JUNE ROUND-UP

June saw us back at The Embassy Club where we invited back our previous guest speaker, Francesca Lubenko of East Wind Business Development who gave us some ideas on how to optimise our connections. Even the most seasoned networkers can always pick up a tip or two. It's all very well attending networking meetings regularly, but do you allow yourself enough time for follow up? We had an interesting interactive session with Francesca with contributions from everyone in attendance - it was great to hear the stories everyone had to tell, good & bad!


Here are Francesca's top 5 tips:

1. Have fun

2. Show up - and keep showing up!

3. Focus on them

4. Prepare - have a strategy/make a plan

5. Keep them warm

Don't forget that attending a networking event is just the beginning.  Following up is key to building and maintaining those relationships which then leads to future business.

MAY ROUND-UP

A change of venue this month saw us at Red Bar near Carnaby Street, with a small intimate group which gave the opportunity for everyone to circulate and meet everyone else in the room.  Great for really building on those relationships and finding out a little more about what we all do and how we can all help each other.

 

Our guest speaker was Jo Rogers of North Star Legal Ltd.  Jo has spent her legal career to date advising international clients on mergers & acquisitions, joint ventures and company law requirements and now advises businesses how to reduce their legal risks by getting their businesses in ship-shape. She spoke about "Navigating your business through the legal unknown - 10 steps to guide you to safety". Something we all need to know, whether we are SMEs or larger businesses.

Here are Jo's top tips:

• Always read and understand the paperwork
• Avoid pirates: know who you are dealing with
• Keep a treasure chest of records
• Everything is negotiable
• Know the likelihood of something happening - avoid the storm
• Evaluate the consequences and effects upfront
• Keep things ship-shape
• Plan your next destination
• Seek wise counsel
• Be the captain of your ship

It did stir up an interesting discussion about how often we read the smallprint!  As Jo suggested, always print off the Terms & Conditions at the time of the transaction and keep them safe - just in case you ever need to refer back to them.  And preferably read them too!

 

 

WANT TO DO BUSINESS IN NORTH EAST LONDON?

If you are the owner of a business, small or large, either based in North East London or would like to establish new connections in the area, then this Business Expo is for you!  With the opportunity to network and generate more leads and sales at this first event of its kind in the area, at just £100 to exhibit this could be the perfect opportunity for your business.

Or why not come and visit as it's free to attend (registration in advance required or £10 admission on the door).  You will have the potential to meet new business partners, suppliers and buyers, discover some new ideas and find out what your competitors are up to.  Plus there is a packed programme of seminars with some fabulous speakers lined up throughout the day.

And of course, networking opportunities galore!  With speed networking sessions, a morning breakfast networking session (co-hosted by LWMB!) and a closing networking reception to round off the day, you are spoilt for choice.

For further information and to register either as an exhibitor or visitor, click here.

LOOKING FOR A NEW DRESS READY FOR "THE SEASON"?

**44 Frocks and Rewardrobe are holding a special one-off event for the upcoming London Social Season**

 

44 Frocks, the company behind London’s wildly popular, sell-out ‘Frock parties’ have teamed up with Rewardobe Personal Style Consultancy to bring you a one-off event, tailored specifically to have you dressed for the occasion during the upcoming London Social Season.

 

Just a 5 minute journey from Liverpool Street, after work on the 14th April, a warm welcome of Prosecco and gourmet cupcakes awaits you at the private 44 Frocks Apartment, along with a treasure trove of new or 'as new' designer frocks for you to rustle through, try on and fall in love with.

 

We want you to look your very best this Social Season, so each dress has been individually hand-picked by the 44 Frocks team to give you the ultimate choice of attire at affordable prices (£50-£150) - along with individually tailored insider advice from Rewardrobe's top stylist.

 

The evening's offerings include: 

• Crisp cold prosecco served in vintage teacups
• Gourmet cupcakes piled sky high
• Stylist on hand to talk the group through the pitfalls and moments to shine during social season
• A huge selection of specifically chosen designer dresses all marked from £50 to £150
• Piles of hats, accessories, jewellery and extras to try on, try out, get advice on, and when they’ve found the perfect match, buy.

The £15 tickets are limited to ensure there is space for the lucky shoppers to relax, have a glass of fizz and browse at their own pace; and like the 44 Frocks tea parties, these tickets will sell out quickly!

