Village pub

Your launch event


For more details on setting up the launch event see  - what to do - where to meet - when to meet

Some groups begin meeting informally and privately and allow the numbers to grow organically through word of mouth.  Other groups like to make the first meeting a special event.

South Stoke invited their local MP to their first meeting!

Please consider inviting your local ORCC Community Development Worker

Let your local newsletter and village website know the details of the launch event

Click here for an account of the Brill Business Group launch event

At the launch event

  • Allow plenty of time for meeting and greeting
  • Keep a record of everyone who turns up and ask for permission to use emails
  • Ask participants to recommend others they know who might be interested
  • You could collect business cards or just make a written list.
  • Don’t worry about attracting large numbers at the launch event – even a few enthusiastic local people will get the ball rolling
  • Try to keep to time  - when the hour or so is up,  thanking everyone for attending politely signals the break up of a meeting 
  • After the first event many organisers send round a note summarising what has happened. This is especially useful as a record for those who could not attend but want to be part of the group.

 

Summary notes from the Hook Norton Self Employed Group First Meeting

 – thanks to Pete Watkins

Subject: Re: An idea to set up a Hooky- working from home - club

FIRST MEETING Thursday 29th July at The Gate Hangs High 10am -11.30


Hi to all of those present at our first get together today and to those who couldn't make it. We are off to an enthusiastic start and we were not short of things to talk about.

Next Meeting 

We have previously set on last Thursday in each month as our meeting date but at the end of today's meeting we found that several people could not be available on Thursday 26th August. My suggestion is that if possible we aim to stick to this date and get together whoever is able to make it. What do you think? Who could make the 26th August?

Venue 

What are the thoughts about the venue, are we happy or would you like to try other venues?

Coordination

At the meeting I was asked if I would take on an 'informal chair' role to generally coordinate the group, I'm happy to do this but just want to check that it's ok with everyone?

A Name

We haven't yet agreed on a name for our group and apparently The Rolling Stones is taken.... some suggestions so far include the Hook Norton Working from Home Group and The HookyHomeWorkers.

On-line Comms

Do we set up some kind of on-line communication for our group for sharing information?

Some Brief Meeting Notes

We began by introducing ourselves and it soon became clear that there are many areas where we can share skills and experiences. The general agreement was that we give our future meetings a general topic for focus. During our meeting I took some notes and found that the topics discussed fell into the following categories:

Managing Yourself:

self discipline, time management, work/life balance, handling anxiety and self expectation, feeling of isolation. Managing life changes.

Financial Management;

Tax Tips; pensions, accountancy

Networking:

Social networking sites, meetings, letting people know about you and your skills. Clubs and organisations

Business Support Tools:

Networking sites, IT, Comms

Diversification:

Looking for new business opportunities within our core competencies and looking for new opportunities in completely new areas.

Practical Aspects of Working From Home:

Bouncing ideas, gaining feedback, motivation, work space, discipline

Depending on how we evolve I'm sure various topics will reappear and get repeated and I guess that's good. Dave suggested that we document some FAQ's.

I hope this is a reasonable summary, for sure I will have missed some points so feel free to add.

 Pete