A Trip to the Village Square

When my business partner, Josh Hartsell, and I wrote the check to cover our first year of Chamber membership, it felt a bit like joining an exclusive club without knowing the dress code—excited to be part of it but unsure if we really belonged. Would it bring us new business? Was it worth the investment? Would we show up at an event and feel like outsiders?

To be honest, we didn’t really understand what the Chamber was all about. Sure, we’d seen those “Proud Chamber Member” signs hanging in businesses around town, but what did they actually mean? We assumed Chamber membership was like a subscription service—pay your dues, and the benefits start rolling in. A built-in network. An automatic pipeline to new clients. A little business magic.

But what we discovered was something different; something better.

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