Today’s edition of the Businesswise podcast is hosted by Joe Tompkinson who is joined by Danielle Holmes from Black Nova, a professional IT Solutions company, offering website design, hosting and other IT services, and Steve Munson from ASF Creative who offer signs, marketing & design and print.

After introducing what their individual businesses do, Danielle and Steve talk about how their two businesses, both in the creative sector, support each other rather than being competitive. Each of their businesses offer what the other doesn’t, so if someone is starting out, they can ensure that people are working with two other businesses that can work together and collaborate on their project.

They both share how Businesswise works for them, agreeing that it’s not only about business, but also meeting up with like-minded people who you can collaborate and work with. Steve left the group for a while, having a break from networking, but when he returned, he was pleased to be back, and says it’s all about the people in the room.

Both Danielle and Steve talk about the importance of trust in the room at a Businesswise meeting, and how having that confidence in someone’s ability, knowing they’ll do a job to a good standard means you are happy to recommend them to your friends. Also, when it comes to collaboration with people in the Businesswise group, they’re people they know; they’ve probably used their service, or bought their products, so know who they’re working with.

Being in the creative industries, sometimes misconceptions are around the cost of products or services, and they both talk about this, within their own sectors.

If you’d like to know more about Danielle, Steve and Businesswise, visit https://businesswise.org.uk/