Lobbying Isn't Just for Big Corporations
Small and midsize businesses deserve a voice in policy decisions. Outside government affairs expertise can help them track threats, build relationships and advocate for their businesses and employees.
Written by
Parker White
Many small and midsize businesses make a costly assumption. They believe lobbying is something you do once you are large enough to have a government affairs department.
The opposite can often be true. Large companies can afford to maintain government affairs teams, retain multiple law firms and employ specialists who monitor legislation across dozens of jurisdictions.
A small business cannot. That makes outside government affairs expertise potentially more valuable, not less.
A good lobbyist can monitor legislation, identify threats before they become emergencies, explain complicated policy to business leaders, build relationships with policymakers, coordinate with industry coalitions and advocate directly on issues that matter to the company's bottom line.
Your objective isn't to influence every bill. It is to make sure that when the one bill that could materially affect your business appears, someone is paying attention.
Whether you are a CEO overseeing 100 employees or a small business owner managing 5, your job as a leader is to not only protect your business, but also protect your people. You can’t afford to not be tracking the policies that impact your bottom line.
Good leaders shield their employees from outside noise to allow them to do and be their very best. Just because you aren’t large enough to have your own government affairs department, doesn’t mean you can’t have a seat at the table.
For one 30 minute meeting every other week, you can maintain access and awareness of the policy that has the greatest impact to your business and your employees.