The Business Exchange Swindon & Wiltshire Edition 48: April/May 2020 | Page 37

BUSINESSWISE
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COLLABORATION, SUCCESS & GROWTH
BusinessWise, the Swindon-based independent, not for profit referral
group has gone from strength to strength and has now moved to a
new venue for its fortnightly Friday morning meetings.
With a growing membership, the BusinessWise referral
group has moved to a new venue for the rest of 2020 and
now meets fortnightly at the Doubletree by Hilton hotel at
junction 16 of the M4 in Swindon.
Due to the virus crisis our next meeting is provisionally
booked for April 17 though it’s possible that this may be
cancelled too - please keep an eye on our Facebook page
for more details in this evolving situation.
Alternatively you can get in touch and we’ll book you
in as a visitor at our next real-world meeting. We are still
meeting virtually on our ‘Friday’ morning so members can
keep in touch and offer support and help to each other.
After a year of unprecedented growth in membership,
it was time for the not-for-profit group to make some
changes to its structure to ensure members got the most
from their investment.
Fiona Scott, chair, said, “As a larger group we needed
to make the move to a different venue which was easily
accessible to all and which provided the space we needed.
It’s not unusual now for there to be more than 40 people
attending when we have visitors. We’ve also tweaked the
meeting format so we have two speakers each week as
well as an opportunity to meet one person in a focussed
discussion to find out more about each other’s business.”
Visitors can attend a meeting free of charge if they book
in advance as long as their business does not conflict with
anyone else in the room – as BusinessWise operates a
single seat policy.
RECENT MEMBERS TO THE GROUP INCLUDE:
BOB HAYWARD, BE MORE EFFECTIVE - Specialist search &
selection service to employers looking for top talent
Bob and his team do not work for the candidate and they
are not an employment agency. They work for the hiring
employer to determine the requirements and they leverage
their experience to find the right person for the role.
www.bemoreeffective.com
LIS MCDERMOTT, AUTHOR & COPYWRITER
Lis is an author of eight books across a range of genres from
fiction to non-fiction and she works with a small publishing
house in Cardiff. She offers blog writing and content planning
for small businesses and often works in collaboration with
other media professionals.
www.lismcdermottauthor.co.uk
MARK PUFFETT, MLL PRINT & DESIGN LTD
Mark and his team are based in West Swindon and have
over 60 years’ experience between them. They can meet
all printing requirements from business cards to exhibition
stands through to signage.
www.mllprint.co.uk
LISA VAN ZYL, PRIORY HEATING
Liza is the co-director of Priory Heating, a heating and
plumbing company operating in and around Swindon. They
are Gas Safe registered and the team has a 9.98 rating on
Checkatrade.com. The team provide themselves on excellent
customer service and caring for their customers’ needs,
keeping in communication and doing the job well and with
commitment.
www.prioryheating.co.uk
HANNAH EDWARDS, EMPOWERED VA SERVICES
Hannah offers administrative and marketing services for
small business owners from authors to photographers and
she can also manage their social media, newsletters, blog
writing and administration tasks.
www.empoweredvaservices.co.uk
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 Swindon’s
DoubleTree by Hilton hotel at junction 16 of the
M4. 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:
Hospitality - hotel or high quality B&B
Therapists - across all disciplines
Office Supplies
Hair dresser
Nail technician
Beauty Specialist
Fitness or martial arts business
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 2020
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