The Rotary Club of Akron had the opportunity to learn about the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) at our February 16th Club Zoom meeting. Watch our meeting video by clicking here.
Our speaker, Roger R. Geiger is Vice President/Ohio Executive Director for NFIB, managing the public policy, political, member activism and communication programs
throughout the state. He also represents NFIB with national policy organizations.
So, what is NFIB?
NFIB is the voice of small business, advocating on behalf of America’s small and independent business owners, both in Washington, D.C., and in all 50 state capitals. NFIB is a nonprofit (501.c.6), nonpartisan, and member-driven. Since their founding in 1943, NFIB has been exclusively dedicated to small and independent businesses and remains so today. NFIB has 350,000 members nationwide. There are 21,000 Ohio members and 409 members in Summit County. Membership eligibility is for small businesses with 25 employees or less and revenues of $2,000,000 or less.
There are over 1,000,000 small businesses and an additional 650,000 individuals who are self-employed. Eight out of Ten small businesses have less than 25 employees.
70% of us had our first job opportunity working for a small business. 75% of small business employers grew up within 50 miles of where their business is today.
Two out of three new jobs are created by small businesses.
What Does NFIB Do?
ADVOCATE
When a big issue affects small and independent businesses, NFIB is there. They have been for over 75 years and will continue to be.
NFIB has an ear to the ground on what’s happening in Washington, D.C., and the state capitals. That puts NFIB at the forefront of advocating on today’s most pressing small business issues, such as taxes, healthcare, and regulations.
INFLUENCE
When NFIB speaks, legislators listen. They know that NFIB brings them the voice of small business.
That voice, hundreds of thousands strong, comes directly from NFIB’s members and their research—combined, they make a powerful and influential case for their advocacy.
Because of NFIB’s credibility, they are asked to bring the small business perspective to Congress, state capitals, the courts, and the media.
OFFER BENEFITS
NFIB works with trusted providers to offer quality products and services that can save your business time and money.
COVID IMPACT
The vast majority of small business owners have been very concerned about the survival of their businesses as well as the safety of themselves and their employees . Clearly there is a need to support the small businesses as part of the various COVID Relief programs. Ohio has received approximately $8 billion in COVID Relief from the Federal government.
Seventy-five percent of small businesses in Ohio have been able to remain open.
LESSONS LEARNED
Although the past year had the pandemic, there was a record number of start-up businesses this past year. Over 17,000 businesses started up. People are willing to take a risk. Individuals may have lost their jobs because of COVID – 19 and decided to take their skill set and start their own business.
The average start-up cost for a new business is $5,000. Annual membership for NFIB varies but average is $230 annually.
Want More Information?
To learn more about NFIB and their policy agenda on Taxes, Health Care, Labor, Economy and Regulatory Reform, I encourage you to check out their website at www.nfib.com. You can also reach the NFIB office at 614-221-4107.
