“I am”… I said
To no one there
And no one heard at all
Not even the chair.
Like the Neil Diamond song, running your own business – just yourself or a hundred staff – is a lonely place, where support is thin on the ground and something that it seems so few ‘get’. That ‘need’ was one reason TNG was founded ten years ago; to create a place where like-minded people could go for support, relationships and sustainable, referrable business growth.
“Few recognise the power of being around people similar to you,” says TNG founder Mark Trafford.
“I founded my original business Maintain To Profit with a laptop in my bedroom in 2007. I had no advertising budget, just a dream to build a multi-million dollar business. I knew the only way I was going to succeed was to grow my networking skills; to put myself in the right position to ask the right questions.”
Looking to take his networking to the next level and to share his networking success with other business owners like himself, Mark founded TNG in 2012. Today Maintain to Profit is a multi-million dollar franchise business and TNG, in its own right a highly successful business that has gone on to help thousands of small business owners around New Zealand achieve success of their own.
It’s a journey trades business coach Andy Burrows knows well. “I was there at the start, am still here and hope to continue to be here for a little while yet. It has been great to see the network expand to the number and geographic spread that it has and is testament to the energy and drive of Mark, Melanie and their team.”
The last ten years have not been without challenges and, if anything, the need for the connectivity between business owners that TNG brings has never been greater than during the times of pandemic.
“It was vitally important that business owners stay connected during times of isolation,” says Mark. “We had to invest in technology and take our business online very quickly to help business owners stay in touch during challenging times.”
A positive development to come out of the pandemic is the fortnightly online TNG meeting for members nationally – a new string in the bow for the organisation and one that expands networking opportunities exponentially.
In the words of Marcus Osborne, founder of Northtec IT Solutions, “It’s a great platform to meet with professional individuals from all fields and as well as gaining business. It is also a great place to share experiences with like-minded people.”
Other than referral business, shared experience, support and learning are at the heart of TNG.
“I have learned more about business by being in rooms with other business owners than I ever did from all my business mentors combined,” says Mark.
