Why Start a Local Group

There are many issues raised by people who work from home as barriers to success – personal, emotional and social needs as well as professional and commercial.

Homeworkers talked about doing something for my community, getting out of the house, improving my motivation, meeting other people. 

“I’ve known you for years but I didn’t know what you did”  Overheard greeting at Brill launch event

"I thought there must be lots of other people around - all these people living next door to you, but you don't know what they are doing and they might be able to help you." Ken Norman 729 Club Chipping Norton 

Pete wanted to find other people in Hook Norton who were self-employed for the first time and were feeling a bit demotivated.

Miranda and Barbara knew that there were lots of local people in Brill who worked for themselves – and knew they could support each other’s businesses  - if they just got together.

There seem to be two key functions of informal groups: "talk and support" and "networking and business development".  The balance between these functions varies according to the character of the group organiser and the membership. This balance is illustrated in this list of aims from the South Stoke Business Network.

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