ABOUT US.
NetworkLocal is a business networking community that helps entrepreneurs, freelancers, and local businesses build meaningful relationships and create new opportunities through regular networking events and ongoing member support.
Why NetworkLocal Exists
Running a business can be rewarding, but it can also be surprisingly lonely.
Many business owners spend their days serving clients, managing teams, and solving problems, often without having a trusted network of peers around them. While networking opportunities have never been more available, genuine connections can still be difficult to find. NetworkLocal was created to change that.
Rather than focusing on collecting contacts, pitching to strangers, or attending endless networking events, NetworkLocal is built around meaningful relationships. It’s a place where business owners get to know one another as people first, building trust, friendship, and mutual support over time. When genuine relationships exist, business referrals happen naturally. People are far more likely to recommend those they know, trust, and genuinely want to see succeed.
Today, NetworkLocal brings together local business owners who believe that strong relationships are one of the most valuable assets a business can have. Because business is better when you’re connected to people who understand your challenges, celebrate your successes, and actively look for opportunities to help one another grow.
How We’re Different
Friendship First. Business Follows.
Most networking organisations tell you:
Refer members whether you know them or not
Recruit your friends
Attend every meeting
Follow strict rules
Fit into their system
We believe something different.
✓ Good business is fuelled by friendship.
✓ Relationships come first. Trust comes first. People come first.
✓ The referrals happen naturally afterwards.
We’re not interested in creating another rigid networking group. We’re building a community. A place where entrepreneurs, business owners and professionals can genuinely enjoy spending time together. Where being yourself is enough. Where networking doesn’t feel like networking. Where business growth happens naturally through authentic relationships.
How it works
NetworkLocal is designed to make networking feel more natural, rewarding, and less demanding. Rather than rigid meetings, attendance requirements, or constant pressure to sell, NetworkLocal helps local business owners build genuine relationships at their own pace. Members connect through conversations, shared experiences, recommendations, and introductions that develop naturally over time.
Every member is personally reviewed, and every profile is verified to ensure you’re connecting with real business owners and professionals. This creates a trusted environment where people can engage with confidence and build meaningful connections.
The result is a network that delivers more value with less commitment — a community where friendships, support, referrals, and opportunities grow from authentic relationships rather than formal networking routines.
Inspiring, high-energy
environments that naturally encourage better conversations and stronger connections.
NetworkLocal is built around a simple idea: people do business with people they know, like and trust.
That’s why we focus on creating enjoyable experiences, genuine relationships and a community where people actually want to connect.
No rigid rules. No forced referrals. No awkward pitching. Just genuine relationships that can lead to great business.
Better Networking
Standout venues, inspiring events and quality conversations that lead to stronger connections.
Meaningful Introductions
We don’t leave it to chance. We actively connect you with the right people, both at events and beyond.
A Community That Cares
Join a growing community of business owners, directors and decision-makers who believe in supporting each other and growing together.
Our Community
Belonging to NetworkLocal
Being part of NetworkLocal is like having a community of fellow business owners actively looking out for opportunities for you — not because they’re obligated to, but because real relationships naturally work that way.
Every business needs growth, and referrals remain one of the most trusted and effective ways to achieve it. NetworkLocal creates the environment where those referrals happen through genuine connection, not pressure or obligation.
Instead of a rigid system, NetworkLocal is built on a simple principle: when people know you, trust you, and understand what you do, they are far more likely to recommend you when the right opportunity arises.
At the heart of the community is a shared mindset of mutual support — when you take the time to help others, introduce people, and add value where you can, those relationships naturally come back around over time in meaningful ways.
It’s less about transactions, and more about building a network of people who genuinely want to see each other succeed.
The Kind of Network You’re Joining
No membership can guarantee clients, referrals, or opportunities. What NetworkLocal does provide is an environment where genuine relationships are far easier to form, maintain, and benefit from in the long term.
With us, you can…
Build relationships that continue to create value long after the first introduction.
Access trusted advice, experience, and recommendations when you need them.
Discover opportunities that wouldn’t come from algorithms, advertising, or social media.
Be introduced to people you would not have met otherwise.
Spend less time on noise, pitching, and self-promotion.
Develop a network that becomes more valuable the more you invest in it.
At its core, NetworkLocal is about creating the conditions for real connection — and letting everything else grow from there.
About Our Events
Networking should be about more than collecting business cards.
NetworkLocal is a different kind of networking — less pitching, more connecting; less pressure, more genuine relationships; and more opportunities created together.
Designed to Bring the Right People Together
NetworkLocal is built to make meaningful connection feel simple, natural, and low-pressure.
Through a carefully curated community of local business owners, we help the right people find one another, build genuine relationships, and discover opportunities that often wouldn’t exist in more traditional networking environments.
