FSB - anyone a member, is it worth it

[Claire B]

Is anyone here a member of the FSB?

Their benefits package seems very good, especially the free business banking, but their forum is nowhere near as active as this one. Whenever I log into the forum, I see nothing but bickering.....

I'm definately tempted to join but just wondered if anyone here had already done so, is it wort the annual fee? (approx £90)

many thanks


Claire

[SanaerJewelleryCreations]

Claire,sorry,but what exactly is the FSB????

Can you explain more about them,thanks,

Adrian.

[Would you ever consider joining your local Chamber of Commerce???]

[Martin MGA]

I was looking at it but decided against it for now.
The cost outweights the value of the benefits.

[Martin MGA]

Claire,sorry,but what exactly is the FSB????

Can you explain more about them,thanks,

Adrian.

[Would you ever consider joining your local Chamber of Commerce???]

The FSB is the Federation of Small Businesses - http://www.fsb.org.uk/

[MarkPearson]

What benefits can joining them can it give to a business?

[Hayles]

My business manager at HSBC advised me to join the FSB as, at the time, it entitled you to lower rates on credit card terminals, special rates for insurance and a few other benefits.

This was several years ago.

[Richard]

I'm definately tempted to join but just wondered if anyone here had already done so, is it wort the annual fee? (approx £90)
Hi Claire

As a paid up member for seven years, I'll suggest that the FSB is 'fit for purpose'. It does what it says it does. No more, no less.

Compared to another organisation that you've sent money to, I would suggest that the FSB would've been better value.

It's about local small business people meeting and attempting to lobby local government. I'm a member of the Salisbury Branch in the Western Region.

I suspect that most members don't have a lot of time or a need, for participating in the forum, hence the low number of posts.

Contact your regional organiser and ask about what's going on in your area.

Richard

[Claire B]

Hi everyone, and thanks for your replies.

Richard, is the free business banking really free (or are there any catches?) If it is , then financially it may be worth my while (plus the other benefits they offer)

I am a very very small business and need to watch every penny at the moment, so would love to hear your thoughts.

Hadn't thought about the Chamber of Commerce, will look into that too!

Clare

[Claire B]

Richard, one more thing!

when you said "compared to another organisation you've sent money to"

what did you mean? wat have I gone and done now :?

[Richard]

Richard, one more thing!

when you said "compared to another organisation you've sent money to"

what did you mean? wat have I gone and done now :?
I was referring to the National Business Register that you mentioned in another post. :wink:

I'm sure we've all wasted some money at some time or another. :cry:

Richard

[Richard]

I am a very very small business and need to watch every penny at the moment, so would love to hear your thoughts.
Hi Claire

Contact the Regional Organiser and attend a branch meeting. If you ask a lot of questions about membership you'll be referred to a recruiter who will visit you with a view to signing you up.

Nothing wrong with that except that, IMO, the real point of the FSB and the Chamber of Commerce is the opportunity to meet real people face-to-face.

All the best

Richard

[ebonybailey]

The FSB is very good at making there offer sound attractive, but ask yourself, are you likely to need there services. I signed up when I first started out, the biggest waste of money I have ever spent.

[Rob Holmes]

Whenever I log into the forum, I see nothing but bickering.....

Wow - I just took a look - not nice.

I guess it's the nature of being in a 'lobbying group'

Not for me :(

Rob

[Claire B]

Thanks Richard (not that I'm paranoid :shock: )

Ok then, some of the feedback hasn't been that good, so I'm now even more undecided!

My main reason for wanting to join was the free businss banking, but if it' not all it's cracked up to be, perhaps I should give it a miss.

Now I'm off to start a new thread "Business Banking Rates - who do you use?"

see you there!

[Alpha]

Claire

If it is only the free business banking that you are after then look up Co op bank (Which I believe is the one that the FSB are pushing), the Halifax and Alliance and Leicester.

Check exactly what they are offering in their free banking as sometimes there is free banking provided you balance is above £x or 'for £x amount in cash transactions per month'

Alliance and Leicester do not have branches but you can pay in at post offices.

[Richard]

Ok then, some of the feedback hasn't been that good, so I'm now even more undecided!
Hi Claire

I have my own reasons for being a member. I've not used any of the preferential offers.

Since May 1999 the FSB membership has cost me £470. I'll have to decide next May whether to renew or not. Until then I'll attempt to get my money's worth.

As I said before, find out about your local members and decide whether you've got anything in common with any of them.

What about the local Chamber of Commerce and/or Business Link? It's all about meeting local people. You'll never know who you might meet unless you go to a meeting.

If you know what the outcome of a meeting is going to be, then there's little point in going to it. :wink:

Richard

[Martin MGA]

If its just the free banking you are after - checkout BoS 'Direct' accounts.
If it is suitable then its pretty much free for life.

http://www.bankofscotlandbusiness.co.uk/currentaccounts/direct_business_cheque_account.asp

[Sibs]

I've been a member for almost two years, I haven't made the most of it but I have used the free helpline a few times & am about to move my bank to take advantage of the free banking.

Overall, I'm not sure if it is worth it but I will be continuing my membership. I think a lot depends on how active your local branch is.

