I O N Index 'Come on in' Chambers of commerce rope in home businesses to boost membership rolls, but results are mixed. The Chamber of Commerce wants you. The pitches include discounted membership fees, free use of facilities and other incentives to bring home businesses into the fold. If it's a chamber's mission to represent business people it doesn't make any sense to exclude an entire segment of the business population simply because of where their offices are located. Debbie Villa, program director for the Mountain View, Calif., Chamber of Commerce, agrees.
Sole proprietorships are our fastest growing segment.
Hardly a day goes by that I don't receive a request from another chamber asking for information on what we're doing with our home-based business group. The Mountain View chamber's home-based business group, known as Home Run, has nearly 100 members. She believes that any business person has to earn credibility with her clients and colleagues. Through her work with other chambers, however, she has found not all have the same priorities. We would set up programs and meetings but they weren't consistently attended.