As we wind down toward the end of the year, it’s always a great time for reflection both personally and professionally.  I want to thank the hundreds of you who have taken the time to complete your chamber end-of-year survey.

We will be sharing the results with our members after the first of the year, but I’m humbled by the strong show of support from our members and their confidence in the chamber.  It gives us the opportunity to look at what our members have to say about their chamber and what their needs are for the coming year.  If you haven’t had time to fill out your survey yet, we will be resending the survey this week.

We’re incredibly thankful for your support of the chamber and the business community.

Best wishes for a very Merry Christmas and wonderful holiday season!

We are a membership-driven organization in every sense of the word. When we want to know how we can meet your needs and be an important tool for your business we do something really simple, yet critical, to determine what those needs are…..we ask you.

The chamber’s membership survey is our way of understanding your needs and what you believe the chamber’s priorities should be.  To make certain we’re focusing on what’s important to you, we need your input.  It helps us decide on programming for the coming year and beyond, and whether we’re making the grade on everything from the programs we offer to how we communicate with membership.

We’re fortunate to have one of the highest member retention rates in the nation.  That speaks volumes about the success of our organization and its service to our members.  With 1,600 members, do we always agree on everything?  Absolutely not.  Each business is unique and what it needs from the chamber is unique as well.

Take a moment to give us your thoughts via our online membership survey you’ll be receiving this week.  As a bonus, one lucky respondent will receive a $250 Visa giftcard just in time for that last minute holiday shopping.

Awards we win such as National Chamber of the Year don’t happen because of chamber staff…they happen because of you.  Our best ideas come from our members.  Please give us your thoughts and comments by taking the survey.

Undoubtedly, this week you’ll be presented with a number of opportunities.  Opportunities to grow your business…to learn something new…to be better at what you do than you were the day before.

When it comes to business, some feel that hard work counts, and that learning, selling and networking are important, but that there’s a healthy dose of luck thrown in for good measure.  I’m not buying it.  For the most part, “luck” is simply the intersection of preparation and opportunity.

If you take a 40,000 foot, big picture view of opportunity, you’ll see that it’s often disguised as hard work.  Former first lady Barbara Bush may have said it best when she stated “You just don’t luck into things as much as you’d like to think you do.  You build step by step, whether it’s friendships or opportunities.”

The chamber offers a number of opportunities for you to grow your business and interact with potential clients and strengthen your relationships with current customers.  This Thursday is one of our most popular Business After Hours events of the year at Old Oyster Factory. We also have Business Expo right around the corner in January as well as our Young Professionals Group and a myriad of other opportunities.  Take advantage of them.

One of our members approached me at a chamber event and noted that the benefits of his chamber membership for his business were directly tied to his level of involvement.  He remarked that taking the time to get involved and be part of chamber events and programs was of great benefit to him both professionally and personally.  That’s our goal for every member.

Be on the lookout this week and beyond for “opportunities” disguised as challenges and hard work.  You’ll be surprised at how “lucky” you become.