You can have the best product, provide exceptional service and work harder than anyone else in your industry. But if people don’t know who you are, understand what you do or trust your business, growth can be incredibly difficult. That’s a reality for businesses of every size.
We often think business growth is about having the right strategy, the right marketing plan or the right product. And certainly, all of those things matter. But there is another asset that can be just as valuable – and it can’t be built overnight. And that’s your relationships.
Who knows you? Who trusts you? Who would recommend your business when you aren’t in the room? And when an opportunity arises, is your name one of the names that comes to mind? That is your sphere of influence, and growing it may be one of the most important investments you can make in your business.
Whether you lead a company with hundreds of employees, are launching a startup from your kitchen table or run a family business that has served Sarasota for generations, connections matter. The more people who know you, understand what your business does and trust the way you do business, the more opportunities you create. And that doesn’t happen simply by handing out business cards or collecting contacts on LinkedIn. It happens by showing up, becoming involved, building genuine relationships and investing in the community where you do business.
That is one of the greatest values of belonging to a Chamber of Commerce. At the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, our network includes more than 1,500 businesses representing more than 60,000 employees throughout our region. From some of Sarasota’s largest employers to entrepreneurs building their first businesses, each becomes part of a much larger network of relationships and opportunities.
When you join a Chamber, you aren’t simply adding your company’s name to a directory or gaining access to a calendar of events. You are expanding your circle.
You are creating opportunities to meet business leaders you might not otherwise encounter. You are putting yourself and your company in rooms where relationships are being formed. You are gaining greater visibility for your business. And, over time, you are building something that is incredibly difficult to purchase through advertising: trust.
That trust matters. In a world where consumers can search online and instantly find dozens of companies offering nearly any product or service imaginable, reputation has become increasingly valuable. People want to do business with companies they know – or companies that someone they trust recommends.
Being a member of a Chamber carries credibility with it. Chamber membership signals that a business is established, engaged and invested in its community. It demonstrates that a company isn’t simply doing business in Sarasota; it wants to be part of Sarasota.
There is an important distinction between the two. Businesses that become involved in their communities build relationships beyond a transaction. They become known. Their leaders develop reputations. Other business owners become comfortable referring customers to them. And when an opportunity arises, their name is more likely to be part of the conversation.
In other words, you don’t always have to be in the room for your reputation to be working on your behalf. That is how a sphere of influence grows. Some of the most valuable connections I see happen through the Sarasota Chamber aren’t necessarily made during the formal portion of an event. They happen five minutes before the program starts or during a conversation afterward. Someone says, “You two need to know each other.” A business owner learns about another local company that could help solve a problem. A longtime Chamber member introduces a newer member to someone in their network. Two people discover that their businesses could work together. A conversation that begins over a cup of coffee turns into an opportunity months later. There may never be a way to calculate the full economic impact of those introductions, but I see their value every day.
And there is another side of belonging that I think is equally important. When you are part of a Chamber, your individual voice becomes part of a collective voice. Issues affecting your ability to grow your business – whether related to our economy, housing, transportation, economic development or the overall business climate – can be elevated through an organization representing thousands of businesses and tens of thousands of employees. There is strength in that collective voice.
At the Sarasota Chamber, our responsibility is to continually create opportunities for those connections to happen and to connect businesses with other businesses, community leaders, resources and opportunities that can help them grow. Because ultimately, belonging isn’t about having your company name on a membership list. It’s about being part of something. It’s about showing up. Building relationships. Growing your reputation. Expanding your sphere of influence. And creating opportunities for others along the way.
Because in business, who you know matters. Who knows you matters. And most importantly, the relationships you build matter.
You belong. Connections matter.
For more information about joining the Sarasota Chamber of Commerce or learning about the significance of being a member, visit sarasotachamber.com.
Heather Kasten has been president/CEO of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce since 2019. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Iowa in Business Administration and an MBA from Webster University.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Why ‘who you know’ matters for business growth | Indicators
