I’ve been looking for a suitable business network to join in the UK. The idea is to meet people in business and generally network a little more than I do. Finally there was a world wide group (Ecademy) starting a network meeting in Manchester. The event was in a bar with little structure, just generally chatting to people. However it became clear early on that this was not the right group. There were only 2 groups of people there; those selling their own networking event and those in small business.

When I explained what I did and the size of the business deals I’m involved in they were blown away. Either they didn’t understand or they wondered why I needed to network with them. Since they’re not exactly likely to know someone who would deal with my company.

All in all it was a very disappointing event. After an 2 hours I decided to leave. A colleague of mine also came along, he’s interested in business practices and becoming a manager. It’s safe to say we both had the same opinion of the event.

So what for my plan to find a business network. Well, they’re on hold for now. That is unless I chance on a network event which really contains key business people. Those in small business may well be fine business people, but I’m after something different. My last 5 years have led me to see business on a global scale, where you deal in technology and strategy. It’s not just about units of sale or profit per item, there’s far more to it than that.

Last word: I really don’t know who employs these “business consultants” that I met. They hardly new what they were talking about.