Empowering North East Entrepreneurs: Not Your Normal Networking

Posted on the 8 July 2025

The North East of England is home to remarkable entrepreneurial talent - ambitious, visionary business leaders building the region’s next generation of success stories. Yet forging a path at the helm of a growing business can often prove isolating. That’s precisely why the Entrepreneurs’ Forum exists: a dynamic, entrepreneur-led, not-for-profit organisation focused on inspiring and supporting business owners who are ready to accelerate growth, lift their horizons, and transform not just their companies, but the broader North East economy.

One distinct difference about the Entrepreneurs’ Forum is its approach to connecting entrepreneurs through relationship building, not your normal networking - a carefully curated blend of events, peer support, mentoring, and leadership development designed to foster genuine relationships, peer-to-peer learning, and the spark of ideas.

1. Events That Inspire, Educate, and Unite

Central to the Entrepreneurs’ Forum proposition is its exceptionally varied events programme. With over 70 annual engagements ranging from flagship conferences to intimate peer groups, the Forum offers a rich calendar designed to foster inspiration, connection, and learning .

Flagship conferences attract the region’s leading entrepreneurs, creating immersive full-day experiences brimming with high-impact sessions, strategic insights, and fresh perspectives. These large-scale gatherings offer the energy of a region-wide entrepreneurial movement .
Focus dinners and round tables, such as those hosted with business leaders including Mike Racz or Jamie Cooke and Ben Ridgway, provide smaller, intimate environments where entrepreneurs discuss challenges, opportunities, and ideas in confidence with their peers 
Thematic workshops, for example on harnessing AI for leadership development, equip members with practical tools and fresh thinking to help manage growth
Celebratory events, including the annual Entrepreneurial Awards Dinner each September, honour the region’s trailblazers across categories like “One to Watch” and “Lifetime Achievement”

Together, these events are not just occasions to shake hands or exchange cards - they are catalysts for deeper conversations, collaboration, and connection beyond surface-level networking.

2. Membership: A Gateway to Entrepreneurial Excellence

Membership of the Entrepreneurs’ Forum is open to founders or significant shareholders of North East-based businesses with a minimum annual turnover of £250,000 and at least one full-time employee . This ensures that every member has meaningful business experience and the capacity to contribute and benefit at a significant level.

Membership tiers - Core, Premium, Ultimate and Lifetime - reflect different levels of engagement and inclusion:

Core: Individual entrepreneur membership, encompassing newsletters, magazine, media library, mentoring, events, round tables, workshops, on-site visits, and member lunches
Premium and Ultimate: Include team access, guest passes to events, enhanced support, and greater communal exposure
Lifetime: All Premium benefits with no ongoing fees -membership for life.

With membership starting from just £575.00 annually (excluding VAT), the value proposition is compelling, especially given the diverse, high-calibre access to region-wide entrepreneurial excellence.

3. Fostering a Supportive Entrepreneurial Community

More than a membership body, the Forum is a vibrant entrepreneurial community characterised by shared goals, mutual support, and collective momentum.

Since its inception in 2002 at Newcastle’s Biscuit Factory, the Forum has grown from 40 founders to supporting over 1,000 members, with more than 30,000 event attendees and 20,000 mentoring pairings made to date. This network encompasses businesses from all sectors, united by the experience of leading and scaling firms in the North East.

Through regular communications - monthly e‑newsletters and member updates - members stay informed of forthcoming events, mentoring opportunities, and promotional chances. The Forum’s Media Library also provides a repository of recorded presentations, enhancing access to thought leadership and continuously evolving insights .

Members are actively encouraged to showcase their businesses via press releases, member news and opinion pieces - amplifying their profile and reinforcing the region’s success narrative. With social media reach exceeding 20,000 followers, the Forum supports members in raising their profile across the North East.

4. Mentoring: Practical Wisdom from Experience

At the heart of the Forum lies its mentoring programme, grounded in peer-to-peer connections that leverage the hard-won insights of experienced entrepreneurs.

