A recent article published in Business in Berkshire.

Business in Berkshire – helping each other develop and grow

Imagine you are starting a new business and have no customer base to rely on. You have only a handful of contacts and hardly anyone knows who you are or exactly what you do.

How do you tell people about the services you’re offering? How do you spread the word about your company’s activities? How do you find out what other businesses and services are operating in your area? How do you make contact with like-minded people who understand the challenges faced by a start-up business?

The answer – as so many of us will know – lies in networking.

Networking could be loosely defined as ‘taking every opportunity to meet people and find clients or suppliers with whom you can work.’ Networking is absolutely vital to the success of most businesses – particularly in the early stages when it is essential to gain maximum exposure in your local area.

Since launching ‘Moonsail’ earlier this year, we have found Business in Berkshire to be a crucial ingredient in our marketing plans. Not just for the networking and learning opportunities it offers, but also for the balanced mix of invaluable information contained within the pages. We also appreciate the value that we obtain from building relationships with other businesses in the area – something that can only have a positive effect upon the community as a whole.

We like the way emphasis is placed on business relationships rather than referrals. At the heart of any successful business you will find strong working relationships based on trust and goodwill. The referrals will come later.

Naturally we are all looking to grow and develop our business and we should also want to help others do the same; Business in Berkshire affords many opportunities to do this.

Over the next few weeks we will be focusing on other members that have also benefited from using Business in Berkshire to promote their business.