subject: The United States Association For Small Business Entrepreneurship - A Review [print this page] The United States Association for Small Business Entrepreneurship (USASBE) offers its membership for $125 per year with a discounted rate of $75 for student membership. Entry into USASBE means access to professionals like educators, researchers, policy makers, entrepreneurs and many others who are affiliated with self employment and small businesses. Essentially, it is paid access to experts involved in entrepreneurship with whom you would not otherwise be able to network and gain their expertise in certain fields.
USASBE's basic premise is that the organization should constantly, through the help of experienced educators, provide opportunities for learning so that the field of entrepreneurship grows and advances. So that the group is always aware of ways to grow in their success and help others to do the same, they constantly seek to further develop a culture of learning for those business owners. USASBE is self-described as a "an entrepreneurship program, a community of scholars and a directors' center". Their society includes numerous professionals who are experts in the areas of "best practices" and behaviors that make entrepreneurship possible and popular year after year.
One example of USASBE's highly organized structure is the fact that their bylaws and Articles of Incorporation can be viewed from their official website. Within the larger organization, there are smaller interest groups that focus on specific fields of small business. Some of these small groups provide businesses with detailed information and best practices for specialized fields of entrepreneurship. These specialized fields include small business, family business, women in business, the arts, technology and venture financing. One of the smaller interest groups has even developed its own teaching techniques and style that it has used to produce teaching materials and curriculums.
The Career Center Portal is another important feature that can be accessed through the USASBE website. Employers and job seekers alike can access each other through this portal. It is, however, unfortunate that the primary focus of this portal seems to be the ways that entrepreneurship educators can contribute to jobs within USASBE.
USASBE holds an annual conference where entrepreneurship educators and scholars convene to continue learning best practices and program development. The conference is also an opportunity to present awards and recognitions to those who continue to contribute to the field of entrepreneurial education. By continuously sharing knowledge and pedagogy, USASBE keeps itself at the forefront of the best education that can be provided to entrepreneurs in any field where they practice their own business.
