Newsletter
January 2010
The beginning of a new decade and with just a little encouragement that there are signs the economy is beginning to pick up, BSN is ready to rock 'n roll with another busy year ahead. Not least that we have secured funding for a new website and rebranding. The funding has been given on 'Building Community Networks' and we have started to put ideas together with the help of members input.
We kick started the year to remind ourselves why we are in business - to make money and refresh where we are in our businesses and the many tools available to us. Phil Deem, Exeter Business Services gave an excellent presentation on business start-up - a good reminder of why we need a Business Plan and to keep it updated to ensure the Business Model for ongoing growth and income are on track. This was followed by Helen Mattacott, Beacon Peninsula Ltd. who is the only Ology Business Coach in the South West and gave an in depth look at powerful strategies to take our businesses to another level reminding us of the many resources we have available to us!
December2009
We wish you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
December is a month where we take time to consolidate our year of activity and start to build a programme of events for 2010 knowing it is a busy month for many. We take this opportunity to say a huge thank you, first of all to the MEMBERS as without you there wouldn't be a network and secondly to all those who have supported BSN in giving their time to make it the success it is today - THANK YOU from the directors of BSN and see you next year.
November 2009
With the festive season nearly upon us we rounded the year off with a Christmas theme for our networking dinners held at Browns Hotel, Tavistock and St Olaves Hotel in Exeter. Special thanks to Sally Sedgman who gave a very entertaining account of the 'joys' of Christmas preparations! A grand draw took place at both events and raised over £300 for Sparks Charity - Childrens Medical Research.
BSN 4th Annual CONFERENCE - Realising Opportunities - time for change, took place at Buckfast Abbey, Buckfastleigh, Devon where keynote speaker, Dr Rebecca Harding, Delta Economics and founding director of the World Entrepreneur Society presented latest research on women's enterprise in the UK and keynote speaker Kevin Butler, Bank of England gave a review on the current economic climate. Along with other eminent speakers and interactive sessions including networking and customer service, the day was well attending with excellent feedback.
A session on Marketing-in-a-Box took place at the Innovation Centre, Torquay where marketing consultant, Sarah Bird of Virgo Marketing shared her vast knowledge on marketing from working with large corporates and overseas clients.
Cornwall members enjoyed a session on personal branding with Image Consultant, Clare Greenwood with the kind support of Coodes Solicitors, Truro and solicitor Louise Southwell gave a presentation on the legalities on 'Protecting our businesses'.
October 2009
Do people drive you mad at work? was the topic of the session run by Helen Mettacott in Torquay, the only Ology trained Business Coach in the South West. If you understand your own behaviour and how it affects the people around you, you can use the knowledge to understand what motivates others. Reduce conflict, increase efficiency, increase motivation, and improve team morale bringing improvement to the bottom line in our business was the very clear message.
A group of business people gathered at the Bedford Hotel in Tavistock to listen to local business owner, John Taynton of PRDogs, Tavistock who gave a very encouraging view - especially for the skeptics on why we really do need to start to embrace the social media networking opportunities for our businesses.
BSN joined other members exhibiting at the well attended Business South West Exhibition at Westpoint, Exeter - the largest exhibition of businesses in the South West where we received a steady flow of interest and good contacts - an excellent 2-days of spreading the word!
The Exeter group attended a very well presented session from David Thomas, Computer Services Ltd. on 'Social Media Networking' highlighting the pro's & cons of a few of the more popular media networks and giving us a far clearer understanding with tips on how to make the most of them! There was no question it does mean having a strategy plan to get the benefit of the investment of our time and key to ensuring we will be getting the best out of it for our businesses.
September 2009
A thought provoking session held in Tiverton with Hazelann Lorkins, GLD Training Associates Ltd on looking at the concept that everyone has a part of them that is a cat and a part of them that is a dog in terms of behaviour and personalities. It was certainly an interesting session and in identifying these behaviours it was considered to be an easier way of understanding others and bringing out the best in us all.
To twitter or not to twitter was one of the questions raised on finding out more from avid social media networker John Taynton of PRdogs, Tavistock. No question that we came away with the idea that this is free marketing to a vast selected audience and why wouldn't we - other than making the time to twitter that is!
A big line up of speakers on some very relevant (scary) legal matters not just on business related matters but personal too that can effect our business, kindly hosted by Ford Simey Solicitrs, Exeter. Pat Ayerst, Image Consultant kick-started the evening on personal branding - particularly around looking professional with an added flair - even for the guys!
