The RCBCC is now moving into its fourth year as an organization designed to support and assist in the growth and leadership of minority small businesses. We feel it is vital to engage on all levels of commerce, if we are collectively going to march together into a brighter prosperous future.
The RCBCC has a unique prospective of defining what the “business” of its chamber identity should look like. A traditional “Chamber of Commerce” tends to have tunnel vision in which they only look for ways to promote the interest of small businesses. Sometimes this self-serving interest, to always look-out for the business man’s interest, leads to a conflict with the people he or she may employee.
For example, there is an Assembly Bill 1522 which is being debated whether or not employers should have to pay mandatory employee sick time. As a business owner, the question becomes, “Why should I have to pay a person if they are too sick to perform their duties?” As a traditional chamber of commerce the answer would be, “it’s an unfair burden” for that small business owner to have to shoulder the cost to cover an employee’s sick time off.
While the economic concern in the above example is a real issue, it is certainly not the only consideration. One very obvious danger is that, by essentially, forcing that employee to come into work, it could farther cause economic lost, if that sick employee is put in a position, (due to a day of lost pay) feels forced to come into work sick, thereby exposing other fellow workers or customers the consequences could more costly than covering the cost of one or two sick days.
The RCBCC takes a “Holistic” approach to issues that are at the heart of smart business strategies for the minority small business owner. We encourage our business owners to see their business in its “big picture” frame. We look to find ways where there is a win-win outlook for both the business owner and their employees.
Our “Holistic” approach of how we operate RCBCC programs is both specific and inclusive, we specifically reach out to the minority business community, and we also include the economic development of the community surrounding those minority businesses. In our view, we understand that an entrepreneur can have the best business model in the state, but if that community in which it has decided to serve does not have a solid economic base which can use its discretionary income to patronize that business, than that business will fail. Therefore, the chamber’s holistic strategy is to foster employment opportunities surrounding the minority businesses in the minority communities.
It is our mission to empower and inspire minority entrepreneurs, in their indigenous communities to be successful, and to this end, we will partner with like minded individuals, companies, and nonprofit organizations to achieve our mission. We believe that our greatest opportunity to empower and inspire minority communities and businesses lies in cooperation and collaboration with the industries of tomorrow.
We encourage you to contact us for more information on how to get involved. “Engagement through participation, success comes to those roll up their sleeves.”
Respectfully Submitted, Pepi Jackson
