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Introduction Small business owners can usually find it hard to get their business moving during any time of their campaign due to the lack of resources, finance, skills or knowledge. Consequently, for small business owners, the key to success can largely depend on sharing and inheriting experience and knowledge with other fellow small business owners. So, how is this possible and why would you benefit from the advice of local competition? Co-operation for Mutual Benefit If you have read our article on Economies of Scale, you will have seen how small businesses can benefit by co-operating with each other. This article has the same philosophy and you will see that by interacting with other small business owners, you can be offered support and advice that will benefit your business in both the short and the long term.
Small Business Clubs
So, where can you find this type of support and advice. The answer lies in Small Business Clubs: meetings and networking events held locally at regular periods. There are literally hundreds of small business clubs (SBC) held all over the country and are often attended by over 100 small business owners each time. There will almost certainly be a SBC in your local area and if not, at least within proximity.
Your nearest SBC can be found via the local newspaper adverts or through the referrals of local small businesses. They are commonly held fortnightly during the evenings or at weekends, but this will vary from place to place. A small fee (around £100 for a year membership) is also required but the benefits will easily outweigh the cost.
What are Small Business Clubs Exactly?
The idea of SBCs is to encourage small business development (growth, sales, relations, etc) in the area by allowing business owners to liaise with others (owners, experts, etc) to help solve problems and issues, or to generally offer their own advice. SBCs will also keep you informed of any important information or changes that may affect local small businesses and offer advice accordingly.
All small business owners will face problems in their time and almost none of these will be unique. In such case, why not get the advice and help from those who have encountered similar problems and have pulled through successfully. The programme for each SBC is likely to vary from place to place as they regularly hold training sessions or lean towards a certain area of business for a period of time during their meetings. Check with your local SBC to find out what they have planned for the next few months. Below is a general overview of the benefits you can expect from a SBC: Business advice from other small business owners Business advice from experts Regular training in a certain area of business Information concerning small business i.e. changes in legislation, grant availability, etc Regular newsletters and reports The development of local business relations A chance to express your views and opinions
To locate your local SBC look in your local telephone directory or contact your local branch of one of the following, who will either give you you contact details (as they all should) or they may actually be your local SBC (as is possible in many cases). Chamber of Commerce Federation of Small Business Business Link UK Business Referral Club |