July 2009
It was no surprise the evening went on until late at the Venus Cafe, Blackpoolsands with lobster on the menu, a stunning view of the sea and beach, not to mention the inspiring company of amazing business people and to top it all a warm sunny evening, the South Devon group were treated to an amazing social networking evening with a flurry of business cards being exchanged.
Exhibiting can be costly in money and time and getting the best out of your investment is key. In the presentation held with the South West largest business exhibition organisers, Business South West, members Emma Brown and team of Actor Factor gave practical demonstrations on what to do and what not to do when exhibiting. With the help of the Business South West team giving best selling tips and feed back on creative ideas from the well attended audience, it was a very thought provoking session for those of us who are heading for the exhibitor halls.
Gee Sprough, the owner of Bickleigh Mills at picturesque Bickleigh, Nr Tiverton gave the Mid Devon group a very interesting talk on the restoration of the Mill, bringing in the history of days gone by. With more exciting plans afoot and knowledge business has increased throughout the recession, needless to say there was a buzz in the air with excitement when we toured the pottery, shops and the old mill itself...the hospitality and food was outstanding and as always we ran out of networking time
Being invited to join the Callington Business Connections group for a networking dinner at Langmans Restaurant, the West Devon group at Tavistock were treated to excellent food and hospitality by the owners Gail and Anton Buttery. It was a full house of 20 business people with just enough time to introduce ourselves, our businesses, eat and socialise - a very well planned evening.
June 2009
Executive Coach, Caroline Winter facilitated an interactive session with the South Devon group on 'time management' giving those attending the opportunity to coach each other and offer on-going mentoring.
A round-table discussion was held by the Mid Devon group giving participants the opportunity to share an update on the effects of the recession on local businesses and in the community.
Following her redundancy, Deborah Morris now a self-employed business coach shared her journey of success with the West Devon group giving the opportunity to guide us through some very good 'time management' tips.
Trainer Celia Delaney, Delaney & Hart gave a packed audience in Exeter 'time management' training with some interesting feed-back from the audience.
May 2009
A packed evening at the Innovation Centre, Torquay of interesting topics from 'Self-Belief' with Coach, Erica Lewis, and presentations given on Allergy Testing from Marlene Hochstrasser, Reflexology, Wendy le Messurier, local Aromatika Organic Skincare products, Lisa Hosking, Forever Living Health products, Cherry Hornsby and local hand made jewelry available from Joanne Macaskie, Gemme de Joanne.
BSN were on tour having been invited by Charles Stanley, Exeter to a presentation aimed at women on 'Investing in a Brighter Future' with Charlotte Lambeth. The presentation was followed by Tina Walker, Orange Blossom Boutique giving an outline on a new 'stress' mapping exercise, plus excellent networking over good food and wine.
April 2009
Focusing on the effects of the recession in the early part of the year we now look beyond the doom and gloom and lifting our spirits in April, we held a personal development event in Torquay with Emma Brown of Actor Factor sharing best tips on presentation skills Presence, Poise and Power. A session giving those who attended the opportunity to share with each other that even for the most confident - it 'aint that easy!
Hazelann Lorkins, GLD Training Associates facilitated a training session for the Mid Devon group on 'How to Get Noticed and Be Heard' giving an excellent opportunity to be aware and understand how we can use body language to best advantage and also the interpretation of non-verbal communication. KEY to being heard!
Corporate Image Consultant Pat Ayerst gave an interesting presentation to the West Devon group on taking advantage of the new seasons colours to really bring in some stunning ideas on how to present ourselves professionally without loosing our personal identity.
Speaker and Life Coach Ann Buckingham gave us 'time-out' from our busy day to recapture our goals and ambitions, reminding us to discard all the perceptions and myths that allow us the excuses not to make it happen - visualising the dream meant we left with high expectations of being able to reach our goals having sketched out a time map to make it happen!
March 2009
We kick-started the month with a training session on Authentic Networking held in Torquay and we were able see the benefits on being yourself in a networking situation in terms of building the relationship and identifying where there was a 'business need' that could be tapped into!
Selling insurance must be one of the hardest things to sell but not according to Amber Whitlock of NFU Mutual, when presenting options on the different insurances needed for your business, equally on what is not needed. It was followed by some excellent networking.
Hilary Broadley, of Broadley Speaking made selling seem so easy when giving a presentation in Tavistock. Asking the right questions in the right way and listening for clues on how to build a good relationship with the client is just the beginning. We hope to offer more training opportunities with Hilary in the future.
