MERG CT closes its doors.
I received a Tweet this morning that stated the Micro Enterprise Resource Group of Connecticut had closed its doors after 5 years. This really doesn’t surprise me that much because micro businesses seem to be too diverse and distracted to get any kind of political message out. Most of us hunker down and go to a chamber meetings or small social media networking gatherings, but seldom spend much time thinking about policy and politics. I think we all agree the micros don’t get much respect from the government, banking institutions and even our slightly larger peers. How many times have you heard “Oh you work from home?” I think most people just think we are unemployed.
So the question remains can micro businesses come together if not physically or on a specific agenda but more philosophically in a virtual community. Could a Facebook Fan Page or group foster some kind of community spirit that wouldn’t take much effort or more importantly time. I don’t know but it’s just a thought, let me know your opinion.
Don’t forget to click on the MERG CT link on the left of the page the organizers left a little treat for you there.
Thanks for visiting Working from the Basement
Michael Lawson
WFTB
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Thanks for your kind words on the passing of MERG.
I think part of the reason we get so little attention from Hartford is because we are the bedrock of the economy, and as such, we will always be here. They know this about us, and rely on us to endure through bad times. You can’t say that about the big guys, who will pull up, move away, and layoff hundreds with no warning. Those events get all the attention, not the fact that there are thousands of us working from our basements, paying our taxes, and keeping the state afloat. We’re dependable, and placed-based for a reason. No need to accommodate us.
As for the community question – MERG wrestled with this, and I don’t have an answer. We blogged, we started a group on LinkedIn, we sent out a monthly newsletter, and we had legislative updates mailed to members while the legislature was in session. But we were never able to engage members successfully. I’m willing to take responsibility for this failure, since I did all of these things, and it could just be that I wasn’t very good at stirring the pot and keeping the conversation going. Perhaps someone who is better at this would have more success. Time is such a limited resource for micros.
I will certainly support any effort to promote community spirit among micro business owners.
Leaving with flair!
http://www.mergct.org/ –
“Sha na na na … Hey hey … Goodbye”
Best wishes!
Leslie no way is it your fault trying to organize micros is like herding cats. I agree with Tim though great send off. Maybe people will comment here with some ideas of creating a community.
We agree with Mike that the failure of MERG to mobilize the micro community does not lie with any one person. MERG did as much as it could with the volunteers available. Micros generally wear so many different hats as a normal part of their daily tasks, that they just don’t find the time for anything extra. We read this post yesterday & didn’t have time to comment until today. We still hope that when there is a particular issue that affects an individual business, they will speak up, maybe to their own rep. or their chamber legislative committee and be sure that their opinion is voiced. There was no one in the organization who worked harder than Leslie to promote MERG’s mission. Btw, 5 years ago the word “micro enterprise” was not even heard at the CT general assembly, today there is a committee to study the effect of bills on small business. Progress has been made, but there’s still much to be done.