Businesses use chamber resources to gain an edge

That's one of the reasons Andy Maxwell, the owner of Maxwell Smart Promotions, enjoys attending business education seminars for the moment once every other month.

Local chamber of commerce groups and other organizations are increasingly trying to cater to members just as Maxwell by adding more business-skills workshops and revamping traditional seminars to make them more relevant.

"I think for the people that are most involved with the chamber they are taking everything into consideration your sales reps and people who are out in the community a lot promoting their businesses," said Columbia County Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Tammy Shepherd. "You always want to find topics that educate them and develop them personally and professionally."

The Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce is launching a new monthly series this year called Eggs and Experts to help people in the business community navigate topics just as tax credits, banking, loans and cloud computing.

"I think we play a very important role in trying to provide content for matters that might not be on the radar of small businesses," said Sue Parr, the president of the Augusta chamber.

Technology and taxes are often requested as topics of interest, and Parr expects health care reform will continue to be another popular topic for small businesses.

"Lots of chamber members are in point of fact small businesses and as such they are the marketer, bookkeeper and outside sales force," said Brian Tucker, the president of the North Augusta Chamber of Commerce. "What we have found is that small-business people typically go into business because they are good at something -- a particular skill or a certain product -- nevertheless they don't necessarily have all the other skill sets to run a business."

The start-up phase

Education is important in the start-up phase and once a business is established, said Susan Caldwell, the area director for the Augusta Small Business Development Center.

"What we find is that business owners who try to improve their management skills and prepare for change more often than not grow faster," she said.

The center offers courses for small businesses just as FastTrac GrowthVenture and FastTrac NewVenture, which provide established and young businesses with tips and tools, Caldwell said. Other classes cover topics just as financial essentials and pricing strategies.

In particular, business people are looking for ways to grow and retain their customer bases in a sluggish economy, Jameson said.

"They're saying, 'Teach me how to have an edge,'" he said. "'Teach me how to do one or two things differently that will help my business grow.'"

Maxwell, a member of the Augusta and the North Augusta chambers , said he likes to attend workshops that focus on marketing and sales. His one-man business sells promotional items just as mugs, key chains and pens to companies.

"It's local, it's inexpensive and it gives you a good possibility to meet other people in the business world and have networking opportunities and share ideas," Rickabaugh said.