Women-owned businesses in the region were given the opportunity to attend a workshop in Truro by Sarah McPherson, of WEConnect to find out more on the accreditation process to access multinational and public procurement contracts. For those unable to attend visit www.weconnect.org.uk where you can find out more on this golden opportunity to help grow your business.
Carolyn Hooker, People Inclusive Ltd. gave an informative presentation in Exeter on business strategies for survival through the recession, followed by an interactive session with feedback from those who attended.
February 2009
One for the records - SNOW meant we had to cancel the South Devon event...fortunately we are able to re-schedule for April.
Mid Devon host Hazelann Lorkin, GLD Training Associates Ltd. gave an excellent seminar on 'How to appear confident' and gave us an insight on the different personality traits of people and to know how to react. Best of all, Hazelann shared with us her own shyness before becoming a trainer and was proof that with practice, practice and more practice we can do and be whatever we want to! With excellent feedback from the audience, another session is planned for April - one not to miss!
A well attended first meeting was held at Browns Hotel in Tavistock for the West Devon group where we held a lively discussion on the economic climate and shared ideas with the group to bring together a programme of events for the rest of the year.
The presentation on 'Marketing on a low budget' at Exeter was very well attended and Lisa Farr of Inspired Marketing giving tips and ideas for marketing your business, including giving talks at the different networks gave us plenty to think about.
January 2009
There was no 'doom & gloom' at the South Devon meeting when sharing ideas to overcome the downturn on the economic climate - looking at the achievements of last year and making decisions for 2009 we all left on a positive note thanks to Maria Harding, Beers LLP with 10 tips on how to do it!
A meeting was held at the University of Exeter when Deputy Head of the University of Exeter Business School, Professor Alison Wride gave an audience of Devon business women an overall view of the credit crunch and recession. Alison took us through the economics on a global scale and how it is effecting us locally giving an insight into the future, particularly for the South West. The audience shared their concerns when Alison mentioned statistics showed that women were loosing jobs faster than men and it was likely to continue. Not all doom and gloom for those in business as some were seeing opportunities rather than threats inthe economic downturn. The key message is to remain confident, not to be isolated but to share and support each other.
The first meeting for the Cornwall group was held in Truro with Mike Kevern of Butterfly Business Development giving a presentation how to 'pitch the sell'. Time ran out but never the less Mike gave an insight on the key skills needed to know how to 'sell your product and services' and much more importantly the strategic planning needed before even making the 'call'. No question the art of selling is a highly professional skill and one to invest in.
December 2008
The year ended on a great gathering of members and guest for networking over warm mulled wine and mince pies to kick-start the Christmas season. In Totnes members came together for an opportunity to sell jewellery, homemade soaps, lingerie and crafts with hot tips from Image Consultant, Pat Ayerst.
November 2008
The launch of three new BSN groups took place on Women's Enterprise Day in Cornwall, Bristol and Tavistock when nearly 200 women attended events on 'ASK THE EXPERTS'. There was an amazing line-up of speakers celebrating the success of local business women with free advice and information from banks, accountants and solicitors available.
October 2008
THE THIRD ANNUAL CONFERENCE 'Strategy for Success' held at Dillington House, Ilminster was a huge success with over 130 people attending. Keynote Speaker Professor Steve Brown led the day looking at 'strategy' in the context of small businesses and the credit crunch. A clear message was given encouraging people to dig deep and 'lead the way' with their own business on the basis it was unlikely the government would bail anyone out!
At Tiverton, the Mid Devon group with Donna Nunn of Netpeed Leadership, held a very interesting second session on Winning Crucial Conversation with an interactive session sharing situations we are faced with in the work place and our everyday lives. Very well attended again, networking in the bar proved very successful.
The South Devon group were treated to excellent advice session on IT from Cathy Gillard of Laptop Learning with hints and tips on the shortcuts available to us. The networking session proved to be very interesting and with several new local business women joining the group we finally wrapped the evening up at 10.00pm!
September2008
Charlotte Lambeth of Charles Stanley Stockbrokers gave a very thought provoking presentation on 'Investing for our Future' and focused on areas that women need to consider. We were joined by a group of visiting professors from the Rumanian and American University Budapest.
With an over subscribed event at Tiverton with Donna Nunn giving an excellent presentation on 'Winning Crucial Conversations' Donna has offered to facilitate another session on 9th October. Donna paid special attention on how conversations can play a big part in networking and building relationships that can lead to long term business partnerships, much, much more than swopping business card information. Donna set up a very successful women's network in the USA with over 7000 members and was recognised with an award for being one of the top 15 women in the USA 'To Make a Difference'.
