Small Office/Home Office (SOHO) Group:

Here is some additional information about the Small Office/Home Office subgroup:

SOHO is a Chamber affiliate group serving home-based businesses and small businesses of five or fewer employees where the owner typically "wears all the hats." The group will offer peer support, exchange of best practices, education about topics of common interest, and networking/lead exchange among Chamber members who share this business type.

SOHO (Small Office/Home Office) group guidelines

• All members of the SOHO group must be Chamber business or associate members in good standing (dues current). The group is not open to individual or retiree members. Failure to pay Chamber dues or other fees will result in removal from the subgroup.
• Consistent with the Chamber's other special interest subgroups, SOHO members will pay a $30 annual participation fee for the group (in addition to the regular Chamber dues), payable to the Chamber annually on a one-year anniversary basis. Invoices for the SOHO group will be tracked separately from Chamber membership dues.
• The suggested audience for SOHO members is home-based businesses and small businesses of five or fewer employees. Ideally, the group suits the business owner who bears all the responsibilities of running the business and would benefit from sharing with others who have the same challenges. Only one person from each small business - the principal/owner/sole proprietor - will be the SOHO member, and the membership is not transferrable to any other employee. 
• The group will meet monthly (initially at the Chamber office on the third Thursday of each month at 11:30 a.m.) with a brown-bag-lunch format.  In addition to pre-registration, attendance will be taken at each meeting (by sign-in sheet in the Chamber lobby).
• Potential members may attend one meeting as a guest without cost or membership.  Guests' names and contact information will be provided to the Chamber sales account executive, Karen Meador, before the meeting, and each guest will talk with Karen after the meeting for prospect follow-up. 

All attendees at the launch meeting of the group (Thursday, April 28) will attend on a complimentary basis. Those who wish to join the group may attend again only after payment of the $30 participation fee.

SOHO Leadership

• The SOHO leadership committee will consist of a chairperson, who will lead the meetings and messages to participants; and a chair-elect, who will also serve as the programming chair, in charge of confirming speakers.  The chair-elect will move to the chair position after one year, and a member of the group will be identified for the new chair-elect position. Both positions will be represented at meetings of the subgroup advisory committee of the Chamber's board of trustees.
•  Glen Allie of Prudential will serve as chair for the period of April 2011 - April 2012.
•  Howard Brody, licensed massage therapist, will serve as chair-elect for the period of April 2011 - April 2012.
• The appointed leaders will determine meeting content/topics/agendas and schedule them after consultation with Chamber staff. Content for meetings and speakers will be solicited from group members on a regular basis. Emphasis will be given to Chamber-member speakers.
• Kathryn Paugh and Karen Meador will provide staff support to the group. Chamber staff will provide branding and marketing for SOHO events.

• The group will meet monthly (initially at the Chamber office on the third Thursday of each month) from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., with a bring-your-own lunch format. The 90-minute meetings will include networking time before and after the structured topic/agenda.  Depending on the level of interest/number of confirmed attendees, the meetings will be scheduled in the Chamber office or other locations yet to be determined.

• Meeting duration will be 90 minutes long (including time before and after the scheduled agenda for mingling and networking).

• 15 minutes - arrival, sign-in and networking (unstructured)
• 55-60 minutes  - meeting
• 5 minutes - remarks/announcements/administration
• 20 minutes - presentation - Scheduled Topic
• 20 minutes - "Best Practice" information sharing time (see below)
• 10 minutes - "Member Focus" time - 90-second elevator speeches to learn about other group members' businesses
• 15 minutes - more networking (time to schedule follow-ups with other participants)
• Note that all times are approximate, and five minutes have been left in the meeting agenda as a cushion.
• The presentation will be on a topic determined by the group leadership with member and Chamber staff input/feedback.
• Best Practice information sharing: format will be determined by number of requests for information/group feedback and the number of attendees.
• Member Focus -There will be time set aside for some members to present their 90-second speech about their businesses.  Group leaders will determine the number and order of such presentations based on time available.  

Topics

• The topics to be presented at meetings will be determined by the group leadership based on membership input/feedback.
• Topics for the next quarter (three months) will be scheduled and published in the Chamber e-newsletter or on the Chamber Calendar of Events Web page.  Scheduled topics will be subject to change based on availability of speakers.
• The topic for the first meeting will be "Business Resources for Home-Based and Small Businesses from Worthington Libraries," with Steve Herminghausen as presenter.
• Additional suggested topics include the following. It will be expanded and updated based on member input/feedback: 
• Business Entity Types/Formations (C-Corp, LLC, Sole Proprietorship, S-Corp, etc.)
• Business Loans and Grants Available
• Advertising and Branding
• Tax Tips; Subcontractor Use Guidelines
• Insurance Issues (Health, Dental, Vision, Life, etc.)
• Insurance Issues (Liability, P&C, etc.)
• Legal Issues (Documents, Protection)
• IT Issues/Tips
• Internet and Social Media (e.g., how to effectively use LinkedIn)
• Best Practices for Home-Based Businesses
• Business Continuation/ Succession Planning
• Retirement Plans
• Organizing and Prioritizing
• Writing a Business Plan
• Banking, Financing and Business Loan Issues
• Business and Small Business Resources
• Customer Service Practices
• Public Speaking Tips
• Marketing on a Shoestring/Collaborative Marketing
• Motivational Topics
• Others: