Business networking in the East Midlands

Find a networking group in the East Midlands

FindaBiz has three networking groups in the East Midlands, in Hinckley, Kirby Muxloe and Lutterworth. Each meets once a month on a weekday evening, from 6pm to 8pm, at a local pub or inn. If you run a business anywhere in the region and want to meet other owners face to face, one of these groups is a good place to start.

The live groups are listed below, with their meeting details and the trade seats each one still has open. Further down, you’ll find how the groups work and what members do between meetings, along with how to come along as a guest.

When and where the groups meet

Lutterworth comes first in the month, meeting on the first Tuesday at The Greyhound Coaching Inn. Hinckley meets on the last Monday at The New Plough Inn, and Kirby Muxloe on the last Tuesday at The Royal Oak.

The dates fall at different points in the month, so you can choose a group by the evening that fits your diary as well as by location. All three run from 6pm to 8pm, after a normal working day has finished.

One seat per trade

Every FindaBiz group keeps one seat for each trade. A group has only one accountant, one mortgage adviser or one copywriter, and the referrals for that trade go to them. Members of the East Midlands groups already cover bookkeeping, human resources, care provision, driving instruction, oven cleaning, travel consultancy, utilities, and print and promotional goods, among other trades.

Many of these trades send work to each other as a matter of course. A mortgage adviser often meets clients who also need a conveyancing solicitor, protection insurance and someone to arrange wills, trusts or a lasting power of attorney. An accountant hears about businesses that need a bookkeeper, HR support or help with business change, and a new business often wants a website, marketing and copywriting at about the same time. Members pass on referrals like these and meet one to one between meetings, so they know each other’s work well enough to recommend it with confidence.

If your trade’s seat is taken in one group, check the other two in the lists below. It may still be open there.

Visiting as a guest and networking online on Fridays

Your first visit to any of the East Midlands groups is as a guest, and it’s free. You can watch how a meeting runs and hear what each member does, then meet the people you’d be swapping referrals with before deciding whether to take a seat.

If you can’t make an evening meeting, or you’d like to meet more business owners in between, FindaBiz runs free online networking every Friday. Anyone with a free FindaBiz account can join, so you can try a session before or after your first visit to Hinckley, Kirby Muxloe or Lutterworth.