Another good question that people should ask is how much does it cost to hire a lobbyist. Well, for large companies, they pay upwards of a half million to million dollars a year or more. And we think that is incredibly high number and it is.
Who can afford that? Large corporations, large trade groups, etc., but for the individual or for the small business, it is completely out of reach. But what if you were able to say, I can afford it if two things happen. One, the cost of hiring the lobbyist came down, and two, I was able, through a crowdfunded model, I was able to bring together more funding.
So think of this, example I'd like to use is if you have 30,000 people who came together around a really powerful and particular issue from all over the country and each of them just pledged or put in $20, you would have $600,000. And you could raise that and you could hire any lobbyist you want in Washington tomorrow.
But I have good news for you. There are some lobbyists in Washington and the state capitals who have reduced their fees.
They've left the large firms and they are working on their own with two or three partners. And so they are willing to do this for as little as $5,000 a month.
So you have a situation where, over a three month period, they can explore an issue, get you up to speed, and you might have saved yourself a lot of time, effort, money, angst, and expense by looking
at a solution that is completely affordable for the small business.
So there other ways of doing this and that comes from the benefit of small groups working together, raising small amounts, and getting clear about a single issue and working with lobbyists who are willing to take on those projects.
Hope that helps.
