A Salford club is providing a space for women in business to network.
Noticing that there were much more men’s/unisex business clubs, Natacha Diskin formed Worsley Women’s Networking in March last year.
Natacha said: “The club provides a safe space where there is no judgement and where women’s issues such as menopause and the difficulties of being a mother can be discussed openly. Sometimes women need this space to be with other women, where you can go through what you’re going through and do so without judgement.
“It is a place of energy and empowerment and a supportive atmosphere where people can grow.”
However, she adds, “the messenger group is where the magic happens, where ideas spark and where friendships form” – so do be sure to join the Facebook group if this piques your interest.
Supporting these claims, Charlotte Sandiford said: “The networking group is empowering and inspirational, and has such a strong energy”.
Charlotte is a part of the group, which meets monthly, and has been nominated for the Bolton Women’s in Business Awards.
She chose the group because of its location, which is a refreshing change to the majority of similar groups which are based in the city centre, yet is ideal since it is not too far from the city centre.
Charlotte had been nominated for the Bolton Women’s in Business Awards 2023 for her entrepreneurship; she is the property management director of her own letting business Regal Rentals, which owns many properties around the Worsley area.
She finds that the property industry is mostly male and so when she learned about the club, she was eager to join.
“The group offers a chance to socialise which is sometimes hard to do when you’re a businesswoman and a mother, and so finding like-minded individuals can be a real treat as it is nice to be around people who are in the same boat as you,” says Charlotte.
Indeed, Natacha describes the meetings as “an informal place where there is no fear or social anxiety. There are only around eight people there so it’s really close-knit and relaxed.
“We meet once a month and it’s really laid back. You can have coffee and drinks and it’s mostly friendly networking and sharing and offering advice. We are here to support each other, which I find is a refreshing change to many business groups where people are in it for themselves.”
Recent studies have found that Manchester is home to the second highest number of businesses with female leaders, with a total of 3,269 across the city.
The meetings are headed by a different speaker each time who gives an inspiring 10-minute speech on their experience and shares tips, and the rest of the hour is more informal, and oftentimes time is filled with fun events such as a raffle to help with team-building, or the members will relax with coffee or have a few drinks.
One such speaker was Dan Scott, a Manchester-based optician who goes by “the eyewear stylist”, who also proves that the group doesn’t exclude men. Other speakers have championed businesses in areas such as aromatherapy, and human design.
Another such speaker was Catherine, co-founder of Neon Creations in Bolton, whose speech included insightful advice on marketing. See our article about that company here.
Catherine said of the group: “It allows for a safe space for women where you can say what you think and you are met with no judgement. Most business networking groups are either male-dominated or have too many people, whereas this one is more relaxed and everyone has a chance to speak.
“I used to hate networking but this shattered all my negative beliefs about it. This one has more personality to it, especially considering the hostess Natacha, who is very vibrant, and this sense of personality is important because people buy from people. Plus, her exuberance uplifts the other members. This is important as a good leader creates a good team.”
Neon Creations was co-founded with Tony, who had his own comments to add about how networking is androcentric.
He said: “Networking, and even the neon business, used to be very male-dominated. It used to be done by all handshakes and meetings, very old-fashioned kind of stuff, but that’s all changed now.”
His comments seemed to echo those of Charlotte, and it was nice to see that even men are aware of these gender disparities.
Catherine is also a member of the local groups Speed Networking and Unique Ladies, but attributed her new-found openness to networking to joining the Worsley Women’s networking group.
The group allows her to make connections which has helped her business to grow.
The next meeting is 15 December and costs £15, £2 of which goes to the miscarriage charity Tommy’s, which the founder Natacha has had personal experiences with.
To find out more about Tommy’s visit https://www.tommys.org/
