From left to right: Jerry Thornton- Thornton Associates, Mick Haren- Sandymount Construction, Byron Stevens- CS Electrical, Dawn Prosser- Renew, Stuart McNeil- Bevirs Law, Lauren Reynolds- Honest Marketing, Colin Stevens- CS Electrical, Steve Munson- Studio Creative Services
DEVELOP STRONG RELATIONSHIPS AT BUSINESSWISE
Relationships between members are at the heart of BusinessWise- Swindon’ s leading business referral group. Collaborations large and small are evident within the group every week – from a helping hand to a listening ear to a more formal business engagement.
Recent examples include supporting Renew, a project which aims to relieve social isolation and loneliness in Swindon. Initially the focus is on making, repairing and restoring furniture and the project is a member of the UK Men’ s Shed Association.
The project organisers have“ The Shed” a wood workshop in Park South meeting on a Tuesday between 12 and 4pm. They also have a retail unit Old Town which was donated on a year’ s lease to sell the items created and to provide a showcase and workspace for other crafters.
They put out a plea to BusinessWise members, and others, to help transform the shop so it could open at the end of November. Colin Stevens and his team from CS Electrical were one of the first to respond offering to sort out the electrics.
Studio Creative Services, run by member Steve Munson designed and printed the business cards and leaflets ready for the launch. Mick Haren and his team at Sandymount Construction gave a donation towards materials and offered the time of an employee who laid floor tiles.
Jerry Thornton, chartered surveyor offered advice, Mike Lloyd from Haines Watts Swindon donated a hi-fi system for music in the shop and during workshops, Stuart McNeil from Bevirs Law introduced the project to Fine Pines who donated a Christmas tree and Lauren Reynolds from Honest Marketing is donating half a day a week of her time to support the project.
“ We have been overwhelmed by the response and the way the community have come together,” said Dawn Prosser, part of the development team for the project.
Another group of members – Fiona Scott, of Fiona Scott Media Consultancy and Steve Munson, of Studio Creative Services supported a third member Mike Lloyd, of Haines Watts Swindon to collect donations for Swindon Foodbank before Christmas 2017.
Together they worked to provide other collections points as well Haines Watts’ Swindon office in Old Town. Steve created bespoke exterior signage to encourage people to give – and give clear guidance about where to donate.
Mike Lloyd said:“ Although this was part of a national Haines Watts initiative, BusinessWise members helped our office stand out and be more proactive to support the less fortunate in our local community.
“ As a result we were one of three UK offices which received a trophy to recognise the effort made by our team and by fellow BusinessWise members who supported us.”
During 2017, almost £ 670,000 of business was passed between members.
Fiona Scott, who chairs the group, said:“ The members in BusinessWise support each other on a weekly basis. As a referral group we actively look for opportunities for each other, however we also get opportunities to do a lot more. We run training sessions for members, hold social events and get invited to take part in and be part of the wider business community.”
Interested? If you would like to find out more – or come along as a visitor to the next BusinessWise meeting, please visit our website for more information on how to book or call the BusinessWise Chair, Fiona Scott:
07789 270030
For more info: www. businesswise. org. uk
Let us help spread the word about your business
www. businesswise. org. uk
Member Benefits:
• Not for Profit Organisation
• Fees re-invested into the group
• Exclusive business category
• Opportunities for new business across all sectors
• Low annual membership fee
MEMBER FOCUS Each edition we will focus on a BusinessWise member and tell you a little more about who they are and what they do:
Name: Fiona Scott:
Business: Fiona Scott Media Consultancy
Tagline: The journalist that does PR
Years in Business: 10
A defining trait: Colourful
Fiona is a journalist, media consultant, videographer and TV producer / director. She has worked in the media for more than 25 years including working for ITV, BBC & Comic Relief.
Her approach to PR is to act as a journalist using strategy behind story-telling – with contacts and skills to gain credible and valuable editorial, advertorial or paid-for advertising for a business or individual on and offline.
For more info: www. fionascottmediaconsultancy. co. uk /
34 THE BUSINESS EXCHANGE 2018