" As this is my first foray into private practice, establishing new contacts will be vital, and I’m already thrilled with the organisation of of the network.  "

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It gets me in touch with the decision makers of the company which come here (Business Breakfast) and it’s a good informal way of meeting them.

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It’s all about establishing relationships and it’s gaining trust in the people you meet and them gaining trust in you.  I’ve had business referrals and picked up customers – “I’ve heard or met you at a BBN event” – and developed long standing relationships.

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As a small business you often work in isolation and it’s fabulous to talk to other people who are sharing your experience so understand that you are not alone in whatever it is you’re going through.  The BBN offers lots of opportunity to do this through their many events.

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What really attracted me to the BBN was that we can meet every month at great venues and develop business friendships. Not just shake hands and swap business cards, but be interested in others and how they are doing things and then say OK is there a mutual opportunity to grow from it.

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What’s really great about the BBN is that by meeting your peers in your local community you get really good information about what’s going on in business.

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I’ve made about five friendships from the BBN and I have collaborated on projects with these people and also been referred on to others – it’s been great for me.

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" I’m not a born networker, so getting some extra support felt really lovely and was just what I needed! I ended up making over 10 contacts and 3+ business opportunities, so very much looking forward to further events. "