Good business is built on strong relationships which is why we’re such advocates of networking. We have seen for ourselves how effective it can be for our own business and those of our clients and contacts.

As well as being a great way to meet fellow businesses and potential clients, networking is a fantastic opportunity to share experiences with other businesses. We have found that group members can be extremely helpful in pointing each other in the right direction for support and expertise.

It is a well known fact that people do business with people they like and trust. As networking group members get to know one another they gain a deep understanding of one another’s USPs and become more willing to recommend each other to their own colleagues and contacts.

If time is tight, don’t forget that one of the most popular business networking tools is LinkedIn which means you don’t even need to leave your desk to meet likeminded business people. We use LinkedIn to broaden our network and we regularly share news and useful information on our own LinkedIn Company Page.

Having said that, we love getting out of the office and meeting people face to face. The Wild and Co team are active members of a number of excellent local networking groups. One of our favourites is Harrogate Social, which we help to organise. It’s a very informal event which meets in a different bar or venue in Harrogate on the first Friday of the month. Sign up here to be the first to know when the next meeting spot is announced.