Derby is on the up – a fact that’s apparent not just from the ongoing and highly visible improvements to its traffic system, but with the arrival there of brand new businesses that have recognised that Derby has a lot to offer. Centrally located with transport links to major centres both at home and abroad, large enough to attract prestigious companies, yet small enough not to lose the valuable community spirit that thrives in an easily navigable city, Derby is poised for a great future.
Recognising this potential, international bank HSBC recently hosted an event at its branch at St Peter’s Street in the city centre designed to promote awareness of and relationships between some of the city’s SMEs. Staged in association with thebestofderby, which has developed an essential tool to help local businesses promote their services to both other companies and the people of Derby – and beyond – the evening was the first of its kind for the bank, one which it is hoped will be repeated and expanded.
Some of Derby’s most forward-thinking firms participated, including Business Link, Derby; Mackney Photography; Derbyshire Relocations; Lings Accountants; Creative Office Solutions; Comarm Services; Argus Formations; Zonestand Ltd; Creative Office Solutions; Fastsigns; Beating Anger Derby; Flowers by Joy; Grace Coffees of Ilkeston and Basmati Indian Restaurant (which provided some wonderful food), as well as representatives from HSBC’s franchising, merchant services, financial planning and business banking departments. One of the youngest attendees was the four-week-old baby daughter of Gill Brown of Fastsigns who was getting to know people in between naps.
Damian Ransome, who, together with his partner Pam Gilbert, has set up thebestofderby, explained the general benefits of a networking community and more specifically how thebestofderby can facilitate and maximise its potential. Neatly summing up what they do, Pam and Damian are ‘word of mouth specialists’. At the heart of the concept is a slickly designed website which offers very expansive details of local businesses and services in an easy to navigate format. Each has been vetted by Damian and Pam, and all are included by recommendations from the people of Derby – one of the key selling points of the facility.
It’s widely accepted that good relationships are at the heart of most successful business dealings, and by using local enterprises that come with endorsement from a trusted source, there will be mutual benefits all round. Damian explained some of the advantages of belonging to a business community to an attentive audience: ‘As well as knowing what’s going on in your market and making connections with other local businesses and organisations ... you can also benefit by talking to people that you don’t deal with directly, and connect them with someone else you know. Who knows? They might return the favour!’
Networking events such as this keep businesses, no matter what their size, in touch with what’s going on in the wider market and in industries other than their own. Information-gathering and local awareness is vital for dynamic business development, however modest the starting point. One of the hardest parts of establishing a new or young business is often its promotion, when there’s little or no budget for a swish PR firm or expensively produced literature. This is precisely why the excellent relationship between HSBC and thebestofderby can help tomorrow’s major players by extending a bridge between themselves, their market, clients, customers and the public at large. Tomorrow the world!