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What a great way to start Monday! I had the pleasure of meeting Barbara Ann Fitzpatrick this morning for coffee and we got to chatting about all things networking. But before I tell you more about Kindred Business Networking – this month’s network overview, let me give you a little bit of Barbara’s back story.
About Barbara
Barbara has a long standing history in a multitude of UK and US companies, having left Ireland 36 years ago. She lived and worked in Edinburgh for 16 years, then onto London for 20 years before moving back to Ireland in August 2021. And may I say, she is fab at 60, as her Instagram handles reveals!
After a company buyout in her last corporate job, Barbara’s role was made redundant and she found that it was difficult to find a new role, despite all her wealth of knowledge, experience and hard won wisdom.
With this realisation she went into the area of Network Marketing with Arbon and started networking to beat the band.
She tried out many networks and didn’t find anything that truly aligned with her values, her experience, but also with her need for genuine and authentic connections. So not one to sit on her laurels, Barbara organised a few coffee mornings and invited people, pro bono, to come along and connect with others in business.
This has since blossomed and went from Barbara’s coffee meet ups to Kindred Business Networking. In her own words, the network is a safe place to be your authentic self.
Now that is a very quick and short synopsis of Barbara’s history. She is a fountain of knowledge, so I highly recommend organising a 1-2-1 with her. You can book a call with her via her Calendly link.
So here is what you need to know about Kindred Business Networking!
Locations & Frequency of Meetings
The UK group is based in Richmond, UK and meets twice a month. Once in person and once online.
The Ireland group is only online but will expand to in person events in the future.
She joins her UK & I communities on a quarterly basis, having held the first joint meeting online in September 2022.
The Seat Policy
There are no exclusion clauses in Kindred Business Networking. It is a network that is open to all.
Profile of Attendees
The network is open to women and men, particularly those who are self-employed. It attracts heart centred business owners, who are interested in success, who are generous and open to helping others to succeed.
Format
Each member has two minutes to talk about what they do and how the group can help them.
Each session, a member has a 10 minute presentation slot to talk about their business.
Duration
The Ireland meetings are currently 1 1/2 hours in length. The UK meetings are 2 hours.
Investment
To become a member of Kindred Business Networking, there is an annual fee:
- €299 for the Ireland members
- £220 for UK members
Visiting Policy
You can come to visit the groups a few times before deciding to join. There is a small token admin fee for each visit of just €7. You can book in to attend here.
The Kindred Business Networking Difference
As well as the networking meetings, Barbara offers all her members
- 1-2-1 Business Mentoring
- Workshops
- Connection Events
- Netgiving
The mentoring is once per quarter for each member. The workshops are run on various topics of interest to her members, from digital skills such as e-commerce, to copywriting, Linkedin, SEO etc. Barbara invites in guest speakers to speak at her Ireland and UK events.
You can read more about the member benefits here, as well as sign up to become a member today!
Getting Social with Kindred Business Networking
You can follow and join in the conversation on Twitter. Linkedin, Facebook and Instagram. You can sign up to Barbara’s newsletter here.
Connecting With Barbara
T. +353 87 102 0108
There is an Ireland website and a UK website domain as follows:
www.kindrednetworking.ie – www.kindrednetworking.uk
Barbara’s vision and desire is to franchise out Kindred Business Networking to likeminded and interested people, with a view to growing it throughout the UK & Ireland. Get in contact with her today if you are interested to know more.
Why not check out some of my other blogs?
How Networking Can Help Your Marketing
Top Tips For Attending In Person Events in a Post Pandemic World
Introductions to Other Networks
Are you involved in a network that you think others should hear about? Why not introduce me and I’ll do a profile on the network for the blog and share it out on my social media channels to get a bit more publicity and exposure for it?
My email is jean@networkingjean.ie – looking forward to the next network introduction!