This is not about volume or visibility. It’s about fit, trust, and long-term value.
Every member is personally reviewed. Every profile is verified. Every connection begins with real people who share a standard of integrity and intent.
Our Founder, Kellie, stays closely involved in the community, actively engaging with members, identifying valuable introductions, and making sure people are connected in ways that genuinely help them grow.
Perfect for:
✓ Business Owners
✓ Entrepreneurs
✓ Property Professionals
✓ Freelancers
✓ SMEs
✓ Startups
✓ Consultants
✓ Accountants
✓ Solicitors
✓ Coaches
✓ Tradespeople
✓ Corporate Professionals
✓ Financial Advisers
✓ Marketing Experts
✓ Creative Agencies
At the heart of NetworkLocal is a simple principle: members don’t just look for opportunity — they help create it for others. That shared mindset is what makes the network stronger with every new relationship formed.
Whether you’ve networked for years or you’re attending your first event, you’ll feel welcome.
Our in-person networking events are proudly anxiety-friendly and newcomer-friendly, and take place across the heart of the Midlands, making them easily accessible from: Birmingham Lichfield Sutton Coldfield Tamworth Burton upon Trent Rugeley Bloxwich Derby Nottingham Leicester Coventry Wolverhampton Walsall Solihull Dudley Cannock Stafford Rugby Nuneaton Telford Newark Hinckley Market Harborough Worcester Redditch Bromsgrove Shrewsbury
If you’re searching for: Business networking Midlands, Business networking Birmingham, Networking events Lichfield, Professional networking Midlands, Business networking near me, Business networking Staffordshire, Entrepreneur networking Midlands, SME networking Midlands, Networking events West Midlands, Networking groups Birmingham, Business events Midlands, Business community Midlands… You’ve found your people!
Networking With Us
In our NetworkLocal community:
You become known by people who understand your work and care about your progress.
Opportunities emerge naturally through trust, not constant self-promotion.
The right introductions happen because people actively want to help.
Advice, insight, and support are easier to access when you need them most.
Your network becomes something real and lasting — an asset that strengthens as your relationships grow.
It Only Takes One.
What If One Introduction Changed Your Entire Business?
One new client could cover your membership for years.
One strategic partnership could double your opportunities.
One trusted connection could open doors you’ve been trying to access for months.
That’s why every member gets their own dedicated NetworkLocal Super Connector who actively helps introduce them to relevant people across the Midlands.
Because networking shouldn’t stop when the event ends.
Traditional Networking
- Focussed on attendance
- Measured by introductions
- Built around transactions
- Collecting contacts
- Often clique-y or intimidating
- Expected to bring visitors or recruit members
- Forced to pitch yourself to the room
- Networking because you have to
- Building a contact list
- Competing for attention
- Lengthy presentations and talks
- Rigid schedules and lengthy meetings
- Same people, same venue, same routine
- You’re left to work the room yourself
- One-size-fits-all networking
- “What can you do for me?”
NetworkLocal Networking
- Focussed on relationships
- Measured by value and support
- Built around trust and collaboration
- Building relationships
- Welcoming, relaxed and inclusive
- Come as you are — we’ll help you connect
- Have natural conversations that lead somewhere
- Networking because you actually want to
- Building a community, not a contact list
- Create opportunities together
- Real conversations and useful connections
- Informal, flexible and relaxed
- Different venues, days, times and people
- A super-connector actively helps make introductions
- Events you actually look forward to
- A network built around your goals and relationships
- “How can we help each other?”
No
forced referrals.
No awkward breakfast meetings.
No pressure to recruit your friends.
No standing up and pitching if you don’t want to.
Just genuine business relationships, meaningful introductions, and a community of good humans helping good humans succeed.
About Our Founder
NetworkLocal was founded by Kellie Johnson, a passionate community builder, startup advocate, and natural super-connector who believes that business is fundamentally about people.
Having worked closely with startups, founders, and growing businesses throughout her career, Kellie has seen both the opportunities and the challenges that come with running a business. She understands that while entrepreneurship can be exciting, it can also be isolating, which is why creating genuine connections sits at the heart of everything NetworkLocal does.
Unlike many networking organisations, NetworkLocal is highly personal. Kellie is actively involved with every member, taking the time to understand their business, their goals, and the opportunities that could help them grow. She works full-time on building the community, introducing new faces, generating leads and referrals, and ensuring members get maximum value from the relationships and opportunities available.
Kellie is passionate about supporting local businesses and helping the Midlands gain the recognition it deserves as a thriving centre for entrepreneurship, innovation, and collaboration. More than anything, she cares about the people behind the brands, creating an environment where business owners feel connected, supported, and empowered to succeed together.
FAQs About NetworkLocal
FAQs About NetworkLocal Events
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