Bonus Episode w/ MOVE Online (Business Networking, with a well-being twist)

Business networking doesn’t need to be pressured. Each member of a networking group is a person and people go through tough times.

The last thing you want is to feel anxiety walking in to a meeting without the required referrals when you whole life is turning upside down.

This is where MOVE Online differs. It’s a business and personal development meeting where the mission is to make better human beings. The number one priority is that everyone on the meeting is okay. The group celebrates together as well as sharing problems with each other.

Joining me are co-founders Andrea Edwards and Mark Waldron. I put them on the spot to answer questions about MOVE Online and each other.

You get a real insight in to why they believe online networking will remain as well as a sense of why the members of MOVE show up each week.

Links:

Making Better Human Beings | MOVE (move-online.co.uk)

Mark Waldron | LinkedIn

🧡🐘Andrea Edwards🐘🧡 | LinkedIn

#moveonline

Voiceover for intro and outro by Jennie Eriksen | LinkedIn

Music granted free of charge very kindly by Music: https://www.purple-planet.com . The track is called Hope and Inspire.

Transcript

Scott Whitney: 0:49

Hello, welcome to this very special bonus edition of The All4Inclusion Pod. Today I am joined by one of our sponsors. When I say one, there's two people here with me today, I will let them introduce themselves and their business because they will be able to describe it a lot better than what I can. But I've got Andrea Edwards and Mark Waldron with me. So thank you very much, guys.

Andrea Edwards: 1:24

Thanks for having us here. Well, I will start my name is Andrea Edwards, and I'm one of the owners of MOVE business along with Mark, Mark, if you want to go through all the elements of move, go for it.

Mark Waldron: 1:39

Can do I suppose , well MOVE was created to help business owners and professionals to deal with the problems and the challenges that we get on a daily basis. And that means physically in ourselves mentally, spiritually, emotionally, in your business, with your business processes, challenges that we have, they're all the things that you need with regards to leadership, and just generally general daily life, all the things that get in the way and cause problems, and we can deal with that, and have a community around us, we're in a better place. So we've got different services, where people can meet in person every weekend from netwalking events, which is network and walking they sort of play on where's their MOVE online, which is what happened when we were in lockdown happened and we couldn't do network and did stuff online. So that's obviously where we've met Scott and your host, one of our MOVE online groups, which is a really good group. And that's where people can come together each week, we can help each other share problems, ask for help. That's another thing. And then we've got a high level networking and business support experience called MOVE Elite mastermind, where we get people but businesses that turnover from between 100,000 pound to 3 million to come together in a group of seven. We've got two groups of stars out there. And that will become an elite community I suppose of high level business owners that need that support and accountability. And we do coaching as well on the side.

Scott Whitney: 3:02

Excellent, