Networking | Deborah Labbate

Can you help me? . . . And there’s a P.S. at the end which may help you go further, faster . . .

To be blunt and upfront I’m after your money!

Why?

Because on 11^th October I’ll be joining some of Nottingham’s most compassionate business people to do something amazing!

Together we will be showing solidarity with those who need our help in Nottingham and raising awareness of some big issues.

Please will you help me to raise money and support priceless work fighting homelessness and poverty in Nottingham?

Your support will be massively appreciated by me and I’ll be delighted to tweet about you, give you (and your business) a plug on my Facebook page and I’ll be posting updates on LinkedIn too.

All you have to do is make a donation here

All I have to do is sleep outside on what’s destined to be a cold and damp night!

Have you noticed how much colder it’s getting night by night this last week? Brrrr!!!!

(you have to realise when I signed up to do this on a balmy summer’s night a couple of months ago it seemed like a really good idea!)

Anyway it’s getting close to Goose Fair time and I can feel what I always call ‘Goose Fair weather’ kicking in . . . it’s going to be cold pitch side that’s for sure!

Donate here – thank you so much!

Now I totally appreciate participating in this year’s CEO Sleepout is only a token nod to what it must really be like to be homeless and I do have the luxury of being back in my warm and cosy home the following night, but I am giving up that luxury for one night and sleeping out pitch side (no tent even) at Meadow Lane Stadium whilst you’re tucked up under your warm and cosy under your duvet!

It will be cold.

And will be damp.

And it might even rain!

And . . .

you getting the idea this isn’t going to be very comfortable (understatement) aren’t you?

So, surely, you think that’s worth of a quid or two? Please.

Please help me!

Please give what you can – here’s the link again to donate

I know I’m being blunt asking for money like this, but to put it bluntly, money is everything in supporting the charities that will benefit from your generosity.

The more I (and my fellow sleepouters) can raise the more people can be helped. Simples!

Every £50 can make a big difference to somebody – and help them to turn their life around.

£5, £10, £15, £20, £30, £40 . . . it all makes a difference.

Thank you.

Since 2010 people affected by homelessness has risen dramatically. People can become homeless for a number of reasons, often a life event such as a relationship breakdown, leaving care or prison. These events, without support, can put people on a downward spiral culminating in homelessness.

The CEO Sleepout has partnered with Notts County Football In the Community, Emmanuel House and The Friary and will use the funds raised from CEO Sleepout Nottingham to continue their programme of support to the homeless and those at a crisis point who, without assistance, are highly likely to be evicted and become homeless.

That link one more time

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/teamncbc

Thanks so much!
You’re amazing!

Best wishes

Deborah Xx

Oh, and I promised a P.S. and something to help you

As we’re approaching the end of 2018 if you want to get ahead before the start of the new year I will be pleased to reduce my fee for a Conversation with Deborah by the amount you donate to the CEO Sleepout. Past clients have used a Conversation with Deborah to focus on a specific project or challenge or just to get some clarity on something rather than signing up to my more in depth programmes which generally run over 3, 6 or 12 months. This could be anything from useful introductions, networking strategy, a time audit, a confidence boost ahead of a presentation, performance or personal challenge, or a strategy session. The conversation is up to you! If this is something you would be interested in do get in touch

Double Impact 20th Anniversary Spirit of Recovery Awards

I had the honour of being invited by Double Impact’s Chief Executive, Graham Miller, to present an award at their Spirit of Recovery Awards this week in my capacity as Past President of Nottingham City Business Club along with the Club’s current President, Mr Mark Deakin.

It was a double celebration as it coincided with Double Impact’s 20th anniversary.

What an amazing afternoon with so many inspiring stories of success!

There were 11 categories on total:

Volunteer of the Year
Mentor of the Year
Employment Champion
Creative Recovery Award
Recovery Team Award
Community Champion

Partnership Award
Exceptional Recovery Worker
Extraordinary Achievement
Going the Extra Mile
Lifetime Achievement

We presented the Employment Champion award.

The winners of this award are a forward-thinking company who share Double Impact’s values and commitment to helping people in recovery rebuild their lives.

They have been very supportive to Double Impact’s employment-focused projects and service users who are wanting to improve their chances of employment in the future.

They are currently providing volunteer placements to several individuals in different areas of their business and are supporting other participants by conducting mock interviews to improve their confidence and employability.

