Wakefield networking group surpasses £1m business barrier

More than £1m worth of new business has been passed between members of a Wakefield networking group, making it one of the most successful in the West Yorkshire region.

Wakefield Wealthbuilders, part of the global BNI network, meets every Thursday morning at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park.

In the last twelve months, the group has passed over £1m of business between its members.

The group currently comprises representatives from 32 local businesses and from a wide range of sectors, who provide business referrals for each other. The group has also increased membership by five new members in the past six weeks alone, and has welcomed more than 47 visitors.

The success of the group makes it one of the leading groups in the entire Yorkshire region, something that Group Director, Anthony Bowyer from web design agency Northern Media, believes demonstrates the value that networking groups can bring to small, local businesses.

Anthony Bowyer, the group director from web design agency Northern Media, said: “BNI Wealthbuilders is a very focused group whose members all follow a set of ethical principles, and one of those is sourcing referrals for other members. Members are always looking out for opportunities to help others grow their business, and the latest sales figures are very much testament to that.

“Some of our members have been in the group for a very long time and get the majority of their business from BNI. Others are just starting out and looking for ways to generate greater revenue with BNI’s proven strategy.”

Julia Hayes, owner of JMH Copy Ltd who has been a member of the group for over 12 years, added: “BNI isn’t like other networking groups, which all too often consist of catching up, handing out a few business cards and hoping for the best afterwards.

“BNI is structured and works on the principle of finding quality referrals for others in the group while they do the same for you. It’s a very different approach but one which has worked really well for me. Over 70 percent of my business is generated by my BNI membership.”

Anna Baxter, owner at Trumpet Communications Ltd, concluded: “I’m relatively new to the group but am already starting to see the advantages of a more structured approach. I had very preconceived ideas about networking before I joined BNI but I’m now using it as my main method of sourcing new leads and generating revenue.”