Business & Networking - March in Pictures

Welcome to this month's series where we would like to take you behind the scenes and share what's been happening at Business Assist! Networking and regular upskilling is so important for businesses to stay up-to-date and relevant. This is why we would like to encourage you to join us and make the most of these opportunities to grow your business and network. 

Here is March in pictures, with a more detailed summary & takeaways below.

 

1. Lunch & Learn Series - 6 & 12 March 2024

We kicked off our Mapua L&L series this year in cooperation with our partners at the Mapua and District Business Association with a presentation by Coach Greg Jones who talked about how to create better business with ease and stop the monkey chatter.

 

At our NBS Lunch & Learn in Stoke, we got to immerse ourselves in a local success story and all the stages a business can go through - Getting the Crunch while avoiding Business Crunches! 

 

Graham Manson & his Business Mentor David Price shared how QB Snacks all started from scratch, with a minimal budget, the first day at the market, then scaling up to The Food Factory production, to becoming an award winning product, producing orders for NZ’s largest grocery retailer and scaling up to meet new customer requirements! A business idea born during the lockdown, inspired by his own keto direct and weight loss journey, Graham wanted to “have people in their happy place when they are crunching QBs!”

As Graham said:
“I feel good about this, I haven’t spent too much research with it, let’s just do it! I really want to have fun with it” - and look where it took off!

It is always insightful to hear real life experiences of business owners in such an authentic way - the challenges, the growth pains, the opportunities the business faced and how the mentoring through Business Mentors New Zealand provided invaluable support for Graham’s business! If you are thinking about exploring mentoring to transform your business or wanting advice for your business or start up, please get in touch with us so we can connect you with the right people.

Big thank you to our fabulous sponsor NBS and our venue host Pūtangitangi Greenmeadows Centre for their ongoing support with this event series!

2. Apex Accounting "Just Talking" Businesswomen's Series | 20 March 2024
with Life and Leadership Coach, Angelika Barnes

We were thrilled to have another full house at the BNZ Partners Centre for our 2nd Apex Accounting “Just Talking” Businesswomen’s Series!

Co-organised with a fantastic team at the BNZ Partners Centre Nelson and with our sponsors, Apex Accounting, we dreamed up a supportive and fun event to network for women in business, and join heartfelt, approachable conversations as our guests share their valuable business & life experiences. Thank you Angelika for joining us in the “hot seat” and for the reminder to listen to our "inner podcast" as we face the challenges, excitement, and sometimes overwhelm in both business and life. 

 

3. ICIB BizBreak Networking Session | 27 March 2024

“I came to network as we break into the market to meet new people.”
“I’m a sole trader & lone operator, I came to reach out and be around people who are doing their thing.”
“I’m here to network, meet people, and get back to it after having kids.”
“I’m here to reach out and share experiences.”

These are just some of the reason that brought this fantastic group of local businesses together for our monthly networking session!
We had some great topics to explore, also very relevant as we come to the end of the financial year, and bounced off ideas for growth with one of the participants sharing real time experience around creating passive income.
We also had the pleasure to have our Trust Chair, Robert Panzer, join us and share some solid business advice with those present in the room.

 

Some of the key takeaways for any business to consider:

- what is your point of difference

- be visible

- focus on what works

- add value 

- ask "where did you hear about us?"

- believe in yourself

 

Thank you to all who came & showed up, to our sponsors ICIB & Natalie for supporting this event series and to our lovely hosts Tina & ZUMO Coffee House for having us and getting into the Easter mood! 

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We have great events coming up each month, you can browse our calendar here, and we look forward to seeing you at one of our upcoming presentations or networking! 

Bea & Gael

 

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