Where are the best places?

One of the questions I'm often asked is, "Where is the best place to meet and connect with more people?" Unfortunately, there is no such place. What might work for me might not work for you. One of the first places I tell people to look at is the many chambers of commerce in the Valley.

I have been involved in many chambers of commerce. I work almost exclusively with the Phoenix chamber right now but have worked with the Scottsdale, Tempe, and Gilbert chambers, the Northwest Valley Chamber, the Greater Phoenix Black Chamber, the Hispanic Chamber and the Filipino-Asian Chamber. As you can see, I am a chamber-holic.

Why am I involved with so many chambers? I believe that chambers of commerce do more for small businesses than almost any other group. Their sole purpose is to help small businesses become big businesses. Chambers offer networking functions for breakfast, lunch, and dinner; educational seminars to help people learn the ways to grow their business; and they even lobby our local, state and federal governments to make sure we are treated fairly.

To start enjoying the benefits that a chamber of commerce can offer, pick the chamber that is best suited for your needs, call them and sign up. But remember, after you sign up as a member, you have to attend the events. The chambers offer you many opportunities. You need to meet them halfway and go.

Another wonderful group dedicated to the betterment of small businesses is the Arizona Small Business Association. ASBA is a statewide group of small business owners organized together in a nonprofit Arizona corporation whose mission is to provide the best benefits available to its membership. They provide a forum for networking; offer many informative workshops, seminars and classroom training, actively represent their members regarding legislation affecting small businesses at the state and federal levels of government in an effort to support and foster small business development, retention and growth in Arizona.

I have been a member of ASBA for years. Many of the people that attend ASBA functions don't attend any other networking functions in the Valley. What does this mean? You will always have a good chance to meet a lot of new people at their functions.

To find a listing of places to network and create connections with others, check out the Phoenix Business Journal. This publication lists dozens of groups that might work for you.

Dave Sherman is the owner of Connection Pros, a speaking, training and consulting company. Visit www.connectionpros.com or call 480-860-6100.

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