Chamber's your port in economic storm
08/02/2008
Debt famine, credit crunch, soaring oil prices and a marked decline in consumer confidence. There’s no doubt that recent headlines paint a bleak picture of the current situation for UK Plc. And now a survey carried out for the British Chambers of Commerce by Populus has found that the business outlook for 2008 is depressed with confidence in the Government’s ability to successfully manage the economy in decline.
Yet Richard Lacy, Chief Executive of the Chamber, believes there's never been a better time to join your local Chamber:
'It's precisely at times like this, when the economic climate is volatile with talk of recession in the air, that Chamber membership comes into its own. Many businesses cut back on benefits such as Chamber membership when times are hard but this can be a false economy'
Said Mr Lacy
'There are a number of direct savings you can make via Chamber membership not least substantial savings on telephone rental and utility bills – all considerable expenses at any time.'
'Added to this there are benefits to Chamber membership which are less direct but no less valuable in difficult times. You may think that promoting your business and networking should go on the back burner during lean times. Yet business leaders say that it's at times like this that you should increase your business promotion. The Chamber offers a number of options for promoting your business from networking events and business-to-business advertising to editorial in our members' magazine Business Focus.'
Finally, says Richard Lacy, it's vital that the business voice is heard loud and clear during difficult times.
'What's good for business is good for the wider economy. The business community needs to put pressure on the government to manage the economy in a way that promotes an enterprise economy. It's virtually impossible for small businesses to do this alone but as a Chamber member you immediately become part of a network of businesses all represented by the highly influential British Chambers of Commerce. I can't think of a better port in a storm!'