To quote one nomination ’All the staff, in particular Jess and Jodie, have welcomed our volunteers to their team and treat them just the same as they do their paid employees.’

Companies like these give people in recovery hope and reassure people who are trying to rebuild their lives that people genuinely care!

AND THE WINNER IS . . .

THE TREAT KITCHEN

Congratulations Jess and Jodie!

Further congratulations to all the nominees, finalists and other category winners . . . you’re all Stars!

To finish in the words of Dr Ira Unell. Chair of the Board of Trustees at Double Impact . . .

“Double Impact started small, with a sole member of staff and a commitment to supporting those with drug and alcohol problems achieve abstinence and work towards recovery. At that time Nottingham already had a well-developed drug and alcohol service, but more was needed to help those who were becoming abstinent to sustain their recovery and successfully re-establish themselves in society. We now employ more than 50 people in two counties working with over 1000 people per year. Despite the ongoing struggle with the cuts in funding, our commitment is a strong as ever.”

You can learn more about Double Impact and the fabulous work they do here

There are many ways you can support Double Impact and one simple one, if you’re local to Nottingham, is to use their cafe based on Friar Lane Cafe Sobar

Cafe Sobar is an innovative and vibrant alcohol-free cafe and venue in the city centre of Nottingham. Established in January 2013, with the support of a grant from the Big Lottery Fund, it acts as a safe ‘hub’ for people in recovery to build supportive social networks and provides voluntary employment opportunities for them to gain a foothold in the job market. The venue hosts a range of events and activities, including live music and comedy performances, art exhibitions, informal groups and discussions, family fun days and other varied social activities. Open seven days a week, the venue stays open late to host regular recovery groups and other events.

Operating as a social enterprise on the high street, any profits go directly to support the work of the charity so next time you’re in Nottingham and fancy coffee (and maybe some fabulous cake!) pop in!

Double Impact Celebrating 20 years

Deborah Labbate Presents An audience with . . .

Deborah Labbate Presents An audience with The Reverend Kate Bottley for International Women’s Day, Tuesday 8th March 2016

Thank you so much for joining me at this event.

It was great to see you!

Here’s a few photos from the event.

Thanks to your generosity you raised a wonderful £479.81 for the John van Geest Cancer Research Centre.

Well done to all the raffle winners ~ I hope you enjoy your prizes!

A big thank you to all those who supported by donating raffle prizes including:

The Nottingham Belfry Hotel, Marco Pierre White Steakhouse Bar & Grill, Chino Latino, Hairven, The Footman’s Rest, George Thornton Art, Connect Space, Veeno Nottingham, Claire Herbert of Gateley, The Lace Market Hotel and Temprell Jewellers. I think Jane Aves from Flint Bishop was very pleased with her birthday win of the Daniel Wellington ladies watch!

On Thursday 21st April George Thornton Art have an invitation only event in the gallery where you will have the opportunity to meet a number of artists and be the first to witness a new collection of artwork whilst you enjoy a glass of champagne accompanied by canapés within the beautiful gallery surroundings. George Thornton is a former start up client of mine and has supported my last two events with a generous raffle prize of a limited edition print. I am always delighted to be able to support George’s events and will be at the gallery located in Flying Horse Walk for this one.

If you would like an invitation let me know and I will ask him to include you on the guest list.

The team at the John van Geest Cancer Research Centre also say Thank You for your donations!

As Professor Robert Rees explained the centre is funded for its buildings and administration by Nottingham Trent University so all the money raised will go directly to the centre for research

You can read more about the work of the centre here

I’d like to say another huge thanks to my sponsors Connect Space, Mazars, the Park Plaza Hotel, Nottingham, GL Productions and Temprell

If you would be interested in sponsoring my future events please do get in touch

Please do remember to make use of the various discount vouchers and loyalty cards that were in your goody bags including Veeno and Chino Latino, Connect Space and Temprell Jewellers (You can check out more of their designs on Pinterest) as well as paying a visit to Stephanie and Gemma on the Liz Earle counter in John Lewis, Nottingham . I hope you enjoyed your free cleanse and polish sample (you gentleman can use it too!).

Also I hope you’ve had chance to make use of your gift from me and had a read through the Pomodoro Technique and other uses of your Star Timer.

