article about this recently — check it out in the May 9, 2020, edition to learn about how the chambers are helping businesses in so many creative ways during this difficult time.
Most of these chambers are a key partner with us at SCORE. We ask our clients if they are chamber members and, if not, advise them that they should join as soon as possible. We say, “Start by reviewing the chamber member benefits and get involved with the chambers wherever you do business.” We include chamber members in our lists of professionals for clients to select their “key partners” for accounting, legal, insurance, banking services, and others such as web designers, marketing specialists, recruiters, and so on. We publicize important chamber offerings including member virtual check ins, webinars, business best practices and many more. We are reaching out so that we can promote each other by including links on our respective websites for benefit of our many mutual clients and members.
In return, the chambers recognize and promote us and educate their members about our free and confidential services. Some include hotlinks to our website at tipofthemitt.score.org and note our Facebook page on their websites. We are listed in several chamber membership directories as a business service. And we are especially grateful to special partner, Petoskey Regional Chamber of Commerce, for hosting us, helping triage our client contacts, and recognizing the benefit of SCORE participation in many of their member events.
Our mentors are available to all businesses and nonprofits in communities throughout the northern lower and eastern upper peninsulas. We are grateful to the chambers for thinking of us when their members are looking for guidance on starting, growing, troubleshooting or winding down a small business or nonprofit. We are here to offer guidance and mentoring “for the life of your business.”
Check out the testimonials on our website to see some of the fantastic businesses with whom we’ve worked. These (with permission) are great examples of success in their communities. We believe our partnership with so many of the chambers has played a role in that!
