How Small Business Can Influence Policymakers

By Alexa Vaughn Entrepreneur.com



With the eyes of the world glued to this year's presidential campaigns, it's easy for local election issues to escape the public's radar. But entrepreneurs need to be tuned in because the results usually have an immediate impact on their businesses and the communities surrounding them.

Local elections often determine policies concerning hot topics such as eminent domain, workers' compensation, taxes and rent control. And entrepreneurs such as Steve Caughran, owner of Higher Ground Engineering and Land Surveying, must be more creative than executives of major corporations if they want their interests taken seriously by politicians and the voting public.

Statewide Elections

When a political initiative started by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger surfaced in California, for example, Caughran found that joining the National Federation of Independent Business helped him lobby for his company's interests despite his tight work schedule.

"Whenever they felt they needed the perspective of a business owner from Fresno, I would get the call on that and be able to talk at press conferences about my perspective on the issue," says Caughran, who eventually headed his region's NFIB action council. "As I got more involved, I also got to interact with the governor, as well as set up press conferences for senators and representatives in my area."

In the months since the initiative's campaign, Caughran has been invited back to meetings with the governor's staff to help counsel them on his concerns as a business owner.

"You'd be surprised; you can really get involved and get your voice heard," Caughran says.

Unfortunately, too many small-business owners don't know they can make a difference even with extremely busy schedules, says John Kabateck, executive director of NFIB California.

"We respect the fact that small-business owners have businesses to run on a daily basis, and they don't have much time or money on their hands. But that's what we're here for: connecting the dots between members and the issues that fire them up," Kabateck says. "If a great many are able to give a little time, they can move mountains."

City and County Elections

For a city- or county-level election, a different course of action may be needed, according to David Newman, founder of Templar LLC consulting firm.

"The very first thing I'd do, prior to starting up, is pay a visit to my city council, city administrators and the mayor. What I'm looking for is whether their vision of the city is the same [as] or opposed to my own," Newman says.