The Alternative Board, Milton Keynes and Leighton Buzzard
- Who it is for
- Owners of small and medium-sized businesses in the Milton Keynes and Leighton Buzzard area. Run locally by Phil Smith, a former SME owner-director.
- How often it meets
- A monthly board meeting of about half a day, plus a shorter one-to-one coaching session with the facilitator each month.
- Group size
- Not stated for Milton Keynes. TAB boards are made up of non-competing owners; members' accounts describe boards of around ten.
- What happens in the room
- Owners bring problems and ideas to the board, work through them with the group and the facilitator, and set milestones using TAB's planning tools. Across its UK members TAB reports that 68 per cent say turnover increased.
- What it is not
- Not networking and not a referral group. Membership is a monthly fee, set locally; an introductory meeting is offered with no obligation.
Their website: www.thealternativeboard.co.uk/milton-keynes
Vistage
- Who it is for
- Chief executives, business owners and senior executives of small and mid-sized businesses, in groups of non-competing organisations. National, with groups across the UK rather than one based in Milton Keynes.
- How often it meets
- Once a month, with one-to-one executive coaching from the group's Chair in between. Members can also attend workshops, regional events and boot camps with speakers.
- Group size
- Twelve to sixteen members per group.
- What happens in the room
- Members process challenges and opportunities together using a structured framework, facilitated by an executive Chair, with speakers at some meetings.
- What it is not
- Not local to Milton Keynes by design, and not small. Pricing is not published.
Their website: vistage.co.uk/membership/our-approach/
The Business Growth Club, Milton Keynes
- Who it is for
- Business owners and professionals who live or work in Milton Keynes. Independent and not for profit.
- How often it meets
- Every other Friday, 7.00am to about 9.15am, at Windmill Hill Golf Centre in Bletchley, with a cooked breakfast served at the table.
- Group size
- Not stated.
- What happens in the room
- Conversation rather than presentations, in the club's own words. Members talk over breakfast and often stay on afterwards.
- What it is not
- Not a peer board and not coaching. Membership cost is not published; visitors are welcome first.
Their website: businessgrowthclub.co.uk/
TFI Networking, Stony Stratford
- Who it is for
- Business owners and professionals in and around Milton Keynes, with one member per industry to avoid conflict.
- How often it meets
- Every Friday, 6.45am to 8.45am, at The Cock Hotel in Stony Stratford.
- Group size
- Around thirty members listed on the site.
- What happens in the room
- In the group's words: "We chat, we eat and we get stuff done." Networking, support and business between members.
- What it is not
- Not a peer board and not coaching. Membership cost is not published; you visit once, then apply.
Their website: tfinetworking.co.uk/
Milton Keynes Business Leaders Partnership
- Who it is for
- Businesses that want a representative voice in how Milton Keynes develops. A membership organisation that describes itself as a representative body for the city's business community.
- How often it meets
- Members' breakfasts, members' dinners, sporting lunches and a summer reception. Frequency is not stated.
- Group size
- A membership body, not a group; size is not stated.
- What happens in the room
- Connecting business people across the city, celebrating success, and speaking for business to the council and others.
- What it is not
- Not a place to work on your own business. It is civic and representative. Membership cost is not published.
Their website: mkblp.com/
at.theboard
- Who it is for
- Men who own and run a business in or near Milton Keynes, usually with £500k to £5m turnover and five to twenty-five staff, still doing the work themselves and going at it rather than coasting.
- How often it meets
- Twice a month for twelve months. Once a month in person at the Shire Retreat: a sixty-minute walk, coffee, then two hours at the whiteboard. A fortnight later, ninety minutes online. Plus ninety minutes one to one with John every two months. About six hours a month.
- Group size
- Five. The same five men for the year.
- What happens in the room
- Every man's challenge goes on the whiteboard every month, and he leaves with what he will do written in his own hand with a date on it. Four times a year each man says his numbers out loud and measures them against his own past, not the others. There is no selling in the room and no referral target.
- What it is not
- Not networking, not a course, and not open: the free hour is open to anyone, a place in a circle is not. £550 a month for members of the first circle, held for as long as they stay.
Side by side
| The Alternative Board MK | Vistage | Business Growth Club | TFI Networking | MK Business Leaders Partnership | at.theboard | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who it is for | SME owners, MK and Leighton Buzzard | CEOs, owners and senior executives, UK-wide | Owners and professionals in MK | Owners and professionals, one per industry | Businesses wanting a civic voice in MK | Male owner-managers, £500k to £5m, 5 to 25 staff |
| How often it meets | Monthly half day, plus monthly one-to-one | Monthly, plus one-to-one with the Chair | Every other Friday, 7.00 to 9.15am | Every Friday, 6.45 to 8.45am | Breakfasts, dinners and lunches; frequency not stated | Twice a month for 12 months, plus one-to-one every two months |
| Group size | Not stated; non-competing owners | 12 to 16 | Not stated | Around 30 members | Membership body | 5, the same five for the year |
| What happens in the room | Problems and plans worked with the board and facilitator | Issues processed with a Chair; speakers | Conversation over breakfast | Networking over breakfast | Connecting and representing business | Every man on the whiteboard every month; commitments written and checked |
| What it is not | Not networking | Not local, not small | Not a peer board | Not a peer board | Not for working on your business | Not networking, not a course, not open to all |
How to choose
Start with what you are short of. If it is contacts, referrals and other business people to talk to on a Friday morning, the Business Growth Club and TFI Networking do that well, cheaply, and with breakfast. Visit both and see which room you like.
If it is a say in how the city develops and a seat at the table with the people who run Milton Keynes' larger businesses, that is what the Business Leaders Partnership exists for.
If what you are short of is other owners looking hard at your business, you are choosing between a peer board and a circle. The Alternative Board and Vistage are the established peer advisory options: a board of around ten to sixteen, a monthly meeting, a facilitator or Chair, and a one-to-one alongside. at.theboard is the small, local, fixed-term version: five men, every one of them on the whiteboard every month, a walk built into every session, and twelve months with the same four. The right choice depends on whether you want a wide board that meets monthly or a small circle that holds you to what you said a fortnight ago.
If at.theboard sounds right
Read about at.theboard, the men’s business group in Milton Keynes, or start with a free hour at the whiteboard with John on whatever is live in your business.
Start with a free hour