The Business Exchange Swindon & Wiltshire Edition 62: August/September 2022 | Page 47

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BusinessWise , the Swindon-based independent , not for profit business referral group has seen more than £ 320,000 passed between members this year with more than 400 referrals changing hands .

Swindon ’ s most established business referral group has been welcoming new members throughout 2022 and is well on its way to reaching capacity .

Currently the not-for-profit group , which has a single seat policy , has set a target of 35 members and after that , potential members will be added to a waiting list . Chair Chris Blackwell said , “ After getting back to business where some members had left at the height of the pandemic , we ’ re more than ‘ back on track ’. The group is now thriving with some long-term members welcoming new members including an HR specialist , to a cleaning company , a hypnotherapist and a floral celebrant .

“ As a group we ’ ve made the decision that we will stop recruiting at 35 members to allow everyone to have their ‘ moment ’ at each meeting and for there to be time to truly get to know each other over the weeks and months .”

One of the new members is Laura Dent , of cleaning company So Fresh & So Clean .

“ I came across BusinessWise on Facebook and so glad I reached out , from initially enquiring and attending my first meet up as a visitor I was greeted with nothing but warmth and kindness .

“ In the very short time of becoming a member , my business has already started growing through referrals and I feel supported by genuine people who want to support each other ’ s success .

“ We ’ ve had our business for ten years now , running a business comes with hard times , the pandemic and the cost of living crises has made it extra tough but with the support of BusinessWise , for the first time in a long time I feel excited and motivated to continue to grow my business and provide employment opportunities in our town .”

Dawn Pursall of OrangeStripe Outsourcing is one of the long-term members and also sits on the management committee .

She said , “ BusinessWise has helped us grow our business before , during and after the pandemic . We have grown from a sole trader business to a limited company . My customer base is not only members in the group but contacts and referrals through the group . It has been truly amazing , I would recommend everyone joins such a group if you are serious about growing your business , especially if you are a ‘ B2B ’ company . We currently hold the bookkeeping and accountancy seats .”

Members attend a fortnightly meeting on a Friday from 7am to 8.30am at Basset Down Complex , near junction 16 of the M4 in Swindon . There is a formal agenda which includes :

• A 60 second round for introductions and members ’ business news .

• Guest speaker slots for members .

• Break out meetings or group activity .

• A referral round .

• An informal time to chat after the meeting .

Membership is £ 250 in the first year and then £ 150 on renewal with a monthly subscription fee of £ 35 to cover breakfast , marketing and running costs .

Visitors can attend free of charge for their first visit . BusinessWise would currently welcome a solicitor ; a beautician ; a dentist ; an SEO specialist ; a freelance sales executive ; an events company ; an IT support company , a health & safety specialist , a carpenter , flooring fitter , and a printing business .

“... from initially enquiring and attending my first meet up as a visitor I was greeted with nothing but warmth and kindness .”

New BusinessWise member Laura Dent of cleaning company So Fresh & So Clean

Anyone interested in attending a meeting can call 01793 238030 www . businesswise . org . uk

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