Family Law was the topic discussed at the networking event held in Exeter with facts and a case study presented by Sandy Powell of Ford Simey Solicitors. It was really interesting to know how important it is for partners to have a legal document drawn up to protect them against any misinterpretations of wealth in the case of the relationship ending.
We were given the opportunity to take on board all the many techiques and knowledge we need to understand when presenting to an audience or being interviewed by the media and how to pitch it so it lands with the audience exactly how you want it to. A full-on exhausting day with Mary Lidgate & Josie Sutcliffe of Theatre4Business.
August 2008
A quieter month for the network with one special event held at Sharpham Winery in South Devon. Very well attended, we were shown around the winery with a tasting session and enjoyed supper in the local pub for some excellent networking. Other than the rain (no surprise there) it was a very good evening and special thanks to Heritage Tours for arranging it.
July2008
A busy month with plenty of 'interesting' summer networking venues in Devon on offer - a luxury yacht in Torquay, a horse drawn barge on the Canal in Tiverton and kayaking on the River Dart!
With a mixture of men and women exhibitors attending a seminar on 'How to get the best out of Exhibiting' Business South West gave an excellent presentation on hot-tips on what to do and what not to do with your stand when exhibiting. With some 'speed' networking thrown in it was a very successful evening all round.
June2008
This month was the start of 'Our Preferred Client' event when 10 of us sat around the table for dinner with the theme on finance at the Thistle Hotel, Exeter. For those who attended 'by invitation only' it was a great success and for sure there will be others like this each with a different theme and organised by the host of the group. The idea is to take the 'leg-work' out of networking and bring your preferred client to you.
June2008
The Exeter networking event saw many new faces and particularly pleasing for member and NLP Coach Erica Lewis when she gave all the tips on how to set goals and actually achieve them...certainly in a very convincing way.
June2008
Other networking events included member and Coach Catriona Widdows of Desirable Futures at Totnes give an in depth session on the how we can make the changes needed to go forward and we were privilege to witness the process with a willing participant - it was amazing to see the results and certainly worth leaving late for!
June2008
BSN Mid Devon was launched at the stunning and glorious Stoodleigh Court , Tiverton in all its splendour. We listened to inspirational speaker Mary Quicke MBE of Quickes Traditional Farmhouse Cheeses who gave us an insight on the running of the family business and her own personal journey. The winner of the 2 free tickets to Newton Abbot Race Course for Ladies Day was Sylvia Read, Positive Solutions.
May2008
It was almost a full house for our networking event at ASK Restuarant in Exeter with Hypnotist Clare Whiston sharing 'How the Mind Works' giving a taster session on the benefits Hypnotherapy.
May2008
A full-on day held in Exeter of EFT - Emotional Freedon Technique given by Ann Ross of Newperspectives, the only Master of EFT in the South West and 11 Master EFT practitioners in the whole of Europe.
May2008
'Accounting Made Simple' was the title of the seminar held in Ivybridge by Accountant Michele Marsland of Marslands Accountants where attendees were given information on different accounting systems, budgeting and simple profit & loss statements to help run a business.
May2008
The Mid Devon group hosted a session presented by Business Coach Anthony & Julie McGloin of Straight Forward Business Ltd. on 'What your business needs to double it's profits' giving delegates the opportunity of an offer of free Business Coaching and a book written by Anthony on Business Coaching.
May2008
A very well attended networking event was held at the Devon Guild Centre, Bovey Tracey with Clive Birch of BNI (Business Network International) giving a very indepth session on the Art of Networking and the best 'tips of the trade'!
April2008
Both South Devon and Mid Devon continue to build their groups at the monthly networking gatherings and with a full audience at the charming Royal Seven Stars Hotel, Totnes, member Ann Buckingham gave an uplifting session on 'Living a Fulfilling Life' followed by networking.
In Exeter, Kirsten Hemmingway-Arnold of LifeWorklife Ltd gave an inspiring talk - leading a very busy life, director of three companies, with three children, a horse, a business mentor and a volunteer - proving with the right 'tool-kit' including blue tooth and a blackberry and although a long day - it can be done! Kirsten has recently launched www.LifeWorklife.co.uk. After the session we were joined by those wishing to network or chill and it was a good opportunity to have further discussions on some of the ideas presented to us.
March 2008
The South Devon group enjoyed an evening with Marlene Hochstrasser giving a presentation on Allergy Testing followed by networking. A small group of Mid Devon business women gathered in the bar at the Tiverton Hotel for the second monthly networking meeting. Coach Sue Thomas facilitated an interactive session on decision making techniques in Exeter, taking the 'worry' out of decision making and replacing it with techniques and a process that can make decision making alot easier whether in our everyday lives or in business!
