About Us
The Austin independent Business Alliance is a 501(c)(6) membership organization whose mission is to promote and support locally owned businesses through advocacy, consumer education and services to our members. Our local businesses, small and not so small alike, define and reflect the culture of Austin. More than that, they are the economic powerhouse of our local economy. Shift your spending to local businesses today and reap the benefits!
http://www.ibuyaustin.com
How We Got Started
In 2001 a group of local business owners met to see if there was interest in an organization representing only locally owned businesses. After two public meetings, the answer was a resounding Yes! We've been growing and engaging Austinites and city government ever since.
The products and services we offer
Recommendations Received (159)
"AIBA has been an entrepreneur's best friend for many years."
" Easy to work with"
Products & Services
AIBA works to further the priorities of local business at City Hall and beyond. Before AIBA, local business did not have a seat at the table. Big b...
AIBA hosts breakfasts, luncheons and mixers throughout the year with engaging speakers and great mixing with other members to maximize your busines...
We promote our members online, in print, through broadcast, through social media and in our newsletters for both business and consumers.
Gallery
Recommendations Given (183)
"Fantastic and friendly service, and unmatched educational space and events. Let Gregg and the..."
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"Fantastic and friendly service, and unmatched educational space and events. Let Gregg and the crew take care of you! "
"Jeanette is creative, fast and fun - she's always got great ideas and keeps her rates affordable..."
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"Jeanette is creative, fast and fun - she's always got great ideas and keeps her rates affordable for the newbies and the littles. We love her and have used her for over 15 years! "
Recent Activity
Yes. We've had about 20 people come to our events from Alignable. We've also had 12 businesses join AIBA where our first contact was on Alignable. We have found that while we reach out to business owners on Alignable, they don't usually take any action without offline communication.
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Yes. We've had about 20 people come to our events from Alignable. We've also had 12 businesses join AIBA where our first contact was on Alignable. We have found that while we reach out to business owners on Alignable, they don't usually take any action without offline communication.
1 Reply
Living Local builds a sense of well-being as part of a thriving community. It's nice to know I'm doing my part for the local economy but the connectivity to community is what drives me most. More than a sense of place, community fills the spirit with a sense of belonging. All the "Hey", "Howdy",...
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Living Local builds a sense of well-being as part of a thriving community. It's nice to know I'm doing my part for the local economy but the connectivity to community is what drives me most. More than a sense of place, community fills the spirit with a sense of belonging. All the "Hey", "Howdy", "How are you?" exchanges provide warmth, giggles, sometimes empathy and the feeling that I belong in this community. Shopping locally gives me a healthy does of this along with all the goods and services I need.
Yes. We see a significant increase in activity when we do.
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Yes. We see a significant increase in activity when we do.
I like to use a blend of both. I have several boilerplate template emails for different subjects but I always change the first sentence or two and address the person directly. I've found that the personal touch is meaningful to people. And with template emails, it only takes a minute or two....
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I like to use a blend of both. I have several boilerplate template emails for different subjects but I always change the first sentence or two and address the person directly. I've found that the personal touch is meaningful to people. And with template emails, it only takes a minute or two. However I don't have hundreds per day that need response. I also have a 48 hour rule--that I make every effort to respond in 48 hours.
Totally agree. AIBA is essentially a chamber of commerce for local business (we're a 501c6). While we offer many of the same features of a traditional chamber, we only represent local business. This means you are meeting other local business owners at our events. In addition, we market you to...
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Totally agree. AIBA is essentially a chamber of commerce for local business (we're a 501c6). While we offer many of the same features of a traditional chamber, we only represent local business. This means you are meeting other local business owners at our events. In addition, we market you to consumers. We think of it as H to H or human to human. Business is really all about relationships but these can be formed quickly just by reaching out.
I don't use Linkedin for leads directly but for a knowledge base about the community. It's invaluable when I'm meeting with someone I don't know. I look them up on Linkedin and I have a much better sense of them when we meet. This makes me more effective from the first meeting.
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I don't use Linkedin for leads directly but for a knowledge base about the community. It's invaluable when I'm meeting with someone I don't know. I look them up on Linkedin and I have a much better sense of them when we meet. This makes me more effective from the first meeting.
Alignable is more about reaching out and connecting over a conversation than a sales pitch. We make an effort to post things that lead to a discussion, not jut putting our message out there. I see Alignable as sharing a conversation and you may want to join AIBA after we converse. Of course I do...
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Alignable is more about reaching out and connecting over a conversation than a sales pitch. We make an effort to post things that lead to a discussion, not jut putting our message out there. I see Alignable as sharing a conversation and you may want to join AIBA after we converse. Of course I do seek to show the value of AIBA either by direct benefits or the knowledge we share in our conversations.
We do use Alignable to meet potential members for AIBA. But we do that through discussions and interacting just like I am now. We have a group (AIBA) that we invite businesses to join. We use the group to let people know what we're doing both for advocacy and AIBA events. We also contact Alignable members directly to see if they're interested in joining AIBA.
Once an Alignable member joins AIBA, we recommend them on Alignable.
Fabulous idea! At AIBA we offer our members co-op advertising programs. As a nonprofit, we negotiate with local media for the best possible buy then include our members at cost. Currently we have three co-op underwriting spots on KUT/KUTX. Each has a opening local business message followed by the...
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Fabulous idea! At AIBA we offer our members co-op advertising programs. As a nonprofit, we negotiate with local media for the best possible buy then include our members at cost. Currently we have three co-op underwriting spots on KUT/KUTX. Each has a opening local business message followed by the names of four participating AIBA members and a local business close. It brings affordable marketing to small businesses and is very popular.
