As we head toward the end of the year, it is easy to get caught up in the day-to-day running of our businesses and forget to pause and look at what we have actually achieved.
At our meeting at Derwentside College next week, we will be taking a moment to reflect on the past 12 months and celebrate some of the brilliant milestones our community has reached. We will also be sending out our annual member questionnaire later this month to help shape what Do Business Network looks like in 2027.
Remembering Our Much-Loved Monica
Before looking at our events and milestones, we want to take a moment to remember someone very special to our network. Sadly, this year we lost our much-loved Monica, who served as Company Secretary at Do Business Network for many years.
Monica was at the heart of what we do. We will always remember her wonderful sense of humour, her fountain of knowledge, and her unwavering commitment to the Derwentside business community. She is deeply missed by everyone across the network.
Growing a Community Across the Whole North East and Beyond
A network is only as strong as the people in the room, and over the last year we have welcomed 14 new members into the DBN community.
Although we are based in the Derwentside area of County Durham, that does not mean we have closed our doors to anyone outside of that area. To give you an idea of how big our community has grown, we now have members across Gateshead, Bishop Auckland, Durham, Carlisle, and Hexham. The more businesses and people we can welcome into the network, the better—because growing our reach can only make our community stronger.
We also continue to receive brilliant feedback about our lanyard system, which is designed to help everyone feel comfortable from the moment they walk through the door. Whether you are a seasoned networker or walking into a room for the very first time, having a clear, welcoming way to break the ice makes a real difference to the atmosphere at our meetings.
12 Months of Practical Networking and Local Venues
Across the last 12 months, we have hosted 12 monthly networking meetings, including our second annual summer barbecue at Derwent Reservoir Sailing Club. We also want to say a huge thank you to all the guest speakers who have joined us at our monthly meetings over the past year—sharing honest stories, practical insights, and valuable advice with the room.
Supporting local businesses also means supporting the brilliant venues right here on our doorstep. This year, our meetings and events have taken us across some of the North East’s best independent and historic spaces, including:
Land of Oak and Iron ( Groundwork )
Beamish Hall Hotel
Beamish Museum
Ushaw Historic House, Chapels and Gardens
Consett Golf Club
Derwentside College
Beamish Park Golf Club
Derwent Reservoir Sailing Club
Derwentside Business Centre
Upskilling for the Future: AI, Expert Trainers and Peer Support
Running a small business means constantly adapting, and this year we put a big focus on practical, accessible learning.
Working alongside RTC North, we delivered two fully funded training courses open to both members and non-members. Much of our focus was on Artificial Intelligence. AI is playing a huge part in the modern business world and is only going to keep growing; burying our heads in the sand simply isn't an option if we want our businesses to remain resilient and competitive. Giving local business owners the confidence to understand and use these tools practically has been a real highlight.
Alongside our funded courses, we also launched our peer support training programme—offering free training delivered directly by our own members and local specialists. We want to say a huge thank you to the expert trainers who have shared their time and knowledge with us this year, including Pascal Fintoni, James Miller, Allison Dore, and the team at KL Accountants.
We are already building on that momentum for the months ahead:
End of November: James Miller is returning to lead a session on SEO for Artificial Intelligence.
January: We kick off the new year with a session led by James Ibbotson, and we look forward to welcoming even more speakers and trainers throughout 2027.
Thank You to Our Regional Partners
None of this happens in isolation, and we are fortunate to work alongside organisations that genuinely champion North East enterprises. A big thank you goes to We Are UMi, Business Durham, and RTC North for all their continued support over the past year. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with them in 2027 and beyond.
Looking Ahead to January’s Business Showcase
Back in January, we hosted our Annual Business Showcase, which was a great morning of local collaboration and resulted in two new members joining the network off the back of the event. Plans are already well underway for our next Annual Business Showcase this coming January, and we are really looking forward to building on that success.
Our Word for 2027: Resilience
As we look ahead to the new year, our word for 2027 is resilience.
Business has never been easy, and it never will be. There will always be ups and downs—but together as a community, we can help each other through them rather than struggling along alone. Our goal for 2027 is to come together and explore how we can all become more resilient, adaptable, and connected.
Alongside building resilience, we would love to see the Do Business Network community grow even further in 2027. We will be speaking with our members about how we can introduce a referral system—because the more businesses we have within our community, the more opportunities everyone has to collaborate and do business together.
We are proud of what we have achieved over the past year, but we also know we aren't perfect—and there is always room to improve. For example, we tried to launch a peer-led mentoring system which didn't quite work out the way we wanted it to. However, we haven't shelved it. We will be talking to our members about how we can get this off the ground in the fairest way possible—so if you have any thoughts on how it could work, please add your ideas into the questionnaire form.
We are constantly aware of the current economic climate and rising costs across the region. Because we pay every local venue we use and work hard to keep our membership as accessible as possible, a small increase to the annual membership fee in 2027 is unavoidable. Alongside this, we are actively looking at other ways to bridge the cost gap—including bringing on sponsors—and we welcome any ideas you have on this in the questionnaire.
Every single bit of feedback we receive is good feedback. It helps us plan the year ahead and grow Do Business Network with the confidence that we are genuinely supporting businesses right across the North East.
If you are joining us at Steel House Bistro at Derwentside College on Tuesday 17th November, we look forward to celebrating these milestones with you over breakfast.
Thank you to every member, visitor, guest speaker, trainer, partner, and venue that has been part of the last 12 months. Here is to a resilient, collaborative 2027—backing North East business together.
