Yvonne Gorman, Owner of Essential Print Services explains why her business is involved in local Business Networking, in particularly, Derby Hub;
“Networking has always been essential for my company’s growth and support. It continues to be an integral part of my marketing mix. The majority of my new clients originate from networking groups that I have attended. It is clear, that the more involved I become, the more my business gets out of it, not just in sales but in support too. You have to be genuinely enthusiastic for the group and want to help others. People can soon spot a ‘phoney’ or a ‘hunter’- someone who is all too keen to slap their business card in your face and want to sell to the room.
For me, networking is all about creating relationships and bona-fide business partners. A place I can find business owners who I can help and collaborate with. Networking is a great forum for finding credible suppliers – let’s face it, someone is less likely to be underhand, if they have to face you on a regular basis. A bad word will spread like wild fire amongst a networking group.
When I was asked to be on the Committee for Derby Hub in October last year, I was delighted to accept. Derby Hub offers an informal meeting place for business owners and established companies to meet on a regular basis, share contacts, referrals and generally help each other out.
Their ethos is ‘sharing business excellence’ and the members do just that. Whenever I’ve asked, ‘can you help with….?’ or ‘do you know someone who…?’ I can guarantee that I’ll walk away from the meeting with a handful of contacts and free advice. During their weekly meetings, members give a short commercial about their business – just a minute or two. At the end, that member or visitor is encouraged to give the group one business tip or piece of professional advice. This is the part of the meeting I enjoy the most, because you often get to see a different side of people and get a good idea about their personal beliefs and views.
Derby Hub’s monthly events are fantastic. The next one, which is later this month on 23rd February at Breadsall Priory, is set to smash all previous attendance records. That’s not just because of Derby Hub’s increasing popularity, but because they have a high calibre keynote speaker; Ex-Dragon Den Star, Rachel Elnaugh, who set up ‘Red Letter Days’ on a shoestring budget. Rachel will be sharing her highs and her lows with everyone who attends.
I’d recommend any business owner or anyone hoping to start a company, should book their ticket quickly. It will be a truly inspiring event.
To see what their event was like in January, take a look at this video: Derby Hub Video
If you would like to discuss Derby Hub, or business networking in general, I’d welcome a conversation with anyone.”
For more information about Yvonne’s business networking experiences or about Derby Hub, email von@essentialprintservices.co.uk.
