I had a light bulb moment a few years ago when on holiday on the Balearic Island of Menorca. I decided that after working for others for over 25 years that I wanted to create something and to leave a legacy for my children and grandchildren. My first thoughts were to open and run an activity centre in Menorca offering activity holidays and corporate training. This dream is still very much alive and will be opening in 2008. Offering rock climbing, scuba diving, snorkelling, fishing, walking in fact anything you do in the outdoors will be on offer to corporate and holidaymakers. www.balearicbedrock activities.co.uk (Website still being constructed). Whilst creating Balearic Bedrock I still need to work in the United Kingdom. Having left full time employment on 21 February 2006, I took a few weeks out to think what is it that I do best and most of all what is it that I enjoy doing! Again for me it was obvious I love working with people and helping them makes changes in their life. So the journey for me commenced. I started working as a personal development trainer and life coach for both new and old employers. At the same time I came to realise that I had great skills in networking and bringing people together. And it was at this time that I started to explore setting up a networking website and events company...............
Welcome to See You Next Wednesday Events trading as Network 2012. Since starting as a freelance trainer, manager and consultant I have run training programmes for The Met Police, Haringey Social Services, Street League, PAPA Youth club to name just a few organisations I have worked with. I also have a core group of clients (about 20) for whom I provide life coaching. I am still going to continue running these contracts but as Network 2012 grows I will be devoting more and more of my time to running the website and organising live networking events. With all this I am on a roller coaster of a journey but having too much fun to get off.
Network 2012 has launched a free weekly newsletter packed with information that will be useful to you, your clients, your friends and, family both in your business life and also in your personal life. The newsletter will inform about products and services to suit your needs many of which you may not know about. Whether your interest lies in personal development, business growth, health, nutrition, spirituality, or achieving financial independence then the newsletter will feature topics which can probably help you.
We will also be running monthly live networking events, the first one will be held at The House of St. Barnabas in Soho. It will be a fun lively networking event with a very famous highly respected motivational speaker. More about that in the newsletter. The concept behind Network 2012 has always been about three things. Primarily to bring networking to small and medium sized enterprise that may not see the value in networking, but by not participating may actually be holding back their own growth. We aim to show them the value of networking through online and traditional live networking events. Secondarily we want to bring best practice from both he corporate sector and the voluntary sector and to demonstrate how by working together they can function more efficient, learn from each other and have a positive effect on their bottom line.
The best part for me is the social enterprise aspect of Network 2012 were we will give a share of our profits to provide bursaries to new start up social entrepreneurs from traditionally socially excluded backgrounds. We will provide hard cash and business mentors to help them through their first difficult start up phase. This could include those who have been in the care system, ex offenders, people with special needs, disabled people, the homeless, substance abusers, lone parents & youths at risk of offending. We believe that by giving then we are laying the foundation for receiving, if we can then get this message out to society then the future will start to change little by little for the best.
Finally welcome to Network 2012. Have fun; learn to love yourself and others. Let your journey commence and live your dream.
Best Regards
Tom |