Bringing greater attention to the unique issues faced by small business owners (SBO) during May, which is recognized as Small Business Month, we reached out to Leanne Calderwood, CMP, and Susan Piel, CMP, CMM—volunteer leaders and active members of MPI’s SBO Community—to share their insights.
Why do you think it’s important to have this dedicated community group?
SUSAN PIEL (pictured, left): “Most meeting professional join MPI and engage through their local chapter, but having special interest groups, like the MPI SBO Community give members another forum to connect with likeminded professionals and gain an additional benefit of their membership. It gives us a chance to connect and engage with other small business owners and exchange tips and advice on running our small businesses.”
LEANNE CALDERWOOD: “This group functions as a family. Small businesses view business differently, and we view marketing, prospecting, staffing, HR and operations differently. As a family, we’re here to share those best practices, saving one another time and money.”
What is the greatest benefit you’ve received through your involvement with the MPI SBO Community?
PIEL: “I feel like I have a community of professionals that get my day-to-day struggles of running my own business. I have gotten some great advice on running my business and going through the struggles of the pandemic as a solo operator. In addition, I have been able to buy and provide my services to other small business owners within the community. We call it Buy MPI Small Business.”
CALDERWOOD: “The people and the network! What I love about small businesses is that we tend to support one another—we understand one another’s plight—and so supporting other small businesses is top-of-mind for the community’s members.”
What are some of the key challenges that seem to be most notably affecting small-business meeting professionals?
CALDERWOOD (pictured, left): “One of the biggest challenges is being able to communicate our value proposition compared to the big dogs. Our clients can trust our services as much as those of larger organizations. Less overhead doesn’t mean less talent; in fact, small business owners have had to diversify their skill sets to run their businesses, and we bring that knowledge to our client’s projects as well.”
PIEL: “One of the key challenges I have experienced is not having a built-in set of co-workers to discuss work-related issues or successes with. The MPI SBO Community has given me that network of colleagues in which to have those discussions.”
What do you anticipate will be some challenges as far as actually maintaining/operating the MPI SBO Community?
CALDERWOOD: “Our biggest challenge is marketing, and showing the wonderful MPI members that we exist, and that we are working hard to bring them the resources they need to grow their businesses! We’re a tight-knit group that supports one another and our arms are open for others to join us, they just need to hear about us!”
PIEL: “Our biggest challenge is letting MPI members that are small business owners know we exist for them. In addition to that, as small business owners we are all really business individuals so having the time to connect can be a challenge. Making the time to be involved is important to be able to have an exchange of ideas.”
Can you share any goals for the MPI SBO Community over the next year?
PIEL: “We would like to grow the community to include other MPI members who are small business owners and do not know the community exists. We also want to have more engagement with our members and help them to Buy MPI Small Business.”
CALDERWOOD: “Our goals are to support as many SBOs as possible—whether through education, networking or mentorship. We may function differently than a chapter, but the community is thriving and growing!”
