Let’s Work Together to Create Positive Change

July Commentary

The Saint John Region Chamber of Commerce just onboarded our 150th new member in 2024. For context, that’s the same number of members to join in the preceding 10 years combined.

We’re pretty pumped, and eager to keep the momentum going. Because motion forward really is the name of the game in business. Ask any startup trying to validate their innovation, raise that first round of capital, get a loan or earn the confidence of their earliest customers. Demonstrated traction enables businesses to take that next step and start to realize the impact they intend to have in the world (and become wildly profitable too, we hope).

To that end, I’m super proud of our small and mighty team at the Chamber for reaching an important milestone, and appreciative to the business community who have confidence in what we’re building. Some of what we’re doing is rebuilding. We’ve re-established member-led committees and are joining inter-agency boards and task forces aimed at solving problems in the community. A big aspect, however, is going back to the drawing board. Asking folks why they joined, what problem they hoped the Chamber could solve for them, whether we’re meeting expectations, and – regardless of what our organization has done historically – what they need to feel supported now and better-positioned for future growth. Because the rules of achieving traction have fundamentally shifted. It isn’t enough to just have a great product or service. Being seen, considered, and earning a customer’s trust – and ultimately their hard-earned money – isn’t a straightforward equation anymore. And the entrepreneur of the past is not necessarily the business owner of today.

We’re hearing it in our member meetings and seeing it with these 150 new members:
– 76% are solopreneurs or owner-operators with fewer than five employees (and many are work-from-home service operators)
– 25% have moved to the Saint John Region from outside Atlantic Canada (and 10% of the total new members have newcomers as their target customer).
– 48% are women-owned or women-led businesses (yay!)

Remote businesses. First-time founders. Side hustlers. And specialists in their specific area of expertise, figuring out how to build a profitable enterprise around their value prop with no formal business training. A group that has an overwhelming amount of information available at their fingertips but lacks the human-to-human connection that is still foundational to most sales processes and sustainable growth. That’s an emerging demographic in our membership.

They joined the Chamber to build a network in the region and foster meaningful owner-to-owner connections. And many are asking for help with accessing real-world tools to scale; education in areas such as sales, financial literacy / access to capital, and how to apply AI in their operations. These are areas where we can help – both through what we are doing today, and what we imagine building in this moment of inflection at our chamber (and at many chambers of commerce across the country).

We’ve just started a strategic planning project, and in the next three months – working with our ~650 current members and Board leaders – we will get really clear on the organizational goals and tactical ways in which we can best serve the needs of business and benefit the wider community by extension. Strengthening our relationships with decision makers so we have a voice at the table and can bring the perspectives of local business to any conversation around private sector growth is one piece. Acting as a convenor of ideas and organizations to help solve local and provincial economic problems is another. And, with it, elevating the quality of those conversations with engaged partners and relevant data. So, too, is bringing tools to the business community that help them legitimately make money, save money, and reduce risk (our mandate, FYI). I’ve met one-on-one with approximately 10% of our total membership in my first 100 days on the job (as well as with several businesses who decided not to renew their membership in 2024), and the ‘ideas file’ for what we could create from scratch or improve upon is exciting.

Just like – as we move into provincial election season and are keen to understand the party leaders’ clear visions for growing our economy and building strong communities – we at the Chamber are working to get really clear about what we can accomplish that is both aspirational and achievable. To focus on making meaningful and measurable progress on 2-3 priorities annually vs. trying to be everything to everyone. To communicate those key objectives transparently. To focus our day-in-and-day-out efforts in pursuit of those goals. And to measure our progress and be held accountable. It’s how the most successful businesses grow.

And, if I could be so bold as to offer a little unsolicited advice to our political party leads, it’s something I know the business community would appreciate seeing more of in government. A clear goal aimed at growing our economy. Created with time-bound deliverables that can be controlled. Backed by massive action and engagement from relevant organizations and individuals. And regular progress reports to ensure continued focus and a means to ask for help.

At the Saint John Region Chamber, we want to be allies to elected officials at all levels of government and a partner in bringing the much-needed voice of small business to the conversation for consideration in making policy and regulatory decisions. Small- and medium-sized businesses are, after all, the literal lifeblood of our economy. We want to work with relevant agencies to get on the same page around what’s most important for our community right now, and to champion the most exciting opportunities of the future.

I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it so long as I’m in this position because I’ve lived it in my own experience as a startup entrepreneur and have seen how it can be a powerful catalyst for collective growth. We are stronger as a business COMMUNITY. And as the region with the highest tides in the world, my vision is for the Chamber is that we become the tide that lifts all boats – that powerful, unifying element that connects and raises up the business community we exist to serve, so, together, we can make this region the best place to start and grow a company in Canada.

Tracy Bell is the Chief Executive Officer of the Saint John Region Chamber of Commerce

Her column appears monthly