Running a business can be a lonely place, especially during a global pandemic.听
But imagine if you could join a virtual network of your business peers and tackle some of the common听challenges听we all face 鈥� and it won鈥檛 cost you a penny.听
Where do I sign? That was the backdrop of me joining a national peer-to-peer networking programme for SME leaders called Peer Networks.听
The sessions are delivered locally in Greater Manchester by GC 老九品茶 Growth via their partner Winning Pitch.听
Winning Pitch has just been acquired by London-based听Newable听and was founded by an old acquaintance of mine called John Leach.听
John was the guest speaker of an event I attended in Chorley about 15 years ago when he held up a 拢20 note and asked the audience who wanted it the most. 鈥淚f you want it then come and get it,鈥� he said. John hadn鈥檛 even completed his sentence when I鈥檇 shot up out of my chair and pocketed the 拢20.听
Peer Networks might not hand out free 拢20 notes,听but it鈥檚 aimed at SME businesses that have operated for a minimum of one year; have at least five employees; boast a turnover of 拢100,000+; and听have an aspiration to improve.听
I was invited to join the latest cohort that has been meeting fortnightly from January to March on the basis that听I would share my experiences.听
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At the outset,听a number of things are expected of anyone joining Peer Networks that can be summed up by five key traits: commitment; trust; an open mind; honesty; and a willingness to listen.听
In return,听the programme provides each participant with 18 hours of free facilitated group support and a minimum of 3.5 hours of additional one-to-one support focused on your problem or actions arising from your group discussions.听
In our case our expert facilitator is a real character called Hayley听Caine,听but the strength of a peer-to-peer group will always be the calibre of the businesses around the virtual table and on this front I got lucky.听
I won鈥檛 name听everyone,听but they included a likeable Kiwi called Cameron Berry, who is the managing director of recruitment company called听Bromak. 鈥淲hat part of Australia are you from?鈥� was my clumsy attempt at an introduction.听
It was a real quality line-up with other members of the cohort including Mark Pollitt, founder and managing director of Digicomm 360 in Bolton; Matthew Bewley, director of 3B Training in Wigan; Robert Barlow, managing director of Relative Marketing in Bolton; Rajeev听Kundalia, a cyber security consultant at CYFOR;听Charleh听Dickinson, digital marketing director at KUB; Andrew Daley, director, procurement technology and spend management at听Edbury听Daley; and Kira Knowles, accommodation manager at听Portergate听Property Management.听听
Peer Networks is based on a principle of 鈥榓ction learning鈥� which is when a small group of people work on real problems.听
This is what I found most helpful. At every session two or three participants will share a particular business challenge and the other members will ask a series of questions that will hopefully help the individual plot a strategy forward.听
Participants are constructively听challenged听and the group is encouraged to ask questions rather than offer solutions.听
Members are encouraged to update everyone at the start of subsequent meetings on whether the advice helped them resolve the problem.听
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Although you don鈥檛 realise it at the time, one indirect consequence of attending Peer Networks is it encourages accountability.听
When I was a kid,听my听mum used to go to Weight听Watchers听and she said it was the knowledge of getting weighed in front of the other members that encouraged her to try a bit harder.听
Peer Networks operate a similar principle but without the weighing scales. You know you鈥檙e going to be asked to update fellow听members,听so you try a bit harder.听
At the end of every session,听the super–efficient Hayley sends out an overview with agreed action points, which are reviewed when you next meet.听
The fortnightly sessions last three hours and members complete a survey at the end of every meeting,听
There鈥檚 also a WhatsApp group for members to stay in touch between sessions which is a useful tool听for getting听to know everyone better.听
My final Peer Networks session is due to take place in March but most of the members have already agreed to continue our meetings on a monthly basis to share our experiences.听
So听what have I learnt from Peer Networks? The first thing is that by speaking to other businesses you realise that the challenges we face are broadly similar.听
The second thing is you can forge new relationships with people virtually. What started with a roomful of strangers became a roomful of friends despite the fact I鈥檝e never them personally.听
The third is around trust. Journalists don鈥檛 have a great reputation and the group is based on confidentiality. I鈥檝e benefited by being a bit more open.听
And the final thing is that if you invest a bit of time in a group like Peer Networks you get a lot more in return. I鈥檝e been working for 30 years but I鈥檝e run my own business for less than two. I鈥檝e got so much to听learn听and Peer Networks helps fill in some of the gaps.听
Would I recommend Peer Networks to other people? Definitely. It鈥檚 completely free so what have you got to lose?听
- For more information about joining the next Peer Networks group contact Jon Dingoor听of Winning Pitch, at j.dingoor@winning-pitch.co.uk听or 07889 584 306听