Networking.....with a difference

Celebrating a year of networking, new business, new friendships, fundraising and FUN!

12 Months in and we've had a blast!

When I decided to start networking again in early 2018, I simply couldn’t find a group that was even remotely close to suiting myself.

Sitting in a grubby venue at 7am on a Tuesday morning, drinking a lukewarm coffee and eating a soggy sausage sandwich isn't my idea of fun.

Introducing yourself for the 52nd time with the same stale sales pitch isn't my idea of fun.

Plus, time is precious; I have a wife, three kids and two dogs to take care of, so wasting my time on an a group that just doesn't work for me, again, isn't my idea of fun.

I wasn’t prepared to settle for less, so I set out on a mission to create the best.

My mind was buzzing with values I’d want my networking group to have; so in the middle of the night, I got out of bed and started writing down all my thoughts.

Rewarding people with actual monetary benefits, meeting in lovely venues with lovely people, creating bigger and better - all of it spilled onto the page.

Before I knew it, my wife Rachel appeared and it was 6am.

I’d been up all night, but I was certain I’d taken a massive first step in creating the networking group for people like me.

Fast forward twelve months, and I’m immensely proud to be celebrating the first birthday of real5.

Even more than that, I'm able to celebrate with my family, and that means the world to me.

Many people probably don’t know this, but they are the true real5. Rachel, Ethan, Amber and Lizzie are the reason that I do all of this, and now all of the real5 members feel like my extended family.

Thank you for making my sprout of an idea into a fruitful reality, and we're only just getting started!

￡4.7 million in referrals. Over 200 one-to-ones. 50 members. 60 affiliates. More than ￡10K raised for St. Rocco's.

It already makes for very impressive reading, so who knows where we'll be up to on second birthday!

Speaking of impressive, our member of the month for March was the outstanding Helen Davies of EasyTots.

You name the award, Helen has probably won't it! Her range of innovative products are sure to make your little one's mealtimes run smoothly, and Helen's positive attitude is just as inspiring.

I had the joy of handing out another award this month too.

While I'm busy with my various projects, Rachel does the hard work behind the scenes. She pulls the strings for the real5 and looks after the family in the best possible way.

The Andy you see every month simply wouldn't be the same without her support, so thank you for allowing me the time to showcase her brilliance.

Thank you also to the brilliant staff at the Halliwell Jones Stadium - they helped the evening run smoothly, provided some delicious treats and made the room look fantastic for us.

Watching you all enjoying yourselves across the evening put a massive smile on my face, I just hope you had as much fun as I did.

The night concluded with a Q&A with Warrington Wolves' own Steve Price and Ben Westwood. The highlights of which being tales of Bennie's run-ins with the RFL disciplinary panel and his 'borrowing’ of a rubbish truck while on England duty!

Thanks again (I feel like I'm saying that a lot!) for making my pipedream a reality and making networking something I genuinely look forward to every single month!

Soon we'll have even more friends to mingle with, as Owen launches real5 Chester in April, with Knutsford and Altrincham groups dropping in summer!

So here's to the future - keep connecting, rambling, referring, and most of all, sharing the love!

Andrew

#gainingtogether