The Chamber will be closed the following dates:

 

 

November 28-29 for the Thanksgiving Holiday

 

December 24 - January 1 for the Christmas/New Year Holiday

The Little Chamber that Could

 

Most of us know the story of the little engine that could. An unassuming and happy little blue engine which, on the surface, you could see was small in stature and strength. How could this little engine pull a large, broken-down train full of toys and goodies for boys and girls up and over that mountain? What wasn't so evident on the surface was the little blue engine's tenacity and optimism and its willingness to work hard.

I think this classic children's story best illustrates our little Chamber and our small businesses. On the surface, we are small in stature and may not appear to be strong, but below the surface, you will find the tenacity, optimism, and willingness to work hard. And, if we all come together to support local, we are mighty!
We support our local businesses and encourage you to as well by shopping local! We all can do our part to help our local business community to thrive.

Think about local businesses when you are doing your shopping. Can you buy your dog food, get your haircut, or purchase insurance from a local business? As the holiday season comes up, where can you buy a unique gift locally? We have so many fantastic small businesses that make our economy strong, and they are strong because we support them by shopping local.

The money that you spend at a local business not only goes to support the owner of that business but also the people they employ and the community organizations that they choose to support.

More than 85% of our members are small businesses (less than five employees), but we know that with the support of the community, even though they are small, like the Chamber, they are mighty.

Thanks for supporting our businesses by shopping local!

 

Marni

3 Things to Do to Get a Jump on 2020

2019 has flown by and we’re quickly approaching 20/20. Even though the holidays are here and our minds may be on time off and events with friends and family, this is also a great time of year to assess what worked and what didn't. Many of the people you do business with will be out of touch causing some frustrating log jams. If you find yourself in a place in your business where you can't get a whole lot done, you can use the time to start making plans for the future.

 

This isn't a trends article or things you need to think about for 2020. This article is aimed at getting you professionally in shape for the challenges ahead. So let's take a look at the things you can change today in order to have a more successful year ahead.

 

Becoming a More Skilled Competitor
Do you have fitness goals for the new year?

 

If you’re like most people, you do. The new year often brings about thoughts of getting healthier. But it's also time to consider how in shape you are personally as a competitor in your business. What can you do to become leaner and more fit to compete from a business perspective? It's time to make healthy decisions in your professional life. Here are a few suggestions:

 

Shift to More Needed, “Skilled” Work
“Skilled” work are those things that only a few of your competitors can do. “Unskilled” work, for the purposes of this article, refers to things anyone can do.

 

While people need unskilled offerings, they don't command much money. So if your business is built this way, based on things a lot of companies can do, you'll have a hard time commanding top dollar for your services. However, if there's something that you and your business offer that others can't or won't, you can charge a lot higher rate.

 

As a prelude to 2020, think about whether you want to be working more or less for the same amount of money. If you offer unskilled services you may have a lot of work. But you also have to accept a lot more jobs to make what you would offering services that fewer companies do.

 

Think about what services you can offer that others don't. You'll find that if you can offer something that others don't (or won't), you can name your price and work fewer jobs because you provide something few do.

 

Get a Handle on Your Productivity
Becoming more productive can be quite an undertaking. But if you break it down into the basic steps you need to stop killing time and start taking full advantage of the time you do have.

 

Reduce Wasted Time
To eliminate wasted time, you need to get a good look at how you spend your day. For one day record everything you do as if you were billing a client. Every minute must be accounted for. So if you spend five minutes watching a cat video on YouTube, for instance, write that down. At the end of the day you'll be able to see exactly where your biggest time sucks are.

 

Next, go down your list of how you spent your day and label everything either “OG” for on goal or AG for anti-goal. All the OG designations should be business worthy uses of your time. For example, if you are on social media and you were connecting with a potential customer that's an OG use of your time. However, if you are on social media trying to figure out what you're eating for dinner tonight that's an AG use of your time from a business perspective.

 

Now that you know how you spend your day, you can eliminate drains on your time that don't bring you closer to your business or professional goals. Hopefully, being more aware of them means the next time you're doing one of those AG activities you will stop yourself as it's not contributing to your professional or business development.

 

That doesn't mean you shouldn't take breaks. But you should be aware of when you're on break versus when you're on task. If you want to take a break for five minutes and look at non-work social media that's fine. But if you're sitting down to strengthen your presence on social media for your business, you shouldn't be watching cute baby videos, unless you plan to share them with your audience.

 

Make Better Use of Your Time
After you know what your time drains are, it's important to get a handle on the time you do have. That means setting goals and tasks for each day. How you do this is a personal preference.

 

Some people like to sit down every Sunday night and chart out their week. Other people prefer to do it on a day-by-day basis.