If you would be interested in a Time Audit and any other help with Time Management let me know

You can read my book on the subject here or download your copy via the sign up on my website

I also offer one off networking strategy sessions if you need some help in that area with how to or where to and you’ll find a free 25 minute video packed with networking tips here

More information on my Business Solutions services are also on my website and for those who don’t know me so well (or think I only organise events) you can read a bit more about me and my business history here and also on LinkedIn.

If there’s anything else I can help you with or anyone I can put you in touch with do drop me a line I’m often called The Connector!

Other ways to keep in touch ~ Join me on LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook

Thanks again for joining me at Deborah Labbate Presents . . .

I think The Reverend Kate Bottley summed up the essence of the day best so I’ll leave the final word to her!

Helping you go further, faster in 2016 ~ are you ready?

More than half way through January already ~ I hope 2016 is off to a spectacular start for you!

I expect you have loads planned for the year to develop your business, your people and hopefully have some time for you too.

I’ll be running my first workshop of the year on January 28^th and this is new for 2016 and something of a revolution!

So, if you want to spend a day developing your vision and getting some clearly planned action steps in place this could by just what you’ve been waiting for.

You can find all the details here and there’s a copy of the event flyer at the end of this post.

If you want to dive straight in and book right now this link will take you to Eventbrite where you can secure your place immediately.

At the end of the afternoon I’ll be hosting a networking drinks reception so you may want to ensure you don’t need to dash off and take advantage of this opportunity to make some new connections.

I’ve been asked several times of late if I plan to set up my own network and I don’t at the moment but I will be putting on a few events during the year.

Watch this space for a March date for the first of those and let me know if you want advance notice or a sneaky peak of what I have planned 🙂

If you want to work on your networking strategy for 2016 my training video is live on my website along with some tips.

Last year due to demand I started to do some one off networking strategy sessions on a 1:1 basis so get in touch if you think this would be helpful to you.

Sticking with networking for a moment I am a big supporter of Unique Connections.

These events are hosted by The Galleries of Justice and help raise funds for their fundraising campaign, ‘Help a Nottinghamshire Child’ (HNC), which aims to keep kids away from crime and out of prison. The next couple of events will be sociable affairs with the first of these being the always popular wine tasting evening on Thursday 4^th February with the great father and son team from Hourlier Wines. Be sure to bring your taste buds with you and leave your car at home! You can book your place here

Following this is the annual fundraising dinner on March 10^th and this year the theme is ‘When Bollywood meets Hollywood’. You can enjoy some live dancing and music from the Bollywood Belles and Campbell Bass and you’ll be in great company as you network with like-minded business people from across Nottinghamshire not to mention enjoying a delicious 4 course meal in the exquisite surroundings of award winning restaurant MemSaab.

You can book for both of these events here and there’s an invitation to the dinner at the end of this post.

Whilst you’re spending a few moments clicking through on the various links you might want to take a moment to vote and add your weight to the petition against the Government’s planned changes on dividends. If you currently pay yourself a dividend it’s worth reading more about this here You can also follow the Survive and Succeed campaign on Twitter and Facebook or go straight here to vote.

Tax changes are just one thing to keep on top of if you’re running your own business and you’ll be busy with so much more! All things finance, marketing, recruitment, managing your team, operational stuff, the list goes on. If there’s anything I can help you with remember I’m only on the end of a phone or email and if I can’t help you I’m sure I will know someone who can from my trusted network. I’ve spent years building this so you don’t have to. I know it can sometimes feel lonely at the top whether you’re the boss or the head of a department. Sometimes it’s good to talk!

I’ve taken a number of clients through my ‘be the Star you are’ signature programme since launching it almost a year ago and will be rolling this out further in the coming months. Meanwhile, I’m looking for just two more clients to take through this programme on the fast track basis so if you want to see how you can go further, faster in 2016 get in touch for a chat and we can decide if the programme is the right fit for you.

I’m offering this at a third off the usual fee until the end of February. More on the programme here

My mantra as you know is ‘helping people go further, faster … ‘ and I would be delighted to see how I can help you do just that (don’t be surprised though ~ sometimes this means slowing down first!)

Let’s make some time to talk ~ there’s no charge for an initial conversation and it could be just what you need!

Wishing you every success in 2016.

Best wishes

Deborah

A gift for you ~ if you’re already beginning to feel like 2016 is flying by read my free eBook for some perspective on time and some tips to help you manage yours

Request your free copy now

More event info …

Click HERE to reserve your workshop place on January 28th

Book HERE for Unique Connections annual fundraising dinner