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    How do I build a network to support my business?

    It’s a rule of thumb that we’re stronger when we work together than when we go it alone, and the same is very true for businesses. By developing a supportive and collaborative network, you’ll benefit from a range of opportunities. From mentoring and new connections to assistance during tough times, a good support network is essential for the growth of your business and a free resource that empowers great decision making.

    Ways to help you deal with it:

    Action plan

    Building a network from scratch

    Effort : High
    Impact : High
    Building a network is about making valuable contacts who can provide guidance during critical moments. Our action plan will show you where to start.

    ACTION PLANS are a structured list of steps designed to help you approach tackling a particular business challenge.

    • We explain why each step is important
    • Customise by setting your own completion dates and assign tasks
    • Helpful tools are provided for certain steps
    • A downloadable PDF version of each action plan is available

    Action plan

    Nurturing your network over time

    Effort : Medium
    Impact : High
    Having a trusted network of people is an invaluable resource for business leaders. Our five-step action plan shares advice on nurturing your network.

    Action plan

    How to build stronger relationships with loyal customers

    Effort : Medium
    Impact : High
    Developing a plan for building stronger relationships with long-term customers will make sure your business prospers.

    Guide

    An introduction to building a network to support your business

    Whether it’s a mentor or peer, many leaders find it useful to have someone to speak to when making key decisions. Getting a new perspective helps identify opportunities.

    GUIDES break a challenge down, providing important context and real-world experiences.

    • Based on SME experiences, not corporate jargon
    • Filled with real-world stories
    • Achievable steps every business can take

    Other support that's available

    Get started with networking

    Get started with networking

    Start your networking journey by linking with like-minded business leaders on UK Business Forums.

    Building a strong business network

    Building a strong business network

    Today, networking is an essential part of business. Find out how you can build a strong network with these easy steps from Forbes.

    How other businesses have tackled something similar

    Steven Hawke, Norway Inn

    Real business story

    Build a business network for mutually beneficial relationships and fresh perspectives

    Building a business network in the hospitality industry has been essential in turning around the fortunes of Cornwall pub and hotel, The Norway Inn..
    Afsaneh Parvizi-Wayne, Freda

    Real business story

    Learn from competitors to avoid mistakes and spot opportunities

    Learning from competitors is vital to avoiding mistakes and identifying gaps in the market for Freda, an ethical sanitary product business..
    Barnaby Lashbrooke, Time etc

    Real business story

    Keeping loyal customers is the key to long-term success

    A focus on retaining customers has improved customer retention at Birmingham-based Time etc and London-based Disciple Media..

    The questions lots of businesses are trying to answer

    What issue is keeping you awake at night? A bit of targeted support is often all you need to overcome those challenges.

    Select a topic

    Digital

    How can I improve the digital presence my business has? How should I go about collecting data to improve my business? How should I use the data I have to improve decision making? How can I streamline and automate some of our business processes? How do I work out the best digital sales channels to use? How do I assess and choose the right technology to improve business operations? How do I effectively seek external digital support? How can I understand what digital tools or support my business needs? How do I know if my technology is robust enough for growth? How should I best budget and plan for new technology investments?

    Leadership & Strategy

    How do I learn to become a better leader? How do I improve the communication in my business? How do I get staff interested in our vision and values? How can I reflect on my own strengths and weaknesses as a leader? How do I give my team autonomy and get better at delegating? As a leader, how do I learn to trust others within my organisation? How do I apply learnings from other businesses to my own company? How should my role as a business leader evolve with the company’s growth? How can I balance short-term needs with long-term targets? How do I get better at noticing and reacting to warning signs?

    People & Team

    How can I improve my hiring and onboarding practices? How can I develop the skillsets of my workforce? How can I develop career paths for my staff? How can I run a better appraisals process? How should I performance manage my staff? How do I deal with a challenging member of staff? How can I increase staff engagement and motivation? How can I keep my best members of staff? How do I manage an effective remote workforce? How can I reduce employee turnover?

    Planning

    How do I better inform my business plans? How do I know when to scale up my business? How can I define and communicate my vision for success? How do I ensure my business can navigate a dip in trading? How do I know when to invest in my business? How can I get better at looking internally at my business? How can I get staff interested in the financial situation? How can I make my business more resilient to change? How can I balance ambition with setting realistic goals? How can I work out what required skillsets are missing in the business?

    Sales & Growth

    How can we develop new products and services? How do I develop a clear unique selling point? How can we better serve our most loyal customers? How do I financially plan for new opportunities? How do I build a network to support my business? How can I get a better return on investment from my marketing? How can I identify new customers to target? How do I create targets and KPIs for my staff? How do I make sure my team and processes are ready for growth? How do I benchmark my business against competitors?
    All