Thank goodness its Friday!

Todays meeting – I suppose its the start of the summer holidays, some members are getting away before the children break up and thus no surprise a few of us are away. I was travelling on my motorbike in the cool morning so could not have been happier to miss all the traffic works in Slough!

We had two very interesting talks from Elaine Robinson and Ash Taylor.

Elaine gave us a background on her tutoring business and the business sector it sits in. She works online as she believes this is particularly good for the ages of the children she works with – with so many children now getting private tutors its is a growing industry. In the areas around the networking group there are plenty of Grammar schools who need children to pass the 11 Plus, and perhaps the only way to get through this is with some additional help from outside school. Some 27% of children now get tutored and this is growing every year.

Ash is now heavily involved in leadership development and has seen the improvements in companies that have spent time and money training managers to properly manage the people around them. There are so many people who have been promoted into managerial positions on the basis of doing well at a current job, they then get thrown into the new role with minimal if any raining and left to get on with it! Hardly a surprise when things go wrong!
Most of the time people leave an organisation because of other people, not the actual job. So Ash sees it as his goal to make people realise how they can improve the whole of a company by training managers effectively.

Looking forward to the next meeting on August 7th

Combined meeting

Todays meeting was combined with Business Connexions, the Chamber of Commerce and Cross Reference. So, yes, a busy morning where everyone really had to keep the presentations to a strict time!

But this is a great way to get more diverse people in the room, renew those connections you might already have and meet s few people who might just be able to make you some interesting connection outside the room.

In fact this is exactly what was happening.

The location was just down the road from our usual location and we all enjoyed a lovely full English breakfast before we went in to a quick fire round explaining our businesses and perhaps who we were looking for.

We had some great presentations and these always give me a few ideas for making changes to my own 1 minute pitch.

Very much looking forward to the next meeting!

Meeting May 1st

I am particularly looking forward to this meeting, selfishly because it is my turn to do the 10 minute slot for the group! My topic will be “Future-Proof Your Website for the AI Search Era”

What I find most useful in these slots is to use it as an educational opportunity – hopefully this way everyone leaves with something they can apply to their own website.

The beauty of this is that people also realise the knowledge of the presenter (me in this case) and that they are a true expert in their field.

Its one reason why you should always grasp the opportunity to speak – not as a sales opportunity, but as a chance to stand out from the crowd and show people what you know.

When two members get together….

This week we had an interesting and amusing (because these two are funny people) presentation from John and Robert as they have slightly overlapping areas of expertise – John is about copy in general and Robert is a technical author.

So they approach writing in slightly different ways. They used the example of “How to Tie a Shoelace” to show the different ways to do this. From the initial one where AI answered the question to Johns version then the technical Robert version.

What is most interesting is that it is so important to consider your audience before writing ANYTHING. If its for a technical crowd then loads of information is required, if its for a child then it has to be in a totally different style.

There is no right or wrong way to write anything but aiming it for the right medium is critical.

Do you have any questions? Why not get in touch.

Members talk

One of the greatest parts of being a member of Networking Gerrards Cross is the opportunity to hear talks from our own members, each an expert in their field.

This exchange of knowledge is incredibly valuable for everyone in the room. It gives members direct access to real insight, practical advice, and proven experience from trusted local professionals who understand the challenges and opportunities we all face in business.

Every talk brings fresh ideas, different perspectives, and actionable tips that members can take straight back into their own businesses. Just as importantly, it helps us better understand one another’s expertise, making it easier to refer work with confidence and strengthen the relationships that make our network so powerful.

It’s more than just networking — it’s a community built on shared learning, trust, and helping each other grow.

If you want to know more about joining please contact us directly – always happy for people to attend a few times before any commitment to join is made.

Membership continues to grow

Its been a fruitful few months for the group and we continue to grow in numbers.

There are many reasons to join but above all its about fun, learning and support.

The end results should always be a return on your investment in time and money but along the way we have to make sure that we balance this with enjoying what we do and the time we spend with people.

Its still early in 2026 but I think that this will be another great year for the group as we continue to support and pass business around between us.

Networking is the key to business

It may or not be for your business but as a way of progressing your business in sales as well as knowledge its a powerful method worth considering.

In my opinion I have gained so much by networking – I have learnt a lot about aspects of business from other professionals in the group to gaining new business and using the services of others around me.

I have introduced and used solicitors, promotional suppliers, legal experts, IT experts, HR experts, video experts, business coaches, photographers, office suppliers … the list goes on.

At Kehorne we have changed a lot of the processes in the business as we have learnt and taken on advice from the experts around us.

So why network? Maybe its just to get out the house as you work along! But the long term benefits are all there for the taking.

Need networking advice? Why not get in touch or come along to Cross Reference.

Last meeting with added guests

Its been a busy time and even in the holiday season we have had a productive meeting.

Good to see our two guests, I always find it really interested to hear what other people are up to in their business lives.

I’ve also been busy getting our LinkedIn page back live – it had been looked after by someone who had left and no one who who had the access to it. I have to say LinkedIn were very helpful and we got it sorted without going through too many hoops.

I also realised we had not posted anything on the website Blog for a while, so here it is!

The next meetings are August 16, Sept 6 and 20. If anyone would like to come along just get in touch.

Christmas at Cross Reference

With the last meeting of 2023 we had a joint meeting with the Chilterns Chamber of Commerce who we have a regular slot with every few months.

This gives both groups a chance to gain from talking to other experts and discuss other opportunities.

Our Christmas flavoured talk was from Charles Fraser who gave us an interesting take on Bingo talking about his specialist knowledge with prizes for the winner! As ever there are always some take away points that are of interest.

We look forward to our next meeting on January 5th 2024

New Member – Peter Baldacchino

Mortgage Adviser, Director at High Street Mortgages Ltd – Peter has joined the group and is already giving us a great insight into the mortgage market – as more and more people come to the end of their fixed rates it is very important to get the advice of a professional and with Peter he really knows his area of expertise and his advice is faultless.

What is even more important in the current market is the way the financial situation is changing so quickly. It can be the difference in making a decision now or leaving it as long as possible to where the market is looking at going.

Always get proper financial advice before making any decision.