Five years ago a group of local business people started meeting near Preston to share contacts and pass business. The group meets every Tuesday morning at the recently refurbished Farington Lodge Hotel where an average seat is worth around £26,000 to its members. Mike Gelder, one of the long standing members explains, I receive over 50% of my business through members of the group! It’s allowed me to significantly expand my client base with very little marketing spend.

The group is planning a visitors day on the 27th November where members of the local business community are invited to attend. The group is run by BNI, an international organisation with over 15,000 members in the UK. Meetings are every Tuesday and start at 7am, so members are doing business before the competition is even out of bed!

farington lodge

Several milestones are expected to be reached this month with the passing of the 3,500th business referral and the arrival of the 500th visitor who will be celebrating in style, with the champagne in the picture. Anyone interested in attending the open day should contact Carmen Parkinson, BNI Assistant Director on 07818 620163.