Rebecca Newenham is a Qualified Franchise Professional with the British Franchise Association, a business owner, mentor, franchise consultant and flexible working champion. After a successful career in corporate buying, she founded award-winning outsourcing agency Get Ahead in 2010 and welcomed her first franchisee in 2017. Rebecca helps other businesses realise the benefits of franchising as a consultant with Ashtons Franchise Consulting. She is the author of 'Virtually Yours', a guide to finding flexible work through franchising, and is the ‘Queen of Networking’ - hosting networking events throughout Guildford, Surrey and London.

Can you share the moment when you realised your voice truly mattered?

Interestingly, it wasn't in my corporate life - my pre-mummy life. For me, it was after that. It was once I'd set up my outsourcing agency and I was suddenly allowed to give my voice air in places that really mattered, in environments I actually wanted to be in.

I think we're driven so much to do your degree, get your corporate job - that's where you have a voice and I never felt that was my place.

You had a very successful corporate career - tell us a little about that journey.

I was a retail buyer. I did a business studies degree, got my first role at Superdrug, then moved to Sainsbury's. There were elements of it that were wonderful - going to Paris, working with suppliers, seeing beautiful products come to life, but deep down I always felt there were people who had an opinion about me, or that I was never going to quietly get to the next phase.

And looking back - as we always say - everything leads you to where you need to be. I've got a lovely picture in my office that says: when you're in your own lane, there is no traffic. I always say to my franchisees: we can observe what other people are doing, but don't spend too much time and energy concerning yourselves with it - that's advice I live by too.

What was the inspiration behind Get Ahead?

I always had a feeling I'd like to do something for myself. My mum ran what was then called a tutorial agency when my brother and I were growing up - she was matching teachers with students for extra tuition. She was quite ahead of her game, actually and I had that inspiration from her.

When my husband Martin and I were talking about what I could do next, I knew I didn't want to go racing back into London. I had energy to apply to something and I knew I didn't want to build a business that was just about me.

I was surrounded by women with wonderful skill sets who could only find flexibility working as a teaching assistant or in a supermarket. I thought: how can I give them really interesting work they can do on their own terms? That was the foundation of Get Ahead. We've been providing remote business and marketing support to growing businesses for 15 years. I franchised it eight years ago and I now have nine Get Ahead regions running across the UK, with a pool of around 90 virtual experts.

How do you use your voice now in a way that perhaps you didn't in the corporate world?

When I launch new franchisees, they often say: how am I going to stand up and do an elevator pitch? And I remember feeling exactly that anxiety when I first launched Get Ahead. But then I realised - I'm the only person who knows what I'm talking about when it comes to my own business, nobody can cross-examine me and say that's not right.

With your own business, you know everything because you've set it up. Your passion and authenticity shine through rather than having to perform. I can still picture walking into some awful corporate meeting I'd been thrown into, not really knowing what I was meant to be doing. That sense of embarrassment stayed with me, so owning your voice and your subject - that's been a big lesson. And it comes with age and maturity too - being able to say: I don't really understand what you're asking, rather than making something up.

You love to bring business owners together and host a number of networking events - what is the key to networking successfully?

There are quite a few different angles. First - go to the right meetings for you. Just because there's a women's event happening doesn't mean that space is right for you. When I'm launching a new franchisee, I say: go to the opening of a crisp packet at the beginning - you've got that one opportunity to try different things, so be open.

And networking doesn't just happen in a conventional meeting. A conversation at the airport while you're waiting to check in could lead to something, being in the school playground - I got a number of my first ever clients through parents at school simply because I told them what I was doing. My girls cringe because I'll chat to anyone, but you never know, do you?

Also - don't write off an event after one visit. We all know you can go to the same venue month after month and one time you're really energised and another time it's quite flat - each meeting is unique depending on who's there.

And it's never a numbers game. If I've got 60 people coming, you're not going to talk to all of them. What's your intention for that meeting? Be clear in your own head. Is it that you want to walk away with an introduction to a particular person? Is it that you want to book a one-to-one with somebody? Know what you're going there for.

But always - the follow-up is even more critical than how you are on the day.

For someone starting out in their business and new to networking - what tips would you give them?

