Relationship Building With Your Legislators- District Meeting Webinar

1. Relationship Building With Your Legislators- District Meeting Webinar

2. Example of good relationship building El Pajaro CDC – Carmen Herrera

3. Setting Up a Meeting Meeting Types • Introduction – if legislator doesn’t know issue or your organization • Introduction – if are familiar with Micro Enterprise or your organization In their office or on-site visit, business opening, business tour, informal sit down with other stakeholders to talk in more depth

4. Setting Up a Meeting Research Schedule early (now!) with district Convenience is important Be flexible in time and location. Ask for ½ hour for intro; 1 hour for business tour Make appointment with legislator • back up in order of preference: chief of staff, legislative aide, small business liaison

5. Upcoming Breaks for Legislators • California: • September 10 – January 3 • Federal • September 26-30 and • October 17-21 • November 7-10

6. The Meeting Agenda - depends on how much they know about you and your organization) • Connect • Purpose : (overview of what you’re going to say) • What your organization does, who it helps in district, district impacts (jobs, businesses, etc.) • Importance of Micro Enterprise (mention CAMEO) • The ask for support Tips: be on time, don’t be technical – go for big picture, don’t answer something you don’t know, take notes, have a leader

7. Other Considerations • If you can, bring along an articulate client or two to tell their stories • Stuff to bring with you to leave – your brochure, CAMEO fact sheet, business cards • Follow Up • With legislator • With CAMEO

8. Main Talking Points Small business is a key job generating strategy. Micro businesses create jobs and generate income. Technical assistance is the key to success.

9. Talking Points Small business is a key job generating strategy. • 4.2 million Californians are employed by micro-businesses in 2007 (latest census). • 3 million micro-businesses are sole proprietors. • If half of the 4 million micro-businesses in California hired one person, we’d create 2 million jobs and solve our unemployment problem. • The multiplier effect for a small local business on a local economy is twice that of a national chain. • The micro-businessperson is everywhere you are - the organic tomato farmer at the Saturday market, the childcare center at work,, your favorite neighborhood restaurant. Yes, those are local jobs.

10. Talking Points Micro businesses create jobs and generate income. • CAMEO is California’s statewide network of 160 microlenders, training programs and others organizations dedicated to furthering Micro Enterprise development. • In 2009, CAMEO members served 21,000 businesses with training, technical assistance and loans. These firms, which were largely start-ups, brought 42,000 new jobs into California’s economy. • The businesses created a total of $1.5 billion in economic activity– raising state revenues, decreasing demand for government services and putting more money into local and state economies.

11. Talking Points Technical assistance is the key to success. • Microentrepreneurs that have gone through training programs and receive technical assistance from CAMEO members have an 80% success rate (versus the 50-80% failure rate of small businesses that don’t seek help.) • CAMEO member clients who start their own businesses also on average create two jobs in addition to their own, over a three-five year period. • The CAMEO cost of creating a job is the low average cost of $1,000-$3,000 a job. That’s cheap when you consider a public works infrastructure project costs $50,000 a job.

12. Example of good meeting Renaissance Center – Sharon Miller

13. Questions Resources: List of new CA legislators Guide to Meeting with Your Legislators Tips for advocacy and meeting Talking points CAMEO Brochure Heidi hpickman@microbiz.org http://www.results.org