Cognates

31/07/2025

Thanks to all Cognates Online Networking members this week for your contribution at both of the Tuesday and Thursday meetings! (and Adrian Croft for joining us in his wild shirt all the way from Holland!!.)👌

Some great conversations are being had by all, lots of people working together and some great 121's within the group coming up. We can't ask for anything more but to keep these going.😉
You never know who people may be able to connect you with in their network until you start talking on a 121 basis!

The Tuesday and Thursday groups will ,now merge into just a Thursday group so sorry for those who already have commitments and can't join us on a regular basis but please feel free to join us when you can or things change.🙂

So, see you all on the 14th August at our next meeting, 9.45am for a 10.00am start (please be prompt) and if there are any visitors you would like to bring along, please let Sarah know and she will get in touch with the link and how things will work.

👉Have a great couple of weeks folks.....

24/07/2025

Cognates Online Networking Thursday Group – Who’s Looking for What?

Great session last week!

Here's a quick round-up of everyone's current focus or ask – let’s see how we can help each other connect, refer, and grow 👇
• Anthony – Stepping into the corporate space for mentoring, team building, and motivational speaking
• Amy – IT support for new businesses – help them start securely from day one
• Nick W – Know anyone frustrated with their website? He offers easy solutions with full control
• Suzie – All things admin – let her take that stress off someone’s plate
• Mitch – Wants to write for the creative industries – clear, engaging copy that resonates
• Kelly – Always looking for new podcast guests – who do you know can help Kelly raise her profile even more with sustainable travel.
• Jason – Encouraging people to “have a go” at IT – approachable support matters!
• Sarah – Available from September for exhibition stand help – from the stand to the follow ups.
• Eddie – Let’s all do a “Who Am I” to stay visible on social media – he’ll help you get it done! Also looking for garden parties and BBQs to ‘do his magic’!
• Hayley – Saving kids from future cringe with great studio sessions! Use code ELSchool25 for a free session.
• Tim – Offering independent audits at events – useful and objective insights of what works and what doesn't work so well.
• Liz – Providing psychology services, including neurodiversity assessments & workplace culture change
• Nick (D) – Anyone thinking about buying or leasing a car – now’s a great time to chat
• James – Looking to connect with professional introducers in business/commercial finance
• Tom – Targeting businesses who’ve moved into new premises and need help with risk assessments.
If anyone springs to mind, make an intro if you can, share a contact, or just keep these in mind on your network radar.

See you next week!...either Tuesday 29th or Thursday 31st.....apart from anyone who's on holiday of course!😎

22/07/2025

We're currently looking to welcome visitors to upcoming Thursday meetings in the following professions:

• Insurance Broker
• Accountant and Book-keeper
• HR Consultant
• Handyman
• Massage Therapist
• Coach
• Florist
• Estate Agent

If you know someone in your network who might be a great fit, please invite them along! It’s a great opportunity for them to connect, share what they do, and see what we’re all about.

Feel free to tag or message Sarah if you'd like to extend an invite or need more info.

🪴Let's keep growing the group and you will hear more about our visitors day scheduled for the Autumn soon.😉

18/07/2025

A Quick Update for Cognates Members!

We've had a couple of great meetings this week – lovely to see those of you who weren’t away enjoying the sunshine! 🌞
We’ve sent a full update out to all members directly, but here’s a quick overview of some of the key changes and news:

🧩 Groups Merging
From August, our Tuesday and Thursday Cognates groups will officially combine into one – meeting on Thursdays only. This change is designed to create a stronger, more connected network and offer even more collaboration opportunities.

We’ll miss Karen and Debbie, who can’t make Thursdays, but they remain honorary members (and of course, always welcome when they can pop back in!).

A big thank you to both for all your contributions and energy.🙏

A warm Cognates welcome this week to:
• Anthony Clark – Coach, Team Mentor & Speaker
• Hayley Masom – Photographer

Fantastic to have you with us!

🎬 Shoutout to James, Tom, and Nick D for sharing video updates this week - a great way to stay visible when you're out of office.
➡️Final Tuesday Meeting - 29th July

This will be our last Tuesday session before we move to Thursdays only. Hope to see lots of you there – and Thursday folks, you’re invited too!

➡️ Education Slots – Get Yours Booked In!
We’re planning ahead, so if you’d like to run a slot, share some insight, or showcase what you do – get in touch with Sarah. And let us know any holiday dates so we can plan around them.

Thanks as always to every single member – for the energy, referrals, collaboration, and positivity. We’re proud of the community we’re building together.

See you all in a couple of weeks!😉
Next meetings are :
👉Tuesday 29th July👉Thursday 31st July👉Thursday 14th August 👉Thursday 28th August

Visitors welcome too!

________________________________________

16/07/2025

We had a fantastic networking meeting yesterday!

It was inspiring to hear from Lizzie from Bright Hope Charity, one of our valued charity seat members. She shared some powerful case studies and gave us a real insight into the work Bright Hope is doing right now. Thank you, Lizzie!🙏

Join the Thursday Group tomorrow for more great conversations and connections!

