by Ben Dwyer The National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB) is an advocacy group for American independent businesses. It has a buying group component, but initiatives to promote and encourage business is definitely at its core, even evidenced in its tagline, “Protecting the Future of Small Business.”
Group Name: National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB)
Industry/Specialty (if applicable): Independent businesses
Number of members: 325,000+
Website: http://www.nfib.com/
Sections of its website are dedicated to news, including updates on government policies and acts related to business. It also provides articles on a range of topics of interest to business, including marketing, holiday trends, taxes, and more. A “resources” section lets you search for helpful info by topic, such as accounting, IT, legal issues, and more.
The group also keeps a list of voting records for congress, allowing businesses to see how their government representatives voted on issues that matter to businesses.
NFIB has an introduction video, below:
Founded in 1943, the NFIB has grown to 325,000 members. From its inception until 1992, the NFIB was headquartered in San Mateo, CA. In 1992, the NFIB moved its offices to Nashville, TN.
How does this group work?
The NFIB has a purchasing group for members. There are four categories of services and products members can purchase: commercial insurance, personal insurance, financial products and services, and business products and services. Aside from what’s on the website, there’s no information available online as to how the purchasing group works.
Beyond that, the NFIB states that you’ll receive free Human Resources support, opportunities for networking, and more.
What is its focus?
Overall, the NFIB’s goal is to advocate for the needs of small businesses federally and at a state level. It does provide resources to businesses, though, including money-saving partnerships with major players.
How does the purchasing process work?
Members of the NFIB can browse deals and purchase the ones that are most relevant to them online. They can view their transaction history on the NFIB’s site. Other than that, there’s no other information about the purchasing process on the site.
How does the group choose vendors?
Vendors can apply online to share their deals with NFIB members. However, there’s no information available online about the criteria the NFIB has for vendors.
Current Vendors
The NFIB lists quite a few well-known vendors, including Sprint, FedEx, TurboTax, Kabbage, UniFirst, and more. This list is not reflective of all possible partnerships, and NFIB may review or change them at any time. Be sure to check the website for the most up-to-date list.
NFIB Membership Cost
To become part of the NFIB’s purchasing group, you have to join the NFIB. There’s a special online price of $195 per year.
Memberships can be cancelled at any time, and fees will be prorated.
National Federation of Independent Businesses Reviews
There are a few testimonials on the NFIB’s website about the organization, though none of the testimonials touch on the purchasing group at all. Testimonials mention interest in joining the group to help advocate on behalf of small businesses and fight for their rights. Some reviewers refer to being stronger together and having a voice by joining NFIB.
The Better Business Bureau has given the NFIB an A+ rating based on its speedy response to customer complaints.
Former member – NFIB is in reality a shill for the right wing and not for small independent business.