Local business networking group

Local business owners and self-employed people such as tradespeople, accountants, photographers and consultants who want more local contacts and referrals.

Membership fees, monthly or annual, sometimes with a small charge for visitors or extra events. Your costs are mainly venue hire and marketing, so each extra member adds more to your margin.

• Confident talking to new people
• Organised and reliable
• Selling the value of membership
• Keeping a group friendly and fair

• Public liability insurance, and check what the venue requires
• Data protection: check whether you need to pay the ICO data protection fee and how you store member details
• Check that your group name and branding don't copy an existing network
• Groups can take months to build and members may leave, so don't commit to costs you can't cover with a few members
• Check how much trading income you can earn before you must register for VAT

Startup costs are typically around £300 to £2,000, depending on venue hire, insurance and marketing. Monthly revenue is typically around £400 to £3,000, depending on membership numbers and fees. Groups can take months to build, so avoid costs you can't cover with a few members.

Check public liability insurance and what your venue requires. Check whether you need to pay the ICO data protection fee and how you store member details, that your group name doesn't copy an existing network, and how much trading income you can earn before registering for VAT.

Estimates suggest at least around 6 hours a week, covering recruiting members, running meetings and keeping the group going. Skills typically include being confident with new people, staying organised and reliable, and explaining the value of membership.