Miscellaneous
This podcast is about how to change a law using iLobby. It is based on the book How to Change a Law. We want to empower voters to change laws so that they can improve their community, influence their country and impact the world. amzn.to/1XyrWu6 -- Transcript (Partial) -- When persuading lawmakers to simplify regulations or adopt legislation you are fighting for, as a small business you face three choices. 1. You can sit on the sidelines 2. You can petition 3. You can lobby Most small businesses choose #1. You do nothing. You grumble and complain because you feel like you can't do anything. The second option; you join an organization or trade association focused on a single industry or issue. You pay dues, sign petitions and promote your cause through the organization, whether you agree with them or not. You could also try the third choice. If you are lucky enough to grow to a sufficient size and have adequate resources, you can put a toe in the water and hire a PR firm, public affairs staff or a lobbyist, often with mixed results. You realize you are a small fish in a big pond and lobbying is a complex and expensive undertaking when you do it alone. So how can you cut through the red tape and get the regulations you want? To lobby effectively, you need three basic fundamentals: • Control • Constituents • Capacity Control Sitting it out provides no benefits. You already know that. But working with a strong industry group provides some comfort. However you sacrifice control of your message, the campaign and you delegate execution into the hands of the organization. By hiring your own PR firm or staff, you preserve full message or issue control but it's expensive. You need deep pockets and there is no guarantee of satisfactory results. Constituents Everybody needs constituents or supporters (i.e. voters). If you don't plead your case and convince others to join you, nothing will happen. That's a given. But if you convince people one at a time through word of mouth, this can take a long time. The exception occurs when your cause is built on passion and strong public support. Think MADD, Amber Alerts and Jessica's Law. If you join a group like the local business council or single issue non-profit, there are other constituents who believe in the same thing you do. You may not get to know very many of the other members and larger interests can take precedence while geography will limit contact.