February 2008
Ann Buckingham of ABConsultancy gave a presentation to an audience of over 30 women of all ages and backgrounds sharing some of the difficult experiences she had been faced with during her life and gave feed back on the different ways in which she dealt with them. It changed her life and has helped her to build a very successful coaching business.
January2008
No question we are very serious about supporting businesses and giving members and guest the opportunity to access business support. Business coach Anthony and Julie McGloin set the pace for another dynamic year with a very motivational seminar and gave an insight on the many tools we have to be successful.
January2008
A good start to the year with a very interesting evening held at the Flavel, Dartmouth with member Elaine Arnold, Arts & Business, giving some excellent ideas on how businesses can partner up with the Arts and create opportunities to maximise marketing and PR. It also proved to be a very good opportunity to improve our networking skills by delegates being given the opportunity to take the stage and be in the 'spot-light'!
December07
Intrue Christmas spirit the networking event held at the Mercure Southgate Hotel, Exeter, where we were treated to some splendid Christmas cocktails and with a packed room of over 30 women turned out to be quite a 'jolly'!
At the networking event at the Royal Seven Stars Hotel, Totnes with mulled wine and mince pies, we were not only very fortunate to have Image Consultant Pat Ayerst give us top tips for the Christmas sparkle, we were also joined by a group of 40 local singers adding to the festive spirit with a medley of Christmas carols. This wound up the year of an amazing events and thank you to all who made it so successful.
Wishing you a Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year and a Healthy and Prosperous 2008.
November07
This was a busy month with Women's Enterprise Day and BSN participated in the many opportunities open to us. First of all, How to Convert a Lead or Contact into a Client or Customer proved to be very popular with over 40 women attending throughout the day. South Devon College, Paignton hosted a Speed Networking event with the South Devon Chamber of Commerce and BSN Women in Business participating. Finally, we had a stand at the Women into Enterprise exhibition and seminar day, hosted by Business Link, Somerset at the Somerset College of Arts & Technology, Taunton. Not forgetting the well attended 'drop-in' monthly networking events at Totnes and Exeter.
October07
Judging from the deluge of emails with many words of appreciation and thanks, there is no doubt the Conference 2008 held in Cornwall, was a huge success - even better than last year! The speakers were extremely inspirational and engaging so well with the audience, for certain we left as a 'united' group and ready to take on the world! Member Kristen Sousa was the winner of the Clarins Gift prize worth £100.00
October07
This month kicked off the South Devon networking monthly meetings - the first Tuesday of the month at the Royal Seven Stars, Totnes from 5.30pm with a gathering of local business women.
As always the Business South West Exhibition at Westpoint proved to be very successful for BSN with over 100 women registering an interest. It gave members the opportunity to promote the network and their businesses.
September07
Another successful evening to 'meet the members' and make new contacts at our informal networking meetings at the Southgate Hotel, Exeter.
September07
Everything we need to know in our personal and professional life that can help us to manage our finances better and pay less tax! Members Michele Marsland, Chartered Certified Accountant, Dana Mackie, trainee Financial advisor and Linda Wale, Mortgage advisor gave lots of 'tips of the day' with interesting and informative presentations. To add a 'bonus' to the evening we were given 'hot tips' on lucrative networking!
August07
Finally, a gruesome but very enjoyable production of Shakespeare's 'Macbeth' at the open air theatre Northernhay Gardens, Exeter ...a great way to round off the summer evenings with of course the odd glass of wine or two and enjoy the opportunity to get to know new members and make new friends.
August07
Waw! into the 'big stuff' for our adventure evening, well it felt like that going down over the rapids on the River Exe in a canoe! Actually it was called a weir but with one canoe capsizing (not mine) perhaps it wasn't so easy to negotiate afterall! All good fun though and we were in safe hands with our instructor Paul Mitchell. After three hours of paddling away, first on the river then up the canal, with a much needed change of clothing, we all enjoyed a meal and drink together making it a very memorable evening.
July07
Our final 'out and about' networking event took us to Holne Park House at the River Dart Adventure Park, just on the edge of Dartmoor in Ashburton. It would have been very tempting, especially on such a pleasant summer evening, to join in on all the family fun of the adventure park, but we were treated 'royally' to a fabulous meal with a tour of this beautiful family owned house and networking at its best, with a small group of us really getting to know each other.
July07
The second of our networking events out and about in Devon, very well attended and and successfully held at Living Coast, Torquay. Jane Stroud of Training Partnership Ltd was guest speaker and shared her 'journey' of success, now the owner of a very successful international training company.
