Jamie Stewart was recently interviewed for a blog and we thought it would be a great post to share with our wider community.

Hi! Thank you for agreeing to be interviewed for our business blog. To start off, could you tell us a little bit about yourself and your business?

Hi I’m Jamie Stewart and I am the founder of Circle Networks an online business community for ambitious entrepreneurs who want to be part of a supportive community. I live in Cheshire and have a beautiful partner, three kids and two dogs, I love gin and great curry.

Great, thanks for sharing that with us Jamie. Can you tell us more about Circle Networks and what inspired you to start it?

Back in 2020 I was frustrated with BNI online networking, I found it boring and draining, there was no interaction, everyone was muted and just waiting for their turn to do their 60 second pitch. I put up with it for 4 months, gave it my best shot and then cancelled my membership with 11 months remaining, I thought to myself there’s no point doing this for the rest of my membership when I could put my time to better use. A month later my friend Greg Middleton challenged me to start my own online event based on something I’d run previously. That’s who Circle Networks was first born. Our first online event was in September 2020, and we’ve grown to national coverage now with 14 groups all running on a fortnightly basis.

That’s really interesting. It sounds like you saw a need for a different type of online business networking and took the initiative to create it. Can you tell us more about the events and community you’ve built with Circle Networks? How has it evolved since its inception?

Circle Networks fills a gap for online support for entrepreneurs. Yes we need more new clients and there are networking groups specifically for referrals, but we also need friendship, support, inspirations, suppliers, connection and much more. With the rise in startups and small business owners working from home, coffee shops and even in coworking spaces, community is crucial to growth and wellbeing. We started with online networking events, but this has expanded to business support. Our members are scaling their businesses, taking on team members, delegating work, brainstorming and growing. It’s exciting to be part of. Members join us just working locally and we help them to go national within a very short period of time.

That’s really impressive, it sounds like Circle Networks has had a major impact on the businesses of its members. How do you see the community evolving in the future? Do you have any specific goals or plans for growth?

That’s a great question. We’ve big goals for 2023, our mission is to help more people! specifically to help over 1,500 business owners in 2023. Our members are amazing at sharing the benefits of Circle Networks with their own connections, they want their friends to benefit in the same way they are. Being part of a supportive community, who are there to help, challenge, laugh and cheer makes a massive difference when you’re the person at the top of your business. People in jobs don’t understand what it’s like as a business owner. We fill the gap for todays entrepreneurs.

Thanks for sharing that with us, Jamie. It’s clear that Circle Networks is making a big difference in the lives of its members and has big plans for the future. To wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share about Circle Networks or your experience as a business owner?

Thanks, I’d just like to personally invite you along to Circle Networks, to find out for yourself how we can help you in your business. Our events are fun, interactive and everyone leaves energised ready for the rest of the day. Just visit the events section on our website www.circlenetworks.co.uk/events and book for any event to start your free 14 day trial. You might be one connection away from your next goal.

Thank you for the invitation, Jamie. It sounds like Circle Networks is a really valuable resource for business owners and we appreciate you sharing your story with us. We hope you continue to grow and support even more entrepreneurs in the future. Thanks for your time today.

Join our Circle Networks LinkedIn group to connect with likeminded entrepreneurs – click here