Ken Mead, Chairman of the BEST Group told members in July that he believed the Group had changed in nature since it’s launch some 21 years ago.He said that the initial intention of the Group was to promote more business for its members and that remained true today, but the way in which that business was generated had changed.
Today individual members representing different professions often combine in their approach to new clients. He gave the property section as an example where, an architect, a builder, a property consultant and a Homeologist combined to offer an exceptional service. However, other members representing HR or IT services or marketing skills also were able to work together to obtain more business.
The nature of the weekly meetings had also changed. He pointed out how much greater the diversity had become in the Group with around 50% of members being female and many from different ethnic backgrounds. The Group had seen a rise in members representing the personal side of business with Psychotherapists, Nutritionists, and HR becoming as important as finance, marketing and property.
Asked for their opinions on the current form of the Group one recent member said, “I like the way that you do the talks, it’s quite different to other groups that I’ve been to. You get much more in depth insight into people through the discussions. It’s much deeper than the surface level you get at the other groups I’ve been to.”
Another member, in the wellness business said, “I had been to some other networking groups that were very much in the wellness space but I needed a broader range of businesses that I could talk to. I think in other groups there’s a three minute introduction of what you are and what you want whereas at BEST we share skills, and share knowledge which is really important for me.”