June07
The weather, probably the worst day of all this summer, didn't put any of us off attending a very special evening of networking at the Haldon Belvedere, Exeter. We were joined by members of other networks, Exeter & Plymouth Business Directory and BNI and given plenty of 'tips of the day' on the art of networking. The Devon Life editor was highly active in taking photos and interviews - so you can catch up more in the August 07 edition.
May07
Networking at it's best took place at the Southgate Hotel, Exeter this month with the opportunity to sample some very refreshing summer drinks and wine tasting, served with delicious canapes.
May07
Our first regional SET (Science, Engineering and Technology) conference was held at the Genesis Centre, Taunton with an excellent programme of inspirational speakers. The aim of the day was to encourage more women to take up positions or start businesses in these areas and we were very fortunate to have the opportunity to hear from some very successful women who have climbed the career ladder with some very interesting jobs.
May07
Over 60 business women attended the South Devon Network launch at the Toorak Hotel, Torquay hosted by member Marlene Hoschstrasser of Allergy Testing (UK) Ltd. Malcolm Bell, CEO of SW Tourism gave an interesting presentation on future trends in tourism and member Margaret Hiles, Veromar Strategic Marketing gave a presentation on the 'Making the most of your Marketing.'
April07
Feed back given from our first Debate on Diversity held at the University if Exeter was very positive. Chaired by Jayne Craig, Diversity Manager of SWRDA and a panel of eminent speakers with expert knowledge on issues from the different minority groups, was a very 'lively' and extremely interesting debate.
April07
'It's Your Business to Know' held at Tavistock aimed at encouraging more women to start a business and supporting those who are already running a business was a very successful day packed with excellent speakers and exhibitors. We had some really good feed back and pooling our resources with other similar organisations proved that partnering-up is 'the way to go'.
March07
Our networking evening at the Southgate with 15+ women and men was a great opportunity to network, chill and chat.
March07
Corporate Culture Vs Personal Values presented by Cathy Debenham was a very good topic for discussion. Reflecting and understanding the values of a company is key to good employee management - interpretation is all important as peoples perceptions can be very different.
March07
Presentation Skills with a difference! Josie and Mary, without doubt took the fear out of standing in front of any audience with a completely different approach. Analysing 'the space' we are in when we are up on stage was an interesting exercise and once having grasped it we could experiment and 'play'' with it giving some amazing results and this was just a taster session!
February 07
The Health and Wellbeing Day proved to be a great success with some very appropriate presentations giving us 'Essential Tools for the Trade' with a capital 'E'. Thank you to all those who participated and we intend to build on the day with a similar event again next year. The Networking evening at the Southgate Hotel proved to be another interesting evening with the opportunity to meet new friends.
January 07
We started the year off with a very interesting presentation from Mark Wallis of A&B - Arts & Business at the Exeter Phoenix. Mark presented some very interesting ideas on creative marketing which had been proven to be successful for the companies involved including a funeral home! The networking evening at the Southgate Hotel was very well attended and many have mentioned how welcome we were made by member Maddie Page-Dove, Events/Function Manager of the hotel.
November06
A delightful evening was held at Effings Restaurant in Exeter where nearly 60 of us, women and men, were able to relax and enjoy the warm welcome of owners Mike & Jackie. Having been given the whole place to ourselves we were able to enjoy the lovely ambience and purchase the beautiful selection of fine foods with a generous discount.
November06
An IT Awareness OPEN DAY on Women's Enterprise Day with speaker sessions on all aspects of IT was very well attended. With many questions being asked by the delegates proved there is a need for this kind of event. On the basis IT changes rapidly we will consider putting the event on more often. The day facilitated a one-stop shop with the experts on hand plus some IT training and free for all.
October06
Our first annual Conference - Together the Future is Ours took place at the new Sandy Park Conference Centre with nearly 200 women attending from all sectors, at all levels and from different parts of the South West. Jane Henderson, Chief Executive of SWRDA gave the opening address after a welcome from the Right Worshipful Lord Mayor of Exeter. Penny Newman, CEO of Cafe Direct was keynote speaker. Other speakers included Jackie Bagnall of Leadership SW and Pippa Warin, CultureSW. Alister Wilson of Waverley Consultants facilitated the Scenario training sessions, looking at Visions for Success and making them happen. Members facilitated a number of interesting workshops. With lots to build on for next year's conference - planning has already began...
