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Business School in a Box
Learning from the lessons of others |
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01753 852904
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Mary Flavelle
When I was an Executive at the Chamber of Commerce, I found something which had been made for me. All my past experiences and different jobs had trained me for this one post. I spent 8 years at the Chamber honing my new skills, where networking was key. I ran a business women’s group but eventually it totally ran out of steam –what was the solution? Very simple – stop doing it! Altogether we took 2 months off, during that time, had a bit of brainstorming with members as to what they would like to get out of networking and the new SHE plc was formed". Mary is proud to be the founder of this fantastic event which is still going strong at Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce.
Next was the Famous First Thursday Breakfast where the bell became the most important feature of the event. Businesses attended to promote themselves with a one minute presentation. Mary’s focus was that of a tutor and taught people how to do a good presentation - with the bell doing its own thing when the presentations were poor! People came back to see if they had got it right – waiting for your turn was like a creeping death but this did not deter numbers. Generally 50 – 60 attended every month, making it the top networking event in the Thames Valley.
There were times when Mary’s acid words or that vicious bell would come into play but it was always done with a smile and a twinkle in her eye. It was greatly missed when Mary was enticed away from the Chamber to work at Seeda's Enterprise Gateway to help young people start up their own businesses. The contract was only for one year, decision time arrived. She decided to take a leap of faith and start her own business - going back to what she did best - network events.
The new chapter in her career book is public speaking both as a case study and explaining the power of networking. An Event Facilitator for small companies and finally launching a number of networking events, with the first one back at the Coppid Beech Hotel in Bracknell where Mary grew in name and reputation.
www.maryflavelle.com
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