Business owners, sole traders and company representatives are invited to ‘find their tribe' by joining a new networking group which is launching in Sutton Coldfield this September.

FindaBiz Networking is moving into the town with a new monthly meeting that will take place on the second Tuesday of every month at The Townhouse, High Street, from 6pm.

It kicks off with a free launch event on Tuesday, September 12, where people will be able to make new connections and experience the format. Meetings will include light food and refreshments provided by The Townhouse, with drinks available from the bar.

FindaBiz Networking Sutton Coldfield is being hosted by new franchisee, Carrie Bacciocchi, who has lived or worked in the area all her life.

Carrie is a keen networker who was looking for something more relaxed and less formal.

"I was recently president of a networking group and was very good at getting visitors through the door – I brought 17 visitors over the last two months of my presidency,"

"Not many were joining though and when I asked them why, they often said it was too expensive or too time consuming.

"I had a look at what else was available and there didn't seem to be much in Sutton Coldfield, so I decided to start my own networking group. I wanted something with a lower price point, that still had some structure without being too formal.

"While I was thinking about this, a friend told me about FindaBiz Networking and their franchise opportunity. They were already offering everything I wanted to see in a networking group; their vision totally aligned with mine.

"I know how intimidating it can be to walk into a networking group for the first time and I want to help people with that by creating an environment that is as warm, friendly and supportive as possible.

"I'm big on finding your tribe – that's what I'm hoping to build for sole traders and SME owners. You're not on your own. This new network will be your sales team and your support team.

"The venue is wonderful, and I'd encourage anyone interested to just pop along to the free event and see what we're all about."

Carrie first joined a networking group with her business Save Your Money Honey, which helps people save money on their household bills. Then, with the support of her networking colleagues, she was encouraged to set up her new business, The Education Welfare Service. Having worked in education for more than 30 years, this is where Carrie's passion lies.

She now also provides services to schools to support children who haven't been attending. In two years, the business has grown from Carrie working with one school to a team of 22 support workers providing services to 82 schools.

"This is my passion and it was the people in my networking group who encouraged me to follow my dreams and gave me guidance and support along the way. That's just one of the benefits you get from networking,"

Sutton Coldfield will be the eighth group in the growing FindaBiz family, with clubs based in Tamworth, Nuneaton, Coventry East, Hinckley, Telford, Kirby Muxloe and Leicester – with Croydon also in the pipeline.

A friendly environment with no scary rules!

The ethos is all about providing a friendly and welcoming environment for local businesses to connect and grow - with a positive atmosphere and no scary rules.

FindaBiz Networking is run by mother and daughter team Amanda Bourne and Gemma Worthington. They said:

"We are really excited to be launching in Sutton Coldfield as part of our nationwide roll-out of the FindaBiz franchise model.

"We've got several events every month, as well as national online networking, speed networking events with a unique formula, social meet ups and the opportunity for members to network across the whole FindaBiz community.

"We're really looking forward to the Sutton Coldfield launch event and encourage businesses in the area to come along, meet Carrie and find out more."

Attendance must be registered on the FindaBiz Networking website.