There really IS an association for everything...

I suppose.  I'm amazed at the number of trade associations there are in the world.  We've all made jokes about the "left handed Irish business teachers who are nearsighted" association.  But I bet you never thought about the one you can read about here. 

Is there any real value to these?

Yes.  There is.  It's called "comparables."  One of the bedrocks of trade associations is collecting and publishing financial information about the business of the members.  Aside from a great source of best practices for practitioners, there is nothing more valuable than a set of ratios from businesses just like yours. 

These ratios help with pricing, cost of goods, average ratios of salary expense to sales, growth rates, and so forth.  Be sure and find yours.

The only question left for the one linked above is whether there is an advantage to left or right handed. 
 

Comments

[Terry Howerton]

Tim -

The tech industry (maybe more than most others) is inherently collaborative. Connecting entrepreneurs, scientists, engineers and capital is the bedrock to commercialization. Doing it over and again, in a systematic way, starts to create a real economic boom that feeds into itself.

Some regions (like the Valley) experience this sort of collaboration naturally. Others (like the Midwest) have diversified industries and need some prompting. That's where trade associations come in.

We created the Illinois Tech Association three years ago, and today have 450 very active member companies. That spawned a 25,000 sq ft Collaboration Center across from the Sears Tower, now used by nearly 1,500 tech entrepreneurs and executives each month.

Sure, we do benchmark studies and provide "comps" as you suggest in your post, and we have more than 160 events on our calendar for this year... but more than anything, this "trade association" set a new tone in the region... a tone where cross-pollination of employees and ideas is starting to happen. We set a tone where regional companies connect with the international industry, and where young companies find support, infrastructure and mentorship to grow.

Big fan of trade associations, when they are done well and the egos are aligned toward common goal... even if the goal is shoveling the sh*t around. :-)