Contact the host. Once you've established which meeting you're going to, reach out to the person running it. I get this quite often - someone saying they've never been before. I always say: come right at the beginning, before it's busy. That way you're there as the energy builds rather than arriving half an hour late when everyone's already in groups and it feels daunting to break in.

Explain you're new, and ask if they can pair you up with someone or introduce you to a few people. A good host will always do that and it immediately takes away the anxiety of who am I going to speak to?

Also, you could go wherever the drinks are being served, join that queue, and ask questions. Be the person who's genuinely interested in someone else - it comes naturally from there. And have the confidence to walk away when a conversation has run its course. You're not obliged to stay.

What about breaking into a group and exiting a conversation gracefully?

For breaking in - you do have to be a little bit forceful, otherwise you could just be standing there. I'll touch someone's arm and say: can I join you? They're not going to say no.

For exiting - just say: it's been brilliant meeting you, I'll let you go and meet some other people now. You're putting it on them rather than saying I've got to go talk to more people. It's all in how you phrase it, without it feeling awkward. And we shouldn't be afraid of it - we're all at a networking event with the same intention of building connections and meeting as many people as possible.

You mentioned the follow up being important. What does a successful follow-up look like?

An unsuccessful follow-up is a generic message: great to meet you, here's all my information, let me know if you want more. That makes me cringe.

A successful follow-up is taking the time to identify a couple of people you'd genuinely like to connect with further, and then being proactive - suggest a coffee or if there's an event coming up that might be relevant to them, invite them along and suggest a coffee beforehand - you're adding value rather than just selling.

And if you connect with someone on LinkedIn and they immediately try to sell you something - that's not relationship building. The relationship piece is really, really important.

How do you maintain an ongoing relationship after that first meeting?

I've got a little hit list in my head of people I haven't seen for a while. I'll proactively bring people together - a small group for coffee or lunch. Not always because I want work from them, but because I've identified people who can support each other in different ways.

I meet a wonderful friend, Melesh, who runs a property business, every six weeks or so for coffee. We just talk about business things. It doesn't have to be a formal one-to-one with a specific agenda. And those relationships become your cheerleaders - the people you can look over to in a room if you're stuck, the ones you can call when things are hard. That level of business friendship is genuinely valuable.

And friendships come from networking too. I met a lovely personal shopper years ago and she's now one of my closest friends. You meet people you'd never naturally encounter elsewhere. The collaboration, the friendship, the support - it's so much more than just getting clients.

One thing I hear, as a networking host and I know you do too. What would you say about staying consistent when networking has slipped down the priority list?

I see it as a host all the time. Someone says: sorry I haven't been for months, I've been so busy doing the doing. And then suddenly they're like: I've got no work coming in.

There has to be a baseline of activity. Even one event a month is better than nothing and consistency on LinkedIn too - not necessarily posting every day, but interacting. Not just liking posts, actually commenting, showing a genuine interest. Being seen on someone's stream matters - it’s that relationship building continuing beyond the room.

Find where your clients are actually spending their time and show up there consistently. For Get Ahead, that's LinkedIn. Instagram doesn't make sense for our business. Know your platform and then be consistent on it.

Part of building relationships is about sharing value. When thinking about LinkedIn specifically - what would you say to someone who doesn't know what to share?

People love the behind the scenes, they love the personal piece about you. Everyone has a story and a reason why they're doing what they do - that's your authentic self, and that's what people connect with.

Another quick win: what are your clients asking you about right now? What are their pain points? Those are the things you can talk about. And when you're doing your elevator pitch at a networking event - the ones people remember most are when someone tells you what they've done for a client recently. Make it real, make it specific, make it helpful.

To close - can you fill in the blank: listeners should speak with...

Authenticity. Just be real. No one can challenge who you are or what you're doing - only you know why you're doing it. So just be yourself, because if you're acting or putting on something, it's so apparent. People buy from people - be yourself, have the confidence to be that person. You can tweak things over time, but just be who you are at this moment. And if you're not feeling great about something, be real about that too - it's amazing what people connect with when you're being absolutely yourself.

You find out more about Rebecca and the work she does at Business Mentor & Professional Impact Consultant | Rebecca Newenham. You can also connect with her on LinkedIn: REBECCA Newenham | LinkedIn where she regularly posts dates for upcoming networking events.

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