April is round the corner, so here’s a forward look at what the Better Business Network has going on. Some of these events are exclusive to our members, but you can try out our networking events as a guest to see if the network is right for you.

For a full look at all of our events this year, check out our event calendar here

The Better Business Network is an inclusive network for purpose-driven business owners and leaders who want to grow their business and make the world a better place. We help you grow your impact, income and audience while advocating for systemic change.

Joining as a member allows you to support impactful organisations such as ClientEarth , B1G1 and 1% for the Planet as part of a more powerful collective through 20% donation of your membership fees, whilst also increasing your individual impact.

Interested? Learn more here or book in a call with our Community Manager, James. You can even join our monthly Discovery call to learn what we’re all about and our plans for the future! – More on that below

MONDAY 8TH APRIL | 1-2PM | BBN DISCOVERY CALL | ONLINE

RSVP HERE

We run these monthly online calls for anyone interested in learning more about the Better Business Network to see who we are, what we offer and why purpose driven businesses should join as well as our future plans for the Network.

THIS SESSION WILL COVER:

– Who we are
– What you will get out of joining the BBN
– How we create positive impact
– Who else is in the network
– How much the BBN costs
– What are the next steps are
– Q+A

This 1pm event is directly before our monthly Virtual Speed Networking event starting at 2pm.

MONDAY 8TH APRIL | 2-3PM | SPEED NETWORKING | ONLINE

RSVP HERE

Our monthly virtual Speed Networking for Purpose Driven Businesses connects like-minded business owners who care about their social and environmental impact to help their businesses grow and create positive systemic change.

HOW DOES THE EVENT WORK?

Virtual speed networking is a fun and quick way for you to meet other purpose led business leaders. Over the course of 60 minutes, our host places you in one to one breakout sessions to meet five new business contacts. These sessions are a great platform for the self employed, small business owners and SMEs to work together to elevate good business, learn from one another and meet helpful connections.

We don’t encourage a hard sell environment, these are friendly, supportive and collaborative sessions that allow you to build your network with other organisations that care about their social and environmental impact.

RSVP is required to receive the Zoom link (This often ends up in your spam folder – check for an email from WordPress) RSVP for free to our April Speed Networking event here or check out our upcoming events here

BREAKFAST NETWORKING & CO-WORKING DAY | NATIONWIDE

The Better Business Network host Breakfast Networking sessions across the country for purpose driven businesses to connect. These events are open to everyone, not just BBN members.

BRIGHTON | RSVP HERE

Thursday 11th April | 09:00-10:30 | Projects, The Lanes, BN1 1HW

MANCHESTER | RSVP HERE

Thursday 11th April | 09:00-10:30 | X+Why Floor 1, Cathedral Approach M3 7FA

WHAT’S HAPPENING AFTERWARDS?

We’re inviting people to stay and co-work for the rest of the day. This means you can crack on and get some work done from an incredible space, whilst also giving further opportunities to connect with your fellow attendees.

If you are a Better Business Network Member you are able to get co-working Day Passes as part of your membership, and so you’ll be able to do this completely free!

Interested? You’ll need to send our Community Manager, James, an email to confirm your space at james@thebetterbusiness.network

X+Why Venue (Manchester)

If you’re not a BBN member, Please feel free to stick around and co-work for the day from the space. You will need to purchase a Day Pass from the X+Why website to get access after Breakfast Networking ends at 10am.

Project venue (Brighton)

If you’re not a BBN member, You will be able to get one free co-working day as a taster session. After this, you need to book a day pass through the Projects The Lanes team to get access after Breakfast Networking ends at 10:30am.

WEDNESDAY 17th APRIL (Part I) & WEDNESDAY 24th APRIL (Part II) | 1-5pm | INCLUSIVE LEADERSHIP FOR PURPOSE DRIVEN BUSINESSES | ONLINE

RSVP HERE

In collaboration with Tales to Inspire The Better Business Network are proud to launch our new two-part recurring workshop: INCLUSIVE LEADERSHIP FOR PURPOSE DRIVEN BUSINESSES

DATES:

Weds 17th April – part i
Weds 24th April – part ii

CONTENT:

Module 1: Processes
Module 2: People
Module 3: Inclusion Tales with Krish Patel
Module 4: Performance
Module 5: Projects and Products

The modules covered will enable attendees to:

– Enhance stakeholder engagement
– Leverage the power of inclusion
– Understand the distinction between policy and process
– Learn effective Product and Project Management
– Improve organisational performance

FORMAT:

– Delivered via Zoom over 2x 4-hour sessions.
– Blend of talks, independent and group activities.
– Finish with strategies & tools to translate your learning into your business as usual.

PRICE:

– BBN Members: £150.
– Non-BBN Members: £350.
– Not-For-Profit Organisations: £200.

Follow-up support will also be exclusively available for BBN Members helping them embed inclusive leadership their organisations. (Full Ts and Cs available via the link below)

FACILITATORS:

Azeem Ahmad – an improvement and EDI expert from Tales to Inspire. A troublemaker to the comfortable, he’s a troubleshooter for organisations and a problem-solver for leaders.

Tales to Inspire – a social enterprise dedicated to being the catalyst for positive change through the compelling impact of real-life narratives, whether it be in educational settings, residential spaces, or professional environments.

Sign up now to transform your leadership style and drive meaningful change in your organisation!

THURSDAY 18th APRIL | 9:30-11AM | INTRO TO B CORPS WORKSHOP | ONLINE

GET YOUR TICKETS HERE

WHO THIS IS FOR

Business owners who want to make a positive impact with their business and want support in creating a clear guide and framework to do so. Those that are interested in learning more about what B Corps are, how to certify as a B Corp and what the process looks like.

MORE ABOUT THE WORKSHOP

B Corps are accelerating a global culture shift to redefine success in business and build a more inclusive and sustainable economy. There are over 7,700 certified B Corps globally from 150 industries and 80 countries, including The Guardian, The Body Shop, Patagonia, Innocent and Coutts Bank.

The UK is home to one of the fastest growing B Corp communities in the world, with over 1500 companies in the community. Don’t let your business get left behind and discover how you can start your journey on becoming B Corp Certified.

B-Corp-certified brands in the UK grew 28 times faster than the national economic growth rate of 0.5% in 2018, according to the Office for National Statistics.

92% of consumers around the world want to be more sustainable, and 70% will pay more for products and services if they protect the environment, showing it’s not just good for the planet, it’s good for your bottom line as well.

In this workshop you will learn more about what B Corps are and how working towards becoming a B Corp Certified business is not just good for the planet, but also for attracting and retaining your customers.

Learn how you can start your journey on becoming B Corp Certified with Hannah Cox, a B Leader who has been trained by B Lab UK to help businesses through the B Corp Process.

In this interactive workshop we cover:

• Learn what challenges business is facing

• Understand how business is changing

• What the B Corp Movement is

• Understand the areas of the B Impact Assessment

• Learn about Mindful Consumers and what that means for your business

• Meet and network with other business owners who share your values

• Help to choose what areas of impact to focus on as a business owner, regardless of your industry

• Tools and Resources to help you succeed

The last 30 minutes of this webinar are dedicated to Q&A

 

THURSDAY 25th APRIL | 9:30-12:30PM | SUSTAINABILITY AS A SALES TOOL | ONLINE

GET YOUR TICKETS HERE

WHO THIS IS FOR?

Business owners who want to make a positive impact with their business and want support in creating a clear guide and framework to do so, and communicate that authentically with their Customers or Clients. Those that are interested in learning more about what the Sustainable Development Goals are and how they can use them to create a sustainability strategy and communicate with their Customers.

MORE ABOUT THE WORKSHOP

The rising economic impact of both millennials and Generation Z mean that in 2020 it reached a tipping point. In 2020 millennials made up 40 percent of all consumers, and 40 percent of this demographic (according to a survey by Deloitte) believe that the goal of business shouldn’t be a healthy bottom line, but contributing to society.

92% of consumers around the world want to be more sustainable, with 70% willing to pay more for products and services if they protect the environment, therefore showing that it’s not just good for the planet, it’s good for your bottom line as well.

In this workshop you will learn more about how installing sustainable practices like the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in your business is not just good for the planet, but in attracting and retaining your customers.

The United Nations Sustainable development goals help businesses align their strategy to help solve the global challenges that we all face. There are 17 SDGs and 169 targets in total. While they are all important and interrelated, some are more relevant to different Industries and Sectors.

Plenty of research, tools and resources are provided so that by the end of the workshop you will have some clear actionable strategies that you can implement in your own business to grow in 2024.

This workshop is run alongside betternotstop, which is certified in 1st Class GRI Standards reporting and reports to the UN Global Compact.

In this interactive workshop we cover:

• Learn what challenges business is facing

• Understand how business is changing

• Learn about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

• Learn about other Sustainable Initiatives your business can get involved with

• Learn about Mindful Consumers and what that means for your business

• Meet and network with other business owners who share your values

• How to choose social and environmental goals

• Tools and Resources to help you succeed

Additional 30 mins networking time is included after the workshop for anyone wanting to connect with other attendees.

Thursday 25th APRIL | 6-8pm | PEOPLE, PLANET, PINT | Manchester

RSVP HERE

Come join us at the next People, Planet, Pint session in Manchester on Thursday 25th April!

For consistency, The BBN team and Alex Booth co-host all Manchester PPP sessions on the last Thursday of every month at Sandbar.

The event is open to everyone (member or not) whether you’re a sustainability professional, small business owner, local council/government worker, student, consultant, looking to switch careers, or anything else besides – come down and meet others interested in sustainability!

No agenda, workshops or webinars. Just chat over some beers.

Big thanks to Small 99 (who created the PPP concept) and KRYSTAL, the sponsors of the event who provide green web hosting services, who kindly provide a free drink for the first 33 people who arrive.

 

FRIDAY 26TH APRIL| 9-10AM | PEER MENTORING WITH JANNINE BARRON, REGENERATIVE BUSINESS MENTOR | ONLINE

RSVP HERE

This is a BBN member only service.

Peer mentoring is a monthly meetup, where Regenerative Business Mentor, Jannine Barron, will facilitate a mentoring process that is sure to inspire and ignite practical solutions to real business dilemmas.

To apply to be mentored, you must be a BBN Member and can find information about this in the members area or via James, our Community Manager, at james@thebetterbusiness.network

Jannine Barron is the Regenerative Business Mentor. She helps purpose-led business owners experience and apply regenerative thinking to their businesses so they can build a legacy of impact as well as success.

Check out our YouTube video explaining how this session works here

💭 WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT?

– One Business Owner has already been chosen to be in the hotseat to share a challenge or issue in the business

– The rest of the attendees (You!) share their experiences and work together to provide valuable peer to peer support

– Business Dilemmas get shared and solved as a group

💚 WHAT DO YOU GAIN BY JOINING?

– Meeting other BBN Members

– A space to learn and share your knowledge

– Understanding that by working together we are stronger

– A safe space to share your own business challenges, learn from the solutions and adapt them into your own business

– Feeling good that you have made a difference by helping a fellow BBN Member with their challenges!