Thanks
Sarah

[Ozzy]

Most here will know I'm a big fan of the Chamber of Commerce, at least the Northamptonshire one anyway. I also have a very good working relationship with BusinessLink - can't fault them :)

I am a member of the FSB, and to a degree they do what they say they will. There is another thread on these forums about the FSB, and the basi coutcome is that the FSB is much like a Union for small business. Its all about fighting for your rights sort of thing. They do also hold networking breakfasts, but they're not that "big", in this area at least. However, I have picked up a Top 20 firm of accountants as a client from an FSB breakfast! So they do work ;)

Both the FSB and Chamber are worth joining if you are willing to work their system. I have saved several grand a year in merchant charges just by joining the FSB and getting the Streamline deal from them.
I have had several thousands of pounds in grants from BusinessLink via the Chamber, plus loads of publicity and some great contacts through their frequent and well organised networking breakfasts and lunches.

Remember that if you join them you need to use them otherwise ofcourse they will be a waste of money. Generally speaking they both want you to get the most of your membership.

[Jayne]

I was in the FSB, I didn't rate them much and cancelled my membership. I only asked them for help once over the year that I joined and I found out better info by myself. I rang them and it took 4 days for them to ring me back with an answer to my question, I had already found the answer myself by then.

I wasn't impressed at all.

Jayne

[Ozzy]

I experienced the same from them with their legal support line. In fact, they didnt ring me back!

[Jayne]

I think for over £200 per year, you should get more than one rubbish phone call and some plastic stickers for your window... I wouldn't touch them with a barge pole again.

Jayne

[Mark Pocock]

We got our debt collection service from a company advertisng in the FSB mag.

And every year he get's our cheques from smartasses who think they can get away without paying.

mark

[hightide]

An alternative for comparison is the FPB.

http://www.fpb.org/

Anyone interested contact me and I cna give you my FPB rep's mobile number.

[hypnoman]

Claire B,

I have been a member for a few years now and have attended a couple of their 'Networking meetings', wow it was hard work. A lot of people standing around making small talk or no talk, with some of the people I tried to strike up a conversation with.

Some members seem to do well out of it, by somehow getting access to the members emails and sending individual offers to them, which I am not particularly happy with.

I have found absolutely no benefit in being a member, other than it sounds good to say that you are a member.

Good luck,

Hypnoman

[cjd]

We're members. To me it's a back stop; if we ever get in serious legal or Tax investigation trouble they have a team of specialists who step in and sort it out. They provide the sort of help that would bankrupt a small company - it's not a service I'd ever want to use but I feel safer knowing it's there.

The banking is Co-op and I believe good, they also provide very good rates for merchant services.

Their forum is awful.They're a pre-internet outfit and don't want to be dragged up to date.

[Pebble Communications]

You can get free business banking without joining the FSB. Abbey offers lifetime free business banking for small businesses.

[weddingcrafter]

I'm the same as CJD - its the legal help which makes it worthwhile. I used it within a couple of weeks of joining when I had a new employee go awol.

[PlainText]

I haven't joined as I already belong to my local chamber of commerce, plus my professional association for my industry offers free legal advice (and not just on business-related issues).

[eshopcreator]

HI Claire

Eshopcreator (http://www.eshop-creator.co.uk) is a member of the FSB and have been for just coming up for a year.

I can only say good things about the organiseation, in our first week we need to contact them about a legal matter, they handled it and the money saved covered our first years fees immediately.

The organisation is a political loby and does much for the small business in the political arena, a sort of go between with goverrnment.

There are many benefits and these are really what you pay your fees for, however depending on how active your group is then the networking opportunities are good also.

I am currrently discussing with our chairman who has expressed interest in getting the York group to consider a private forum here on the forum.

Also we have various people along to do talks to our group meetings such as a few weeeks back the postal talk which presented a view, a very comprehensive one on the changes in the postal charges. Many companies in our group were not fully informed and I think the information they received will have allowed many of them again to cover this years fees for membership by changing the way they send information by post.

When you do join your company is profiled on the FSB publication sent to all members of your area group so some good free exposure is attained.

I was actually the branch Rep (well no one else wanted to go) and went to the annual conference this year in Manchester, met some very good contacts and saw the whole spectrum of the FSB activities and attained some vital information for my business from the exhibitors there.

I have also heard of one company who were under a tax investigation and had the tax inspector at the company, they called the FSB legal help line and passed the phone to the inspector. Who duly went away and the FSB legal line dealt with the problem from there.

So really I suppoise there are pros and cons to it, depeneding on the activities of your branch, how much you get involved etc. They are not really supposed to be a Networking opportunity, but a loby group on behalf of Small Business and I think they do this well. The newtorking is an added bonus.

Some of the benefits are worth taking and some not, same as most similar groups I would expect.

Go along to your local branch they will be only to happy to let you go along for a visit.

Darren Wiseman
eshopcreator ecommerce solutions (http://www.eshop-creator.co.uk)

[KM-Tiger]

An alternative for comparison is the FPB.
I would highly recommend the FPB. As cjd said it's a backstop, but the one time in 7 years I've had to use it to help solve an employment issue, was worth every penny of the dues. The advisor, who rang me back very promptly, was actually an Employment Tribunal Chairman (wearing a different hat of course), and the advice I got was first rate.

Their manuals on Employment and H&S are also very good and come free.