The Business Exchange Swindon & Wiltshire Edition 46: Dec/Jan 2019 | Page 49

BUSINESSWISE
BusinessWise - Our 2019 Highlights
BusinessWise, the Swindon-based independent not-for-profit referral
group, is going from strength to strength as it celebrates another year
of shared business in the town and across the South West.
Highlights of the year for the members have included hosting
a packed-out open networking event with a high-profile guest
speaker, welcoming around 15 new members, welcoming
a new chair person when Fiona Scott of Fiona Scott Media
took the hot seat in the summer and also raising money and
giving time to charity.
The group has always had a strong charitable ethos and
gifted a seat to a charity and encouraged members to engage
with that charity through both volunteering, offering services
and raising funds.
Dawn Prosser represents the charitable sector in the
group on behalf of Renew, Men In Sheds and Swindon Night
Shelter. She’s also heavily involved in the annual Christmas
Toy Appeal to support vulnerable and low income families in
the town.
One of the new members of the group is Mark Fletcher,
who is celebrating the first anniversary of his business –
Aspray Swindon. Backed by over 30 years of experience in
construction and having worked internationally for some of
the most famous retail brands, Mark took on the franchise in
September last year.
Aspray Swindon* helps people manage property damage
insurance claims for both residential and commercial
property owners. Most claims seen by Mark have involved
water damage and he has invested in training and state-of-
the-art drying equipment to help policyholders dry out their
property immediately.
His most memorable success was managing a claim for a
family who had suffered an underfloor drainage leak in their
kitchen. This resulted in digging into the floor to fix the leak,
specialist drying of the floor slabs, safe asbestos removal,
kitchen removal and reinstatement and the installation of a
new marble floor.
Mark even ensured they had a temporary kitchen installed
on their driveway during the build. This was critical because it
kept the family together while the husband had treatment for
cancer. The family said,
“Our drainage issue could not have come at a worse time,
when all our energies were focused on chemotherapy and
forthcoming operations.
“It was a huge relief to have such a knowledgeable person
as Mark in charge. He was able to recommend solutions
we’d never heard of including a temporary kitchen.”
Mark joined BusinessWise and is now a valued member
of the group. He said, “I joined at the start of my new venture,
along with trying other groups in Swindon. This was the only
one I renewed due to the members and support you get from
them being absolutely amazing – it’s a real ‘business family’.
“It gives you so much confidence to introduce others into
the group, so much so I have referred in ten new members in
the last six months and there are others waiting to join. There
is so much buzz in the town about BusinessWise and I feel
proud to be part of it.”
BusinessWise has been active for more than seven years.
Current membership includes Haines Watts Swindon, Bevirs
Law, Midwinter Web Design, A Plan, Incarcerated, Neil Moore
Photographics, Harriet Scott Consultancy, Empowered
VA Services, Excalibur Communications, GEL Studios and
Thornton Associates.
Members meet fortnightly on a Friday morning from
6.45am to 8am. For further information call 01793 238030
or information is posted regularly on the group’s Facebook
page: www.facebook.com/BusinessWiseSwindon/
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
VISITORS
If you are interested in visiting BusinessWise (all
visitors can come along free of charge), we meet
every other Friday morning from 7:30am at Jury’s Inn,
Swindon town centre. We are run on a not-for-profit
basis and, as a non-competing group, one member
will be the only member representing his or her
sector in the room.
We are currently looking for new members in these
areas:
*Aspray (Swindon) is a
franchise owned and operated
under licence by TGV Projects
and is an appointed
representative of Aspray
Limited which is authorised
and regulated by the Financial
Conduct Authority under
reference 466101 for claims
handling only.
Plumber
Cleaner
Recruitment
Hospitality
Therapists (one in each discipline)
Mark Fletcher
BusinessWise would like to wish
its friends in business a very Merry
Christmas and a prosperous 2020!
Office Supplies
Hairdresser
Interested?
If you would like to find out more – or come along
as a visitor, please visit our website or call:
01793 238 030
For more info:
www.businesswise.org.uk
THE BUSINESS EXCHANGE 2019
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