The membership fee for The United States Association for Small Business Entrepreneurship (USASBE) is $ 125 per year. For student membership, the group offers a $ 50 discount off of the standard price. Entry into USASBE gives you access to professionals like researchers, policy makers, educators, entrepreneurs and many others who align themselves with the ideals of self employment and small businesses. Essentially, you pay for access to experts in the field of entrepreneurship with whom you would not otherwise be able to network and gain their expertise.
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.
Another important USASBE feature that can be accessed through their website is the Career Center Portal. Both job seekers and employers can access each other through this portal. Unfortunately, this portal seems to focus primarily on ways for entrepreneurship educators to contribute to jobs within USASBE.
By continuously sharing their knowledge and pedagogy, USASBE keeps itself at the forefront of education for entrepreneurs in any field of business practice. Each year, USASBE holds a conference where they take the opportunity to present awards to people recognized by the group as continuing to contribute to the field of entrepreneurial education. Also at the annual conference, entrepreneurship educators and scholars gather for continuing education about business best practices and program development.