We welcome other Yorkshire based (or nearby) Independent Consultants and Freelancers, who share our values, and who wish to collaborate together under the Consult Yorkshire banner.
You can find out more and get to know us at one of our informal
and friendly monthly networking meetings. Monthly meetings take place at the Old Brickworks, Drighlington, on the 3rd Wednesday each month, 9.30-12.30 – CURRENTLY MOVED TO ONLINE ZOOM MEETINGS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Who are we?
We are a networking meeting which is a spin-off from the Yorkshire Mafia Independent Consultants and Freelancers sub-group on Linkedin. Anyone who is a member of that sub-group is welcome to attend the networking events. Regular attendees can also invite personal connections to come along to the sessions.
Consult Yorkshire is the brand the members of the networking group use when they collaborate on promotional activities. It isn’t a legal entity and it cannot enter into agreements to supply goods or services with a customer or client.
Why do we meet?
To:
Build understanding and trust with other YM freelancers and consultants i.e. to develop relationships
Provide a means for individuals and small businesses to get together to provide a wider offer to clients who need a more complete solution than the individual/small business can provide on their own
Provide and receive referrals
Share knowledge and learn from each other, with a focus on contributions, sharing and support
Where appropriate, and if the individual chooses to do so, to collaborate on joint promotional projects.
We are not:
A company or a legal entity
Fee paying, (although we do all contribute to cover our costs if we participate in a joint activity)
A rules based network
What kind of things does Consult Yorkshire do?
Consult Yorkshire has a website (you’re on it!) which is a portal to promote those networkers who want to pay to have a presence on it. The cost to be included in this website is available on request to regular attendees and contributors to the networking sessions.
Networking members can decide to run a seminar, attend an exhibition or bid for a tender, and use the CY brand when doing so.
When an event is identified then networkers have a completely free choice whether to participate. A smaller group normally volunteers to be the organising sub-group.
What our members say about Consult Yorkshire
Potential new members are always welcome to come along and meet the group.
This is what some of the present members say about their experience of membership:
Us independents have to manage without the support infrastructure that we took for granted when employed by larger organisations … research, finance, HR, super-smart colleagues, work friends. My colleagues at Consult Yorkshire more than plug that gap for me – I look forward to our monthly meetings where I know I will find support, knowledge, help, experience and plenty of interesting stories and laughs too. With CY at my side I no longer feel like a lonely independent consultant.
Colin Whalen, Director, Linton Wharfe Ltd
Being part of a group of friendly and mutually supportive, like-minded self-employed professionals has been positive and fun.
Nick Hawkins, Legal Advisor, gunnercooke llp
I started to attend CY/YMICF meetings early on in my career as a self-employed consultant, mainly in the hope that these would lead directly to generating new business. It's worth pointing out that I wanted an alternative to the usual stand up/introduce yourself/swap business card circuit as I didn't feel comfortable in that environment. What I found was an organisation offering no immediate sales leads, but in reality that wasn't the real value I sought. Instead I found a group of experienced professionals capable of, and willing to, offer me the support and information I needed to explore and discover what it means to be an independent. Attending meetings allowed me to hone my networking skills, and to develop real, lasting relationships within a local and varied business community that was significant in equipping me with the confidence I needed to develop my business.
Mark Oldridge, Emelo Consulting
Membership of this group has helped me develop my skills, broaden my knowledge, and implement new business tools. It’s also generated valued business contacts and relationships with seasoned professionals who are generous with their advice, time and support.
Helen Kitchen, HK PR Ltd
After a lifetime in corporate-land, working as an independent can be somewhat lonely and isolating. Consult Yorkshire provides a mechanism to replace the human level of support structures that naturally exist in bigger companies - with similarly minded people, facing the same sorts of challenges, and a network of friendly faces and voices who believe in you. It's not intended to share leads or referrals in a formal structure, there are other networks for that, albeit inevitably individuals end up collaborating with each other where it becomes relevant. Really it's about the people. For me, a less tangible but important element is that the feeling of belonging to 'something' enables me to talk to prospective clients with greater confidence, knowing that when the client asks something that stretches my comfort zone, there's always someone I can go to! That can make a significant difference.
Noel Moriarty, Chrobis
When I joined Consult Yorkshire earlier this year as a newly fledged independent, I found my tribe. I am learning from the sheer levels of experience in the room, and enjoying the monthly meetings.
Amanda Vickers, Director, AmVic Ltd
Consult Yorkshire is a network of credible, diverse consultants and freelancers, with a depth and breadth of knowledge that is happily shared with members. A supportive group that is mutually beneficial and has the potential to collaborate and complement your client offer. I appreciate the continuity of a consistent approach and attendance, as it helps to facilitate effective meetings and build trusting relationships. My personal highlights are The Skills Session and Issue of the Day sections of the agenda, as they develop member skills and problem solve, highlighting strengths and opportunities within the group. As an independent consultant I value these meetings highly, as you connect with others who may have similar operational experiences and challenges, in a relaxed and supportive environment.
Aniela Tallentire, Tallentire Consultancy Ltd
Consult Yorkshire is all about building fabulous long term relationships with fellow freelancers and consultants where we help and support each other.
David Abbott, Insight Best Practice
This network group was a gem of a find! After 6 years in business as an independent management consultant, I had tried various networks across the region, but I had often felt 'lost at sea’, networking with some fantastic SME colleagues, many of whom unfortunately just did not not ‘get’ what I did. Then, I spotted this group, visited and suddenly I felt ‘at home’ - meeting up with a group of ‘like-minded’ individuals all facing the same challenges as me.
One of the great things about Consult Yorkshire is the support that colleagues offer one another. Not only do we share knowledge and develop skills, but the fantastic camaraderie provides a brilliant platform for developing trusting relationships that offer not just re-assurance but also sound advice to one-another - be this within or outside of the monthly meetings. In fact, investing time outside of the meetings to catch-up with colleagues has been a great opportunity to build these relationships.
So, thank you to all my CY colleagues - you are indeed a great bunch!
Jane Fisher, Jane Fisher Associates
It seems to me there are four reasons to go to a networking group:
To get and give more work directly
To get and give referrals
To spend time with like-minded people and maybe share experience and ideas
To kill a bit of time
Although I’ve done a bit of the first, I’ve not been involved in the second and (much as I would love to have time to kill sometimes), the fourth has never been my situation. For me the third in the list is pretty-well the only reason I get involved. Personally that’s all I want from the group, the occasional morning for a bacon butty and a little sharing with some good folks. I suppose I recognise that if I wanted to huddle together with working networks, they are around in abundance. It seems to me that what we are short of sometimes in what can be an isolated work life is context where you can just sit and have a coffee without a particular agenda.
Mike Croft, Innovation People
Our history
Consult Yorkshire has grown out of Yorkshire Mafia Independent Consultants and Freelancers sub-group, part of the Yorkshire Mafia business networking group that started in 2010.