Members can:

Find a Mentor: Access the Forum’s “entrepreneurial matchmaking” service spanning over 100 seasoned business leaders to guide them through specific struggles or growth transitions
Become a Mentor: Seasoned business owners can give back through advice, feedback, or by supporting fellow members facing challenges. Mentoring aims to build a long-term “altruistic, wise friend” relationship
Mentoring Drop-ins: Drop-in sessions offer flexible, ad-hoc conversations - perfect for resolving a specific issue or unlocking fresh thinking without long-term commitments

After two decades serving the region, the Forum has made over 20,000 mentoring connections - demonstrating a genuine culture of knowledge-sharing and collective uplift 

5. Business Mentors: The North East’s Unseen Catalysts

The North East has no shortage of entrepreneurial experience - and the Entrepreneurs’ Forum leverages this through a carefully structured board and mentorship ecosystem. 

The member-led Board, chaired since 2024 by Brendon Hayward (co-founder of OSBIT), includes notable figures such as Brian Palmer OBE (Tharsus/Universal Wolf), James Robson MBE, Kari Owers, Pamela Petty, Mike O’Brien, Toby Bridges, Sarah Thackray, Richard Lane and Kimberley Turner. Their ongoing engagement and strategic guidance reinforce the Forum’s commitment to peer-led excellence and sustained community relevance.

This leadership ensures that entrepreneurial experience drives decision‑making - ensuring authenticity, relevance, and integrity at every level .

6. Leveraging Connections Without Traditional Networking

A key appeal of the Forum is its rejection of superficial “networking as usual” in favour of high-impact, meaning‑driven engagement:

The term 'not your normal networking' encapsulates the ethos: deliberately avoiding transactional events in favour of mentorship, shared challenges and mutual insight.
Whether gathered round a boardroom table or dialling in via a mentoring drop-in, the interactions are purpose-driven - tackling real issues and growth strategies, facilitating emotional resilience, and supporting business owners through difficult chapters.
Award ceremonies and flagship events celebrate and amplify success, reinforcing regional pride and collective momentum, again avoiding the clichés of ‘networking mixers’.

These interactions cultivate authentic relationships, meaningful accountability, and sustained peer support - making them far more than superficial networking.

7. Why North East Entrepreneurs Should Act Now

The Entrepreneurs’ Forum stands uniquely positioned at the intersection of influence, experience and ambition in the North East:

Credible, Entrepreneur-led Expertise: The Forum is steered by local business leaders who understand the region and its unique opportunities; it remains independent, not burdened by commercial sponsorship agendas or government contracts.
Diverse and Impactful Events: With over 60 annual events - including workshops, focus dinners, leadership conferences and the Entrepreneurial Awards - members can select engagements most aligned to their stage and objectives.
Structured Mentoring Ecosystem: Access over 100 established entrepreneurs in a long‑term mentorship relationship, or tap into immediate support through mentoring drop‑ins.
A Shared Mission: The vision extends beyond individual businesses. Since 2002, the Forum has diligently helped to grow the North East’s entrepreneurial ecosystem - 1,000+ members strong - with the purpose of making this region the best place to own a business.
Collective Recognition: Awards ceremonies, member profiles, podcasts and media features help members amplify their impact and drive regional visibility.

In Conclusion

For established North East entrepreneurs with significant turnover and employees, the Entrepreneurs’ Forum offers more than a membership - it offers a journey with peers. It is an ecosystem designed to support business owners, uplift leadership, and strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial fabric.

By offering events that inspire, membership tiers that support growth, a communal environment rooted in shared experience, and a mentoring framework built on genuine connection - this is decidedly not normal networking. It is an investment in your own growth, in trusted relationships, and in the future of the North East’s business community.

If your business meets the turnover and employee criteria, we encourage you to:

Review the Core, Premium, Ultimate and Lifetime membership options and pricing
Discover the upcoming events - from leadership workshops to flagship spring conferences and entrepreneurial awards 
Complete the “Find a Mentor” form or register interest in becoming one yourself
Connect with the team - michael@entrepreneursforum.net or call 0191 500 7780

Join the Entrepreneurs’ Forum, and elevate your entrepreneurial journey through inspiring events, structured mentoring, and a vibrant community built on passion, purpose, and shared success.