For business owners and executives, being involved in groups and associations that are intertwined with your business model is a very important component of success. As a franchisor, I believe that it's essential to be involved with the IFA, (International Franchise Association) because of the opportunities that it provides for political advocacy, education, the sharing of best practices and obviously, for networking with other franchising professionals.Equally as important in my view, is the need to engage with commercial/civic associations that help to advance the core offerings of your business model and it's concept. For me, that screams the value proposition being served up by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and their BCLC. (Business Civic Leadership Center).
Last March, I was exposed to the U.S. Chamber and the BCLC for the first time, as I was invited to speak at their Annual Conference. The program was themed around “Corporate Community Investment" and my topic was, you guessed it: "The power of wage-based, tax credits, and the impact that they can have on your bottom line." (See previous blog posts for more about this topic) This event brought together, some 300 business and civic leaders from all over the U.S.A.
When I arrived at the pre-conference reception, my first impression was that the gathering seemed a bit small, given that this was a national conference. That impression was quickly erased though, as I started talking with some of the other speakers and attendees. In fact, I was very quickly reminded why it is NOT a good idea to judge books by their covers. Truth is, there was a great deal of power harnessed in this group and it was the BCLC that brought it all together. This assemblage represented a cross section of America's DNA, it's very engine, if you will. Included were: for profits, not-for-profits, representatives of both the public and private sectors, executives from large corporations, mom and pop operators from Main Streets across America, fledgling, community-based non-profits, standing alongside representatives of mega-large corporate foundations. Representatives of local and regional Chambers of Commerce attended, as did the Mayors of large and small American cities. Also found in the mix were representatives of the U.S. Governors Association, the U.S. Small Business Association, The Department of Defense, even the White House was represented at this conference. Beginning to get the point? It was no doubt, an eclectic group.
Regardless which market sector you represented when you got there, the BCLC and the Chamber brought this public/private sector conglomeration together for the purposes of attacking a single common focus: that being, how to expedite economic recovery in America. In fact, "Together for Recovery" was the subset of this entire summit. A lot of incredible results were born out of this conference, but there is still a lot of heavy lifting left to be accomplished. Look into joining the BCLC and the U.S. Chamber. If you are not aware of the good that they do, visit www.uschamber.com/bclc/about/default , and get involved! Help make a difference, as only YOU can. Whatever effort you put forth, will pay you back ten-fold.
Personally, I developed some great relationships as the result of this two-day BCLC conference. Consequently, I am now working closely with several organizations that I might never have otherwise been introduced to. I’ve also been smitten by the BCLC, the U.S. Chamber and the dedicated team of professionals that make this organization work. This has culminated in my commitment to do more for and through this organization for the common good of myself, my business, the BCLC, the U.S. Chamber, its members and the people that they serve.
When I arrived at the pre-conference reception, my first impression was that the gathering seemed a bit small, given that this was a national conference. That impression was quickly erased though, as I started talking with some of the other speakers and attendees. In fact, I was very quickly reminded why it is NOT a good idea to judge books by their covers. Truth is, there was a great deal of power harnessed in this group and it was the BCLC that brought it all together. This assemblage represented a cross section of America's DNA, it's very engine, if you will. Included were: for profits, not-for-profits, representatives of both the public and private sectors, executives from large corporations, mom and pop operators from Main Streets across America, fledgling, community-based non-profits, standing alongside representatives of mega-large corporate foundations. Representatives of local and regional Chambers of Commerce attended, as did the Mayors of large and small American cities. Also found in the mix were representatives of the U.S. Governors Association, the U.S. Small Business Association, The Department of Defense, even the White House was represented at this conference. Beginning to get the point? It was no doubt, an eclectic group.
Regardless which market sector you represented when you got there, the BCLC and the Chamber brought this public/private sector conglomeration together for the purposes of attacking a single common focus: that being, how to expedite economic recovery in America. In fact, "Together for Recovery" was the subset of this entire summit. A lot of incredible results were born out of this conference, but there is still a lot of heavy lifting left to be accomplished. Look into joining the BCLC and the U.S. Chamber. If you are not aware of the good that they do, visit www.uschamber.com/bclc/about/default , and get involved! Help make a difference, as only YOU can. Whatever effort you put forth, will pay you back ten-fold.
Personally, I developed some great relationships as the result of this two-day BCLC conference. Consequently, I am now working closely with several organizations that I might never have otherwise been introduced to. I’ve also been smitten by the BCLC, the U.S. Chamber and the dedicated team of professionals that make this organization work. This has culminated in my commitment to do more for and through this organization for the common good of myself, my business, the BCLC, the U.S. Chamber, its members and the people that they serve.
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