Ethnic Chamber Of Commerce's Impact On Latino (Hispanics) Constituencies' Business Performance

Abstract

Latino (Hispanic) business entrepreneurs in the United States are a large growing minority population that experiences low business performance. Ethnic chambers of commerce may create a social network and support business performance. The purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to explore the experiences of immigrant Latino entrepreneurs about how membership in a chamber of commerce influences their business performance. Eleven Latino entrepreneurs from four Latino chambers of commerce in Long Island volunteered to be interviewed. A pretest was sent to each volunteer to learn about their business performance using the BLUES (Business, Leadership, Startup Evaluator) evaluation areas. Then, an in-depth interview followed, asking: How do you believe that being part of a chamber of commerce increases consumer preference, good reputation, future patronage, and awareness of their business? Findings show that being part of an ethnic chamber of commerce impacts getting clients, creating trust, and increasing social capital by connecting with other members.