 

To book : http://www.44frocks.co.uk/social-season-event.html

 

For more information, please contact Veronica at Rewardrobe (veronica@rewardrobe.eu)

APRIL ROUND-UP

Lots of fun and laughter on a gorgeous sunny evening in Marylebone!  The April London Women Mean Business meeting was another success, with some fantastic women who were delightful company. 

Our venue for the evening was Colony Bar & Grill, a buzzing restaurant and bar just off Marylebone High Street.  Okay, so not particularly conducive for a traditional networking event, but in spite of this the feedback was fab and much appreciated.  Lots of good connections were made and we saw several new faces, some completely new to the world of networking - and what a great place to start! 

And our speaker, Francesca Lubenko, was the perfect person to help those new to networking - even the more seasoned networkers also learned a thing or two - with some great tips and ideas on how to capitalise on the contacts made at such events.  With a change in plans, Francesca took the time to circulate the room to speak to everyone on an individual basis - and will be back to speak at a later stage to follow up on the ideas discussed.

Our next meeting takes place on Wednesday 11th May.  If you're not already on our mailing list, drop us a line at londonwmb@googlemail.co.uk and we'll ensure you're included so that you are kept informed of future events.

In the meantime, happy networking!

Come and join us in April

The next London Women Mean Business meeting takes place on Thursday 7th April. Will you be joining us?

We're having a change of venue this month, still in the W1 area so central enough for everyone. Colony Bar & Grill is a fab find in the Marylebone area, so we're hoping for a great evening of informal networking, as ever! Just a short walk from either Marylebone or Baker Street stations, click here for a location map.

Colony Bar & Grill
8 Paddington Street
London W1U 5QH

At just £10 for an early bird ticket, which includes a drink on arrival, coming along to an LWMB meeting is an affordable way of meeting a great crowd of women who are keen to chat, share ideas and do business with each other. And we'll be hearing from Francesca Lubenko of Eastwind Business Development as our guest speaker for the evening; Francesca will be talking about Optimising Your Connections.

Early bird tickets are available until Tuesday 5th April, so don't forget to book before then to take advantage of this. You can of course still book after this date at the standard price, or indeed come along on the evening and pay on the door.

March Round-Up

Great to see so many new faces at London Women Mean Business in March.  Back at our "home base", The Embassy Club, it was another energising meeting with the opportunity to meet some great ladies.  An interesting mix of women, including our first ever private investigator!

Speaking for us on the evening was Cory Cook, who gave us tips on how to make the best use of our time.  We're all so busy, running our businesses, looking after our homes & kids, spending time with friends & family, that we need to be so organised to make this all run smoothly and Cory offered some interesting ideas to make this happen such as:

• Think of time as tangible rather than intangible - visualise it as a container and allocate your time within it.
• Are you an early bird or a night owl?  Use your own natural energy cycles and schedule the work in when your energy levels are highest. 
• Miscalculating the time things take - time how long it takes you to complete a task; often longer than we imagine!  This will allow you to plan your schedule more accurately in future.
• What are your big goals?  Ask yourself if the task you're working on is helping you to progress towards your goal.
• Dig deep and find out where you're spending your time - create a timemap and re-structure your day, having a framework helps.
• Consolidate everything into one place/planner
• Schedule your to-do's into your planner
• Take 15 minutes at the end of the each day to see what's coming the next day.

And not forgetting the four D's - delete, diminish, delegate, delay.  Contact Cory for further information on these or if you need some help with your time management or just getting more organised.   http://www.corycook.com/

And a big thanks to our 5 minute speakers:

Tiina Erameri - of Studio Erameri, a fabulous photographer specialising in still life, lifestyle and interiors.  With a career spent working with some of the best known names in the industry, take a look at Tiina's website for more info: http://www.erameri.com/

Karen Flint - of New Direction Partnership, talking about the North East London Business Expo taking place on 17th May.  Open to businesses in any area, to find out further details & to register to attend, or book an exhibition stand (just £100) go to:  http://www.northeastlondonbusinessexpo.co.uk/

Caroline Thomas - of Snapshot Films, who spoke about the services she can offer, both for your business or to capture that special family moment.  A video on your website seems to be an essential these days so why not employ the services of a professional such as Caroline.  She is offering a 10% discount to all LWMB.  http://www.snapshotfilms.co.uk/

Next event is on Thursday 7th April, at The Embassy Club, so we look forward to seeing you then.  To book your ticket, click here.

Until then, happy networking!