September06
Dr Michelle Ryan, Research Fellow at the School of Psychology, University of Exeter gave an extremely interesting presentation on 'Looking beyond the 'glass ceiling' and over the 'glass cliff'. With more women taking on management positions, this increase in representation has focused both the media and the research spotlight on the way in which women leaders perform. Are women managers as effective as their male counterparts? Are they rewarded in similar ways? What are the implications for companies that appoint women to senior leadership positions? These were some of the points for lengthy discussion and as always much more time was needed!
August06
Our annual visit to see Shakespeare in the Park turned out to be chilly but it didn't stop us from having a pre-theatre picnic and take in the amazing stage set with an excellent performance of 'Twelth Night.'
July06
Networking at it's best, overlooking the bay with stunning views on a hot summer's evening with an abundance of delicous, exotic tapas - how lucky we were to be at Living Coast, Torquay and of course in great company.
June06
Some of us were brave enough to turn up for the kayaking event at Haven Banks, Exeter! With the idea that we might be doing rollovers unfortunately no-one had a camera to capture the great fun we had - did anyone get wet - now that would telling!
June06
Cathy Debenham gave a session on 'Marketing on a low budget - or no budget' packed full of ideas on what to do and not to do. The media loves stories and the more they relate to everyday life the better - that was the challenge of the day - how to think like journalist and promote your business.
May06
Personal Branding - nearly 30 of us turned up to be personally branded! Sue Windly gave an excellent presentation with some 'hot tips' on how we can have the edge over our competitors by the way in which we present ourselves and giving all the right messages. It seemed we needed reminding by Sue the business benefits of being upbeat and positive about our daily lives rather than intense and serious which often grinds us down. With Sue's abundance of energy and knowledge even after a long day, it was very uplifting and energising...
May06
Monthly networking meetings usually held the last Thursday of the month from 5.30. p.m. onwards at the Royal Clarence Hotel, Exeter continues to attract both men and women from a wide area with many different businesses. With the ambience of the Cathedral room over looking the cathedral and green, the fine cuisine from Michael Caines restaurant brings out the best in us for effective networking.
March06/April06
Powerful Connections - our first roadshow to promote the network and website held in Ivybridge, Barnstaple and Exeter (Torquay postponed) giving participants the opportunity to network and increase communication skills with a workshop specially designed for Women in Business by national trainers Sidona Group. Presented by Anne Blackburn we were given a toolkit of techniques to develop our own successful style of communicating and enabling us to make powerful connections in business. We are looking forward to visiting more areas in Devon and Cornwall
March06
Attended by 30 women and male colleagues from all different backgrounds Courage over Confidence with coach and trainer Vanessa Cobb of Iridica Development, was a very inspiring event. Looking at developing our thinking from inside out, going far beyond the area of Courage to the Fear factor with a truly 'outside the box' approach took us to far greater levels of confidence. Vanessa gave an intriguing exercise on 'colours'. As one woman said 'this is something I have not shared with anyone and I can't believe I am sharing it with you all' a true testament of Vanessa's ability to hold her audience and bring us to a comfort level to share experiences.
February06
Another thought provoking evening. Margaret Davies, Business Psychologist took us through the cultures of several larger companies and the benefits to the companies when employees are involved in helping to shape the culture. We also looked at ideas on how women could help to influence business cultures, policticking being one of them and lengthy discussions took place with feed back on personal experiences. It certainly seemed the task ahead to encourage more women to take on boardroom positions to influence and re-shape business cultures is not going to be an easy one!
Jan/Feb06
An enjoyable networking evening in January with lots going on - a host of beauty treatments available with a 'live' demonstration of treatments to eliminate wrinkles - not for the faint hearted!
January06
We could have talked all night! It was an extremely interesting presentation on the dilemmas facing women when taking on leadership roles within a very male dominated environment. Dr Cheron Tucker, Clinical Psychologist pointed out the difficult choices on how we stay true to ourselves as women when we are overpowered and outnumbered by our masculine counterparts. We only touched the surface of these complex issues and there was plenty of good feedback with participants requesting another meeting to build on all that was shared.
November05
The oversubscribed meeting held at the Business Link offices Exeter on Making More of Your Business was facilitated by Business Psychologist Margaret Davies and gave us a very thought provoking afternoon session on the cultures within businesses. With an interesting workshop identifying the differences in our perceptions and looking at the effects on our businesses of the different attitudes portrayed led to some very good discussions.
