Welcome to DBN: The 'Do Business' Network!
To help you make the most of your membership we've put together this guide to ensure you don't miss out on all the benefits available to you.
DBN Logo
First things first! Make sure you download our logo (box to the right) to use on your website or email footer, and to link it back to our website (https://www.dobusinessnetwork.com/). This shows your customers and suppliers that you are part of one of the North East's most proactive networking groups.
Social Media Handles
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DoBizNetwo...
Facebook: @TheDoBusinessNetworkDBN
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/derwe...
Hashtag: #dobusinesslocal
Be sure to like and follow us on Social Media and we will follow back. As we have over 100 DBN members it's hard to keep up with what everyone is posting on social media: Top Tip - if you have any special news to share be sure to tag us in and we will do our best to like and share.
Newsletter
On the first Tuesday of every month we circulate a newsletter to all our members and other businesses in the North East who have 'opted in'. At our last count we had over 800 individuals on our newsletter list.
As a new member your email address will automatically be added to our newsletter list but you are more that welcome to contribute towards it too!
N.B.: Only DBN Members can submit an article to be featured in our newsletter.
You can submit a newsletter article via the button to your right by midday on the 25th of each month.
DBN Podcast
The best way to tell our members about your business (and a little about you too!) is by recording a Podcast.
DBN members are allowed to record 1 Podcast for FREE. If you would like to record more than one Podcast there will be a small admin. fee of £30 per additional recording.
Your Podcast will be recorded via Zoom and published on our dedicated DBN Podcast page. We'll also add your Podcast to our blog, promote it on social media AND you can have a link so you can share it on your website, social platforms etc. . . the promotion possibilities are endless!!!
Email us at connect@dobusinessnetwork.com to get your podcast booked.
Member Events
Monthly Members Meeting
Your membership entitles you to FREE entry to our monthly members meeting. We encourage our members to do their best to attend our monthly members meeting as often as they can for three main reasons;
- Visibility: - so other members get to know who you are and if they see you on a monthly basis it keeps your business fresh in their mind.
- To get to know our members (It's a two way street): if you get to know other members you may able to refer work to them or there may be an opportunity for collaboration!
- Get to know you: Networking is about building a business relationship and a personal relationship too. Once our members know more about you and your business they may start referring work your way. DBN Members are a very rich referral source for your business but you need to build relationships and trust first.
At the moment our monthly members meeting is delivered via Zoom but we hope to start face-to-face meetings again in Autumn 2021.
Once you have booked for your meeting, we will send out the Zoom link around 24 hours before the start of the event. An event booking period might be closed, but please drop us a line and we'll see what we can do for you!
View our Monthly Members Meeting Dates here...
Other Events
We've started to organise additional 'casual' events in smaller groups to help ease ourselves back into face-to-face networking. These networking sessions are limited to around 15 places and are typically a NetWalk & Wag (doggies welcome) and/or a Cake and Cuppa hour at a local venue, preferably owned by one or our members (#dobusinesslocal).
Cost: No fee to attend but you may want to bring along some pennies to get yourself a cuppa or a slice of cake!
Networking Etiquette
We actively encourage all our members to connect on social media and arrange one-to-one meetings to get to know each other better.
We also ask our members to:
- Be respectful towards each other
- Don't add people to your mailing list without their consent
- Keep things friendly, yet professional
- Build an equal relationship
- Be open, honest and trustworthy
- Network with relevance
- Don’t expect too much (Don’t ask more of your connections than you’d be willing to give yourself)
- Don't push for the hard sell - this is more likely to alienate you as we like to keep our meetings friendly and relaxed.
Help us grow DBN!
More members = more connections = more opportunities to DO business, refer business and collaborate!
The DBN community is growing and the more you help us spread the word the more business connections we all have to network with. Did you know that if you refer a business to DBN and they sign up you'll get £5 off your next membership renewal fee? So, the more businesses you refer the bigger discount you receive!
There is a section on our sign up form that asks new members where they heard about DBN - just make sure you ask them to fill it in so we can give you credit.
DBN Mentoring & Coaching
At DBN we have some business owners who have quite a few years of business experience under their belt! These experienced professionals, can provide you with valuable assistance, and guidance, into running your business. They assist you in achieving your long-term personal, and business goals, guiding you through the steps to achieving different milestones.
We have appointed a team of DBN mentors from various sector backgrounds who you can book mentoring sessions with. Our mentoring service costs £25 per hour (inclusive) and sometimes we may be able to fund mentoring sessions, please get in touch for more information CONTACT US
DBN Training Courses
We aim to deliver quality training to our members. This is often delivered by our own members, sometimes from an external coach. Whenever funding becomes available we do like to hear from our members the subject of the events that they would prefer. At the moment all training is delivered online and we cannot wait to return to see everyone again.
Funding Opportunities for North East Business Owners
If you are looking to fund a project the following DBN members may be able to help you.
NBSL contact John Atkison - John.Atkinson@nbsl.org.uk
Digital Drive Co Durham contact Helen Watson - helen@digitaldrivedurham.co.uk
LUMO Tax contact Lee Quarzi - Lee.Quarzi@lumo.tax
Thinking about Exporting?
Speak to Paul Sparks from DiT: Department for International Trade - North East
Email: paul.sparks@tradene.org