 

You also don't have to have complete silence and a closed-door to figure out what you have to get done each week. Instead, look for stolen moment time that you can use. For instance, if you prefer to wind down every night in front of the television, there is no reason why you can't also look at your calendar and create a to-do list. Maybe you find yourself at one of your children's games every weekend or chaufferring them to a birthday party, playdate, or to hang out with their friends. Chauffeur time is an excellent time to plan ahead.

 

There are a lot of apps that can help you manage your time and give insights into your calendar. If you choose to keep your calendar electronically you also have the benefit of having the information you need with you wherever you are. So when you have that spare moment you can do a little planning. You can also use a to-do list app that helps keep you on track. If you take the time to chart your day and then leave your to-do list at home, that's not very productive. But if your to-do list is portable you can turn to it whenever you have a spare moment.

 

Touch Base with Staff
When things are busy it's easy for us to ignore our hard workers. We don't hear from them and we assume they're fine. This is not always the case.

 

Make it a point to speak with your staff members. Find out if they have any challenges that you can help with. Make sure they have what they need to do their jobs efficiently. Also, find out what they're passionate about and what they want to do in the future. Knowing what they like best about their job and understanding their future plans give you the opportunity to make them happier at work. For instance, if you find out a member of your team loves to write, you may have a new blog writer. Or maybe there's someone on staff who loves taking pictures. Now you have the opportunity to add some really amazing images to your blog and website. You've given them job responsibilities they're passionate about and you also get something in return.

 

With 20/20 quickly approaching, now is the perfect time to start getting in shape professionally. Look for ways to become more productive, to stand out in the marketplace, and to touch base with the people who make up your business. Doing these things will put you in a much more successful place in the new year.

 

 

Christina R. Green teaches small businesses and chambers of commerce how to connect through content. Her articles have appeared in the Midwest Society of Association Executives’ Magazine, NTEN.org, AssociationTech, and WritersWeekly. She is a regular blogger at Frankjkenny.com.  Christina is an introverted writer on a quest to eradicate boring copy and bring great storytelling to organizations everywhere.

 

MEMBER To MEMBER 

Member to Member Discount Program

 

This FREE program will help you build business-to-business relationships with other companies and organizations by offering products and services at a discount to other Yuba-Sutter Chamber members and their employees. Designed to enhance your membership value, this program encourages members to buy from other members to save money, increase visibility and promote new business for their companies.

 

This great marketing opportunity is free to you as a member of Yuba-Sutter Chamber. If you would like to participate, please click the button below. Once we receive the listing of offerings from businesses, we will then list it on our website and in our membership directory.

 

NOTE: This program is not intended to endorse a particular product or member firm but to promote member-to-member relationships.

 

 

 

ADVOCACY

ANNUAL EVENTS

Honoring the Best of Yuba-Sutter

 

Yuba-Sutter Chamber of Commerce Gala and Awards - Friday, February 28, 2020, Hard Rock Hotel and Casino

The Gala is an opportunity to honor and recognize chamber businesses for their achievements as well as individuals who have given countless hours of volunteer work in hopes of strengthening the local community and the Yuba-Sutter Chamber.

This is your opportunity to nominate a business or individual for an award. You may also nominate yourself or your business.

Please tell us about a Chamber business or individual you have seen making a difference in the Yuba-Sutter area.

RIBBON CUTTING

BUSINESS AFTER HOURS

CHAMBER EVENTS

COMMUNITY EVENTS

K. Roberts is hosting a Holiday Open House and Shop Small Saturday Event November 30th.

 

K. Roberts offers personalized service, beautiful displays, a wide selection of vintage and antique furnishings, fine gifts and stunning home decor. Stop by and do some of your Christmas shopping with K.Roberts.

Come join the Sutter County Museum for the 40th Annual Trees & Traditions!

 

Jonathan Karrant (jonathankarrant.com) will be joining us one last time to swoon and croon us into the holiday spirit. Heavy hors d’oeuvres will be provided by The French Whisk, we’ll have champagne, wine, and beer, and don’t forget our silent auction and raffle! Sponsorship opportunities are available for this event, please contact us for more information.

 

GOVERNMENT MEETINGS

 

 Yuba City Council Meeting

Council Chambers at City Hall
1202 Civic Center Boulevard
Tuesday, 11/19/2019
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Marysville City Council Meeting

Marysville City Council Chamber
526 C Street
Tuesday, 11/19/2019
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Live Oak City Council Meeting

Council Chambers at City Hall
9955 Live Oak Blvd.
Wednesday, 11/20/2019
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm

 

Yuba-Sutter Chamber of Commerce

1300 Franklin Rd., Yuba City, CA. 95993

530-743-6501

www.yubasutterchamber.com

 

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Yuba Sutter Chamber of Commerce | 1300 Franklin Road | Yuba City, CA 95993