The ERIE Small Business Alliance
Membership information

What is the primary function of the ESBA, and how can it help my business grow?

Our primary function is to facilitate business growth through referrals, contacts, training, support, and community awareness - here's how:

Our business networking events are well-planned and also very well attended, meaning that you'll have the opportunity every month to meet with 75-100 local business owners and professionals to build your contact and referral list, to tell others about your product or service, and to display your materials and/or products. Every member has the opportunity to do their own "30 second commercial" in front of the room - if you're shy, please note that the commercials aren't mandatory.

We offer our own training on networking skills as well as sales training by our co-founder, Heidi Parr Kerner, as well as other business-building seminars and workshops where we partner with experts on various business development topics.

Finally, we help build community awareness for our members with our Erie Small Business Alliance Magazine - the only business organization publication that's free to the public, and not just our members.

How much does it cost?

Our annual membership fee is $325.00 for the first year, and $250.00 for renewals if paid before the expiration date of your membership. Your membership is good for (1) year from the date you join and covers your entire organization, which means that you can send as many folks from your organization as you'd like to each month.

Are there any other fees involved?

Our monthly "Business Breakfasts" are $20.00, and our evening events are usually $25 - $35, depending on the venue and if dinner is being served. Seminar fees vary from $25.00 to $69.00, again depending on the venue, length, and any speaker fees that we have to cover.

Are there any "hidden" fees or quotas?

No. You simply pay for the events that you choose to attend, and are not expected or pressured to bring new members in nor do we force you to come up with referrals. That being said, we always remind our members that bringing guests helps all of our businesses grow, and that referrals for other members are always welcome and greatly appreciated.

Do you limit the amount of businesses allowed in each category?

No. Our organization is large enough to handle more than one representative from each field, and we believe that everyone should have more than one choice when it comes to a particular product or service. You may view our current membership list here.

Are the meetings mandatory?

Absolutely not, but we highly recommend that you block your calendar for just three hours a month, and consider it your marketing time. The most successful members don't miss an event and their businesses are full, many times with a waiting list.

How do I know when the meetings are?

You can check the website as often as you like (under "Current Events"), plus we send (2) emails out before each event. At that time, we ask that you confirm your reservation by either making your registration and payment online, or by mailing in a check. Please note that we do charge slightly more for "door" payments.

Do I have to join or can I just come to your events and just pay the higher "guest" fee?

We let you come once as a visitor to see what we're all about. After that, you must join our membership to attend our events. This protects our members from being cold-called from people who really aren't committed to helping others grow. In other words, we don't recommend scooping up as many business cards as you can and then calling all of your new "contacts" the next day - it just doesn't work.

What's the difference between The Erie Small Business Alliance and Erie Power Networking?

The ESBA was formed to be the "umbrella" for everything that we've got going on: business networking, our magazine, and our radio program. Plus, The ESBA name resonates more with the average consumer, who might not "get" what business networking is all about. This change reflects our ongoing efforts to showcase our membership to the Erie community. Erie Power Networking is now considered the "networking" arm of the Erie Small Business Alliance.

Do you work with other business organizations in the area?

We currently have strong relationships with The Gannon Small Business Development Center, the Young Erie Professionals (YEP!), and the Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership. We're also building a new business alliance with our friends to the south, the Meadville Chamber of Commerce.

Do you have other opportunities for me to promote my services?

All of our events are open to sponsorship. This fee varies depending on the event, but we always give our sponsors at least 10 minutes in front of the room to address the audience. Our sponsors are featured on all of our press releases and emails, with direct links to your website. These promotional emails go out to over 3,000 local business professionals.

Do I get a complete list of member's email addresses to use for my own marketing?

We do not permit mass emails to our members for a few reasons: one, the size of our membership could cause a massive amount of emails to be generated that nobody either wants to or will read; two, we want our members to know that everything that they receive from us is important and should be read; and three, it just doesn't work. The best way for you to build your own email list is to invite others to your website, where they can choose to sign up for your own newsletter or email offers. The key word here is "invite!"

How do I join?

You may click here to fill out our online application, email us, or call us at (814) 455-0875 to either join or have any other questions answered that you might have.