We’re delighted to welcome guest speaker Hayley Masom, from Captcha Photography who will be sharing inspirational ideas to get your message and brand across your networks.

Don’t miss the opportunity to network with like-minded professionals on line.
See you there! 👇
https://www.cognates.network/about-us

Cognates are teams of local business owners or professionals working collectively with the ethos

07/07/2025

As part of our growing Cognates networking group, we’re holding a Visitors Day on Thursday 11th September, on line, 10.00am - 11.30am. A brilliant opportunity for others to come and see how we support one another in business through trusted connections, referrals and how we share tips and business advice in a comfortable environment.

We're looking to meet professionals who could benefit from joining a high-energy, committed group.

Have a think about who you know in the following professions:
👉Painter & Decorator
👉Plumber
👉Builder
👉Roofer
👉Financial Advisor
👉Insurance Broker
👉HR Professional
👉Therapist (any specialism)
👉Florist / Flower Arranger

If you know someone in your network - please reach out. We'd love them to come along and enjoy a positive, business-focused morning with like-minded people.

Drop us a message if you know anyone who is interested and we can send them the link...... or tag someone who might like to join us! Please share!
https://www.cognates.network/

01/07/2025

👀👀This morning’s Cognates networking group was a fantastic session, revisiting the vision boards we set back in January.

👉It was great to check in on how everyone’s business goals are progressing and to reflect on the power of these when we habitually stick to the plans we have put in place.

We also shared different ways to break down goals into 'actionable tasks' – digitally with the likes of setting ‘tasks’ in our phone and perhaps using something like 'Trello'…..how the smallest habits can keep us accountable and moving forward. It makes you realise that there’s real value in sharing methods and learning from each other’s experiences.

👉Looking ahead, our Thursday group meets again on 3rd July, where we’ll continue the vision board theme. We're also excited to have Laura Mackie, Non-Exec Director at Bright Hope, delivering the education slot.
See you there!

30/05/2025

We loved hearing from Suzie Jacobs last week about her brilliant VA business and how she helps business owners reclaim their time by taking care of the admin and “stuff” we all put off (but desperately need done!).

Next week, we’re excited to hear from Nick Wallbank from KangarooUK to talk about everything websites!

He’ll be showing us just how easy it can be to manage your own site - without constantly relying on your web provider for every little change and how easy it is to navigate and make changes around your own site. Maybe a few light bulb moments!💡

If you know a business owner who could benefit from hearing this and getting some real insight into smarter website management, invite them along to one of our Cognates Online Networking meetings next Tuesday or Thursday!

⬇️Just send them the link to join - the more, the merrier!

Tuesday - https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82665101599
Thursday - https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86194268910

05/05/2025

Happy Bank Holiday Monday everyone!

Hope you have had a good weekend.😀

So, who's joining us this week to network?

Sharon is looking forward to seeing you and this week and Shiraz Patel is taking the education slot which we are all looking forward to.

See you Tuesday or Thursday and those who would like to join us as a visitor please register here.⬇️
https://www.cognates.network/groups

04/04/2025

Reminder – No Online Meetings on the 8th and 10th April! We are meeting on the 11th instead! IN PERSON!😉

Just a quick heads-up to pop in your diaries:

🗓️ Friday 11th April – In-Person Meeting

➡️Bright Hope HQ, Swannington at 10.00am. LE67 8QT

Join us for a face-to-face catch-up, networking, a short talk from our Chair, and of course… some great snacks for breakfast!

👉 Don’t forget to book: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/bright-hope-in-north-west-leicestershire if you haven't already.

🖥️ Online meetings will resume on 22nd and 24th April – we look forward to seeing you back then! We originally were going to do a ‘members only’ meeting but due to the amount of new members and guests we have been having recently, we are going to keep them open to all. We will check in your vision boards and business goals set in January at a later date. 😉

If you have any visitors for upcoming sessions, please let Sarah or Sharon know so we can follow up with them.

See you soon! 😊

31/03/2025

👉Just a reminder for all Cognates members and any guests!

You're invited to the upcoming Bright Hope Business Breakfast – a chance to connect, collaborate, and enjoy breakfast in great company. It will make a lovely change for those of us who can make it, to see ach other face to face instead of on-line!

🗓 Friday 11th April 2025
🕙 10:00 AM
📍 Bright Hope House, Swannington, LE67 8QT

We’ll be joined by Laura Mackie, Chair of Trustees, who will be giving a short presentation during the morning.
Please book your FREE ticket in advance so we can cater accordingly: 👉 https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/bright-hope-in-north-west-leicestershire

🚗 Note: There are 25 parking spaces available, so if you can double up with someone, that would be much appreciated!
Looking forward to seeing you there and sharing a great morning of networking and conversation. 😉
Please share!

10/06/2024

Hey all, hope all is well with you. Following on from our 'Accountancy Tips' Presentations on 4th and 6th June 2024 to both online Cognates groups, thought we would just post to the Cognates Group our Contact Details.....just in case you or anyone else you know, thinks they may need some accountancy help.