Executive Officer Update – We had a successful Social Drinks evening at The Taproom last month. A good crowd, good service and people having a good time.
Dates to put in your diary for upcoming networking opportunities include:
Tuesday 26 July (10am) – Women in Business Morning Tea (Castlemaine)
Wednesday 27 July (12 Noon) – Network Like a Pro (Bendigo)
Thursday 25 August (7pm) – Cross Regional Event at Holgate Brewhouse (Woodend)
We’ll also plan another Social Drinks night in early August to coincide with the Bendigo Small Business Festival.
A warm welcome to new members who recently joined BMA:
Pete Collings – PC.architecture
Sharon Hebbard – Hebbard Consulting
Neil Bouch – Maine Shoes & Accessories
The Small Business Festival comes to Castlemaine! Cohoots Coworking is hosting a workshop called Getting Collaboration Right on Tuesday 9th August, 7pm. Collaboration is an enabler. It is especially valuable in regional areas where there is a lack of support, a small marketplace and a tendency to engage in old business practices. Whilst collaborating seems easy, it is not often effective in practice. Why?
Come along to this workshop and learn the how and why of successful collaborations, without the buzz words but with plenty of practical insights. Facilitator, Rhonda Chapman, will guide you through the process in a tailored approach for regional micro businesses and their supporters. You will also receive a resource tool that provides a framework to establish and maintain your future collaborations. Book workshop HERE.
Networking Skills – Networking is not always about handing out business cards and making small talk at events. Sometimes it’s as simple as catching up with people for coffee and showing a genuine interest in the other person. Here’s five tips to keep in mind:
- Professional networking is a worthwhile investment of your time and money. You never know what will come out of your discussions and if you’re the organiser, be prepared to ‘shout’ the coffee.
- Keep your networking discussion sincere by thinking of these three words – warmth, curiosity and generosity.
- If you can do a favour for someone that will take less than five minutes, just do it.
- Three golden questions to ask – How can I help you? What ideas do you have for me? Who else do you know that I should talk to?
- If you do swap business cards, follow up with a thank you email and connect on LinkedIn – another useful networking tool.
Lastly, hope to see you at the Women in Business morning tea on the 26th July at Das Kaffeehaus from 10am!