We appreciate any questions or comments you and your company may have in contacting the US Small Business Chamber of Commerce. Before contacting us, review a few of the Frequently Asked Questions for potentially a quicker resolution of an inquiry you may have.
- Is the US Small Business Chamber of Commerce an official government entity?
- No, like all Chambers of Commerce -- from your local or state Chamber to the largest Chamber of Commerce in the world: the US Chamber of Commerce -- we are a non-governmental organization (NGO). We are, however, unique compared to most Chambers due to our unusual non-profit registration. Most Chamber of Commerce organizations are designated 501(c)(6), which means they can only advocate and lobby on behalf of an overarching interest or industry. We are a 501(c)3, however, which means we are able to cater specifically to small business entities directly, as opposed to small business interests, in general. It allows us more individual focus and attention for our members.
- Is membership to the US Small Business Chamber of Commerce free?
- No, like most Chambers of Commerce, we do charge a relatively small fee for membership. The fee gives a member business full access to our services. Currently, we have three tiers of membership: 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year. The fees for each are currently: $299, $599, and $899, respectively. We do not engage in automatic payments or subscription, so members will have to manually re-apply if interested in continuing membership and certification. There are no further fees or add-on charges associated with our offerings.
- What is USSB-Certification and is it included in the membership?
- USSB-Certification is a certification awarded by the US Small Business Chamber of Commerce for businesses that have been verified through a range of governmental and business reports to be confirmed, genuine small business enterprises operating in the United States. Although there are other standards to verify a small business (such as sam.gov), USSB-Certification typically is more agile in ensuring the status of a business is accurate and up-to-date. Updating statuses on other platforms can sometimes be tedious and time-consuming from the point-of-view of a small business, and from the perspective of a government entity or larger corporation looking to work with genuine small businesses, there can often be a grace period of nearly a year where companies who are no longer small businesses (i.e., through growth, acquisition, etc.) are able to take advantages that were set-aside specifically to small business interests only.
- Certification -- along with all of our offerings, including access to active solicitations and case study press release services -- are included in membership to the US Small Business Chamber of Commerce.
- Are membership fees refundable?
- If an entity is denied membership and certification for reasons such as not being found not to be a small business during verification process or issues with application (e.g. improper contact information), a full refund will be submitted. Thus, there is no worry a company that applies and found to be ineligible will lose any funds. Refunds scheduling is dependent on banks and merchant services; while we try to get eligible refunds returned as quickly as possible, it can sometimes take several business days. We, unfortunately, do not have control over this.
- If an entity is accepted and certified by the US Small Business Chamber of Commerce, any fees are NON-REFUNDABLE.
- If your company has been accepted and certified, but you feel your business deserves a refund, please, reach out to us to explain why you feel this to be the case.
Question Not Answered Above?
Contact us directly by email at our general inbox and the appropriate individual will reach out to you as soon as possible:
Note, our hours of operation are 7 am - 5 pm (EST). We are closed on weekends. Communication is monitored by limited access individuals outside of business hours, so it is possible you will get a response even if our offices are closed, but do not anticipate immediate assistance outside of hours of operation.