November05
The Reception held at the Guildhall in the presence of The Right Worshipful Lord Mayor, Councillor Peter Wadham was very well attended by business men and women, not just from the Exeter area also from other areas of Devon including Torquay, Plymouth and Barnstaple. Sally Sedgman gave a very entertaining account of her life as a women launching into a business career. Not easy for a women of her generation and reminded us of the many opportunities and support for women today. Needless to say we were truly spoilt with the excellent ambience in such an historic place with good food, wine and company.
November05
The launch of our monthly networking evening took place at the recently refurbished Royal Clarence Hotel, Cathedral Green, Exeter. Being provided with top class food and service it created an ambience and atmosphere perfect for networking and getting to know each. As one participant mentioned it was almost party-like and 7.30 p.m. came around all too quickly!
October05
Making More of Your Business was attended by employed women, early and pre start-up business women and those who have been in business for some time wanting to gain knowledge and share information. Ann Ross owner of New Perspective Life Coaching gave an excellent afternoon presentation on Emotional Intelligence. The group participated in an exercise that gave hard evidence on how we can create new thinking space by unleashing our energy. This was related to our jobs or businesses and the different roles we play, giving an insight on how to overcome difficulties with work colleagues, staff, employees and conflicts.
October05
Thank you to all of you who visited the stand at the Business South West exhibition held at Westpoint, Exeter. It was an excellent opportunity to talk to many women from all different backgrounds giving first hand information on the benefits of joining the network and created a lot of interest in more members joining the network.
September05
Grace Keast proprietor of WHEELERS Chartered Certified Accountants gave an enormous amount of information on the tax implications of different legal structures when starting a new business or changing an existing legal structure. Some time was also spent looking at the different options on car allowances, as well as personal matters Inheritance Tax and Tax Credits. We all participated in an excellent networking session
August05
A picnic in the park on a warm summers evening was the start of a very enjoyable and relaxing evening watching an excellent performance of Comedy of Errors in the open air theatre at the Rougemont Gardens Exeter - with real live props - the pigeon!
July05
Although it was a glorious hot summer evening there was a nice number of us that made the evening very comfortable. Being a small group we were able to give opinions and share experiences on stress related matters. Katie Porkess, studying stress management for her PhD, gave the group detailed information on studies and research available. Plus a lot of tips on how to keep stress to the minimum. Katie has offered to facilitate the evening for us again.
June05
Making More of Your Business proved to be a very interesting afternoon with women business owners and employed women participating. Discussions, if not a debate on women’s issues in particular on the different roles we play during any one day and how this might or might not effect our business life, was very lively. Looking at emotional differences and using them to our advantage will be the next subject of these on-going seminars. Check the diary to find out more details
June05
Bev Couzens of Dale Carnegie gave excellent 'tips' on how to give the best presentations, plus confidence building techniques for those who 'fear' public speaking. The group was given the opportunity to identify areas of improvement for those who 'love it' and also for the rest of us!
May 05
Jenny Daisley of Springboard Consultancy, pioneer of women's management training and now in 16 countries across the globe gave the group the opportunity to identifying positive feed-back from personal achievements and gently build confidence in giving a presentation
April 05
Jack Russell gave an inspiring evening of facts, fun and proof that our thinking can make or break us! Amanda Lyon-Smith of The Purple Company, Promotional Merchandise & Corporate Clothing demonstrated mind over matter when never having participated in martial arts actually broke a large thick piece of wood in half with one hand! On the basis apparently that we only use 0.5% of our potential, with another 99.5% available - let's get going......
March 05
Mary Quicke of Quickes Traditional Farmhouse Cheeses very kindly came to our Business Networking event and wished the network every success. Mary said that both her and husband Tom had originally steered the company on 'making money' but decided on the long term benefit of producing quality products and it was beginning to pay off having won another major world-wide award. Mary's tip for all women in business or starting a business - don't be put-off - believe in yourself - you can do it and you will be successful! Thank you to all of those who attended.
November 04
Pat Ayerst, Image Consultant and Susan Cartwright Nutrionist presented an interesting evening at the Southgate Hotel, Exeter. Susan gave an in depth presentation on Nutrients 4 Health and Pat gave us the 'tip of the day' with a fashion update and a colour analysis exercise..
October 04
The Steering Group had a presentation by Helen Vines of Community Enterprise Unit to look at Social Enterprise. A second Steering Group meeting took place when the aims and objectives were discussed and agreed.
September 04
Over 60 women attended a seminar organised by Business Link looking at the difficulties facing women in business and to look at issues around the low percentage of women business owners in comparison to men business owners. There were several inspirational women sharing the success of their business. The afternoon gave the opportunity for small group discussion followed by a plenary session. With over 40 women agreeing a women's network would be beneficial a steering group was formed