About the Mobile Chamber
The Mobile Chamber is a private business organization with more than 1,700 members and the economic developer for the City of Mobile and Mobile County. The Mobile Chamber’s focus is to provide members with networking, marketing and professional development opportunities, expand jobs in the area, develop the local workforce, advocate legislative priorities and offer resources to help small businesses grow. Additional information is on the Chamber’s website, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube.
CHAIRMAN’S NOTE
Business View – September 2021 / Chairman’s Note
Terry Harbin, Chamber Board Chair
Editor’s Note: Harbin has chaired the Mobile Area Chamber’s board of directors since January 2020. He has 38-plus years of experience in all phases of sales, marketing, technology and banking management. He has started four businesses, most recently Affordable Homes Gulf Coast.
Several years ago, a business owner friend of mine said, “As long as we have $25,000 in the checking account, I know we are all right.” He could not have been more wrong. To manage a balanced, sustainable business, he needed to know so much more. In this issue of the Business View, we focus on the many aspects of your business that fall under the broad category we call “financials.”
Starting, growing and maintaining a business requires an owner to have a broad range of financial knowledge: banking, insurance, legal and regulatory environment, marketing and sales, budgeting and accounting, and more.
According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, in 2019, the failure rate of startups was around 90 percent. Research concludes 21.5 percent of startups fail in the first year; 30 percent in the second year; 50 percent in the fifth year; and 70 percent in their tenth year.
Your Mobile Area Chamber provides resources, training and advocacy to help make sure your business is not a casualty, but rather a champion in your arena. This issue is dedicated to all things financial that will help you scale your business and manage it successfully.
I hope you enjoy the insight from our local experts and find a way to put the information to work in your business.
Click here to read the Business View – September 2021
Additional information is on the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce’s website at mobilechamber.com, on Facebook at @MobileChamber, Instagram at @mobile-area-chamber and Twitter at @MobileChamber.
