http://www.dobusinessnetwork.com/blog/ The latest Blog feeds from www.dobusinessnetwork.com en-us Sat, 23 May 2026 02:51:59 +0100 Rocketspark http://www.dobusinessnetwork.com/blog/post/26509/accessing-manufacturing-support-via-made-smarter/ Navigating the funding and business support landscape can often feel daunting. At our May networking meeting, Paul Hughes from the North East Growth Hub provided welcome clarity on a major regional initiative designed specifically for small and medium-sized manufacturers: the Made Smarter Adoption North East programme.If your business is losing time to manual entry, struggling to meet customer demand, or lacking the real-time data needed to make quick operational decisions, digital technology co... Thu, 21 May 2026 12:02:11 +0100 http://www.dobusinessnetwork.com/blog/#post26509 http://www.dobusinessnetwork.com/blog/post/26506/welcoming-new-dbn-member-bobby-hewitson-pioneering-care-partnership/ The DBN community continues to grow, and we are absolutely delighted to welcome Bobby Hewitson from the Pioneering Care Partnership (PCP) to the network.When new members join us, it brings a fresh wave of expertise, energy, and opportunity into the room. Bobby’s work with PCP is a fantastic example of the diverse, impactful organisations that make up our regional business community.Health, Wellbeing, and Learning for AllPioneering Care Partnership is a multi-award-winning charity that has been... Wed, 20 May 2026 20:50:19 +0100 http://www.dobusinessnetwork.com/blog/#post26506 http://www.dobusinessnetwork.com/blog/post/26505/key-takeaways-from-the-dbn-may-meeting/ Our May Do Business Network meeting proved to be one of our most dynamic sessions yet. Hosted in partnership with the Northern Tenants Network at the Derwentside Business Centre, the event saw a full house of 50 local businesses coming together for a morning of purposeful conversation and strategic networking.The energy in the room highlighted the strength of our regional business community. Events like these rely on a collaborative effort, and a sincere thank you goes to Stuart Armstrong and Li... Wed, 20 May 2026 18:44:34 +0100 http://www.dobusinessnetwork.com/blog/#post26505 http://www.dobusinessnetwork.com/blog/post/26498/supporting-our-regional-food-drink-and-hospitality-sector/ At our May networking meeting, we were joined by Steve Wheaton and Ian Pilkington from Food & Drink North East (FADNE). They introduced an exceptional support package designed specifically to help local businesses thrive over the next three years: the Rural Growth Programme, Food & Drink Business Support.Supported by the North East Combined Authority and North East Mayor Kim McGuinness, this fully-funded programme is built to strengthen, connect, and scale the entire food, drink, and ho... Wed, 20 May 2026 14:28:14 +0100 http://www.dobusinessnetwork.com/blog/#post26498 http://www.dobusinessnetwork.com/blog/post/26497/addressing-the-lead-leakage-problem-how-to-stop-loosing-the-leads-youve-already-earned/ At this months networking meeting we welcomed Allison Dore from Hello Friday Consulting as our guest presenter. Allison delivered an insightful session focused on a critical challenge that many businesses face without even realising it: lead leakage.Understanding Lead LeakageMany business owners believe their primary marketing challenge is generating new leads. However, the presentation highlighted that 79% of marketing leads never actually convert. This failure to convert rarely stems from the ... Wed, 20 May 2026 14:07:35 +0100 http://www.dobusinessnetwork.com/blog/#post26497 http://www.dobusinessnetwork.com/blog/post/26492/regional-recognition-for-dbn-member-jennifer-hartburn/ We are delighted to share some wonderful news from within our Do Business Network community. Jennifer Hartburn, owner of Harrington Brown Independent Estate Agents in Shotley Bridge, was recently featured in the prestigious Women in Business section of North East Living Magazine.The feature celebrates the region's leading female entrepreneurs. It is a testament to Jennifer's reputation and expertise that she was personally approached by the magazine to share her business journey, highlighting he... Tue, 19 May 2026 15:05:45 +0100 http://www.dobusinessnetwork.com/blog/#post26492 http://www.dobusinessnetwork.com/blog/post/26490/welcoming-gillian-keogh-to-the-do-business-network/ The Do Business Network is delighted to introduce Gillian Keogh, founder of Gillian Keogh Coaching, as one of our newest members.Gillian provides professional leadership and business coaching designed to help organisations, senior leaders, and business owners deliver strong, sustainable performance.  Her approach focuses on achieving commercial results without sacrificing culture, clarity, or workplace wellbeing.With over 24 years of corporate leadership experience across transformation, en... Mon, 18 May 2026 16:28:30 +0100 http://www.dobusinessnetwork.com/blog/#post26490 http://www.dobusinessnetwork.com/blog/post/26489/welcoming-mark-sillett-to-the-do-business-network/ The Do Business Network is growing, and we are delighted to welcome one of our newest members, Mark Sillett, founder of Mark Sillett Lighting and Sound.Mark brings a wealth of technical expertise and event production experience to our regional business community. Whether you are planning a corporate conference, a live theatre production, or a private celebration, Mark specialises in designing bespoke technical solutions that bring events to life.Versatile Solutions for Every EventEvery event has... Mon, 18 May 2026 16:05:37 +0100 http://www.dobusinessnetwork.com/blog/#post26489 http://www.dobusinessnetwork.com/blog/post/26486/free-masterclass-defeating-the-business-time-thief-with-ai/ As a business owner, it is easy to find yourself buried under the day-to-day logistics of running your company rather than actually growing it.Following feedback from our network survey back in November, one clear issue kept coming up repeatedly: local business owners are losing hours every single week to the "Time Thief." This is the endless mountain of wordy procedures, the constant back-and-forth of scheduling, and the relentless note-taking that stalls real progress.To help you address this ... Sun, 17 May 2026 20:19:39 +0100 http://www.dobusinessnetwork.com/blog/#post26486 http://www.dobusinessnetwork.com/blog/post/26415/burgers-business-and-the-big-return-the-dbn-summer-bbq/ After the success of our inaugural BBQ evening last year, we are thrilled to bring the business community together once again for an evening at the Derwent Reservoir Sailing Club.Last year, over 50 local professionals joined us for an evening defined by clear skies and great conversation. We enjoyed boat trips on the water in the Drascombe, plenty of food from the grill, and a chance to step away from the desk to connect in a more meaningful way. This year, we are aiming to make the event even b... Thu, 30 Apr 2026 09:07:16 +0100 http://www.dobusinessnetwork.com/blog/#post26415