Christmas lunch arranged for 17 December (September 2010)

Social secretary Dave Winnett, holder of the law seat at Synergy, has announced the date of
the group’s Christmas lunch as Friday 17 December. The meal has been booked for 1pm at
Fothergill’s Restaurant, next to Nottingham Castle. Before lunch, a brief networking meeting
will be held at 12 noon, at the offices of Hopkins Solicitors on Regent Street. Fothergills is
offering a two or three course set Christmas menu and Synergy will pay for two courses.
Members will pay for their third course, if they have one, and also for their drinks. Any
members that can’t attend the meal should inform Dave Winnett as soon as possible.
NB. Please note that this event is members only (no partners).

A new leaflet has been printed to further help Synergy members promote the group’s
businesses. Designed and produced by group members Blu72 (graphic design) and printing.com
(printing), the leaflet gives an overview and contact details for each member of the group.
It will be used in a variety of ways – e.g. during business meetings, at exhibitions or as an
enclosure in mail-shots – to help spread the word about the high quality products and services
offered by Synergy members. It will also help attract visitors to the weekly meetings and enable
them to identify and network with useful contacts. You can download a copy of the leaflet here.

Sue’s Accountancy Services, holder of Synergy’s accounting seat, has recently re-branded and
is now known as Net Accountancy. Business owner Sue Cottee explains the decision: ‘We’ve
decided to re-brand for several reasons, mostly due to the continued growth and expansion
of our business. With 6 staff now on board, we felt the “Sue’s Accounting Services” name no
longer reflects the size of our team or the breadth of the services offered.’ To celebrate their
re-branding, Net Accountancy are holding a Meet the Team event on Thursday 30 September,
from 3pm to 6pm, at their office at 7 Park Terrace, Canning Circus. All their clients and
members of Synergy are welcome to attend.

Synergy, Nottingham’s leading independent business networking group, celebrated its second
birthday on 1 September 2010. Since its establishment, Synergy has gone from strength
to strength and currently boasts 22 members. As well as being noted for its high quality
networking opportunities, Synergy has also gained a reputation as one of Nottingham’s
friendliest and most welcoming groups. Incoming chairperson Faye Stenson comments: ‘We’re
proud that Synergy is being increasingly recognised for its unique contribution to the East
Midlands networking scene. The group continues to strike the right balance as a means of
generating quality leads and of sharing contacts and knowledge for the benefit of all members.’

Synergy Network has announced it will fully fund two networking skills workshops for its
members this autumn. Mike Sylvester, Synergy’s sales trainer member, will run the sessions at
the Holiday Inn, Castle Marina, on Friday 22 October and Friday 12 November. Following a brief
networking meeting at 7am, the workshops will run until around 12 noon. It’s hoped that the
training will help Synergy members generate more, and higher quality, leads for others in the
group. Says Mike: ‘By funding these sessions, Synergy is showing its commitment to investing
in its members’ networking skills. I’m looking forward to seeing some great results after the
workshops’.

Kevin Brett of Tin Bone Productions, holder of Synergy’s video production seat, has announced a special offer on video testimonials for the months of May and June. Tin Bone is offering these at £295 instead of the standard cost of £495, covering a full day’s filming. Kevin explains about the power of video testimonials: ‘They’re a great way to tell potential clients how good you are and what others think of your service. They also show potential buyers how you could solve a problem they’re having and help them realise they needn’t go elsewhere.’ To find out more about the offer, visit www.tinboneproductions.com.

Printing.com, Synergy’s printer member, has announced that they’ve just launched full online ordering and payment facilities, together with file upload. Customers can now easily track their order, look at previous jobs and print off invoices. Printing.com’s Nottingham franchise manager and Synergy seat holder Phil Hughes, comments: ‘The new system will make it much quicker and easier for our customers to manage their printing requirements. We plan to keep improving our service by introducing more e-commerce solutions in future so it’s even simpler and more convenient to place an order with printing.com.’

Synergy Network has cemented its position as a serious player on the Nottingham networking field with a flood of recent new additions taking our membership total to a record high of 24. Our two latest members are Chris Brown, cabinet-maker, and Richard Waldridge of Team Gemini (UK) Ltd, an electrical contractor. With our growing membership, Synergy is offering an increasing number of high quality services to businesses and consumers in the Nottingham area. Please browse our Members section to read a brief profile member and the services they offer. Or why not join us as a visitor and find out for yourself what Synergy and its members have to offer?

Our will-writing member Colin Snaith has announced that the code of practice recommended by his regulatory body, the Institute of Professional Will-Writers (IPW), has been approved by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT). Awarded under the OFT’s Consumer Codes Approval Scheme (CCAS), the approval means that Colin can display the OFT CCAS logo on his stationery and marketing materials. He comments: ‘This is great news for me and other IPW members as we can prove to our clients that we’re compliant with the IPW’s code of practice and give them the reassurance that we’re providing trustworthy advice and value for money’. Colin will also be giving a talk about wills and Lasting Powers of Attorney to the Keyworth Advisory Bureau on 26th May 2010. Please contact him if you would like further details.

Mike Sylvester, holder of Synergy’s sales trainer seat, has published his first book. Entitled ‘Don’t upset Renee’, the book charts Mike’s difficult journey from an oppressed childhood through a series of career setbacks to the creation of the successful business he runs today. Mike treated the Synergy group to a reading of the first two chapters on 23 April, after which several members bought a copy of the book and have since told Mike how much they enjoyed reading it. Through his story, Mike aims to encourage people to think about why they and others behave in certain ways, with a view to creating better understanding between people, happier families and more productive workplaces. To order a copy of the book, please contact Mike.