Venus Network, national networking group for women in business opens Northland branch

Venus regional manager Nicola Hunt with the organisation's chief executive, Carolyn Banks. Photo / Supplied

A new national networking group for women in business is about to launch its first Northland branch. Christine Allen talks to the organisers of the Whangarei Venus Network.

"Women don't like to be sold to, they like to be courted."

Carolyn Banks, chief executive of Venus Network, is talking about a countrywide network of 1000 women which is opening its first branch in Northland in June.

The Venus Network runs alongside the Venue Academy, the training and development arm of the business.

Banks believes that women have unique needs and skills when it comes to networking.

She says the organisation now has the manpower for starting the group in Whangarei.

"Venus Network is a community of women which aims to help women build relationships with each other. It's about partnerships, not prospects.

"Those who are only chasing the dollar won't last long, as networking is a long-term investment of time."

The Venus Network, she says, focuses on the development of a qualified, consistent and dynamic circle of networking partners, with referrals or word of mouth marketing offering the effective way to market a business and grow a woman's network.

Nicola Hunt has been a member for more than five years and took up the role of regional manager in November, running the Auckland Central groups, with six in the city and one in Warkworth.

She will run the Whangarei group, which launches on Thursday, June 14 at the Orchard Business and Event Hub in Whangarei at 9.30am.

"The launch is a free event, and everyone interested in joining is welcome to pop along to find out more.

"We've had massive interest from women in Whangarei … we've had lots of emails from people here."

The pair say Venus is also set to become a charitable organisation, which means any profit will go back into the network.

"We will also be offering interest-free loans to members, to help them grow their business," says Banks.

They look forward to working with the Chamber of Commerce Northland and Northland Inc to support business in Whangarei, she says.

"Women, by nature, are social creatures and we work better in groups. Women aren't ego-driven and have a more consultative and nurturing approach. We are also willing to talk more about what's going on with us."

Venus Whangarei doesn't have a permanent venue for meetings yet, which will run on every second Thursday morning from 9.30am to 10.30am.

The meetings will focus on brainstorming topics, presentations and plenty of "sharing stories about wins", Hunt says.

She says the focus in Whangarei is to help women get confident in business.

The network, which was established 10 years ago in Tauranga, will also offer Power Hour Workshops, as well as paid and free courses. Venus also publishes a quarterly magazine twice a year. For more, check out www.venusnetwork.co.nz