Down2Business (or D2B) is the largest business networking club in the area and generates a significant income for the local economy as our fortnightly meetings produce scores of business leads for our members.
Each of them can result in all important opportunities to boost your earning potential as 50 businesses are represented at each meeting. It’s been estimated that around £500,000 is generated within the group every year.
D2B started in 2003, and, unlike some other networking groups, we are completely non-profit making, which means every penny is used solely for the benefit of the Club and its membership. In short, not one person receives any form of financial payment for the actual running of the Club.
It means that we’re able to provide a huge array of benefits for members, from our complimentary Christmas Event, which includes fine wine and cuisine plus live entertainment, through to regular subsidised social events during the course of the year.
Members can also deliver an extended free workshop to the group. Attendance is optional as they run for around 90 minutes after the meeting has ended. We tend to hold four to five a year. Refreshments are included, and, in the past, it’s provided a good opportunity to learn more about marketing, IT, coaching and HR.
Other benefits include a monthly draw whereby one lucky member receives a £50 voucher to spend with someone else in the room. Due to the broad spectrum of businesses at each meeting, the voucher could be used to help towards the cost of a car service, new doors or windows, phone systems, accountancy work or even coaching.
Our quarterly prize of £100 goes to the person who has introduced the most number of guests to the club.
Membership also provides you with a free listing on our on-line and off-line directories. The printed versions are distributed around Plymouth – providing a PR boost to get your message out there!
Our meetings happen twice a month (on Wednesdays) at the Boathouse in Plymouth. There’s an informal chance to network, as members begin to arrive from 0700, ahead of the ‘formal’ start at 0815. Breakfast, coffees and teas are provided.
The meeting itself sees each member provide an ‘elevator pitch’ to the group ahead of a five-minute presentation which provides a deeper insight into a particular business. Topics range from banking to pensions and electrics to plumbing. The group then provides referrals between members.
Interested in joining? Well, firstly, please check our on-line directory to ensure your field of expertise doesn’t overlap with anyone else’s in D2B as we only allow one business per category in the room. This is important as it helps to avoid any potential for direct competition between members.
If there’s no conflict of interest with anyone else in the group, then you can attend two meetings as a guest, whereby you simply pay £8 on the door. Pay and display parking is available outside the venue.
If you enjoy attending these meetings then we can provide you with a membership form, which needs to be completed and returned to a member of the Committee along with payment of the first year’s membership cost of £100.
We ask that you attend every meeting, or, if you’re unable to come along then we would like you to provide a substitute. We also proactively encourage you to provide solid leads (referrals) for other members.
If your application is successful, then the renewal amount is £100 each year plus £16 a month (to cover the cost of the venue usage and also breakfast).
D2B prides itself on being a friendly networking group. We have a broad range of members, which includes both big businesses and sole traders. From banking to a driving instructor and from a mortgage company to a hypnotherapy practitioner, we are proud to represent a diverse mix of corporate interests in the city.
We’re passionate about Plymouth and it’s great to know that the business generated by our meetings is kept within the local economy! If you have any questions, or would like to come along, then we would love to hear from you.
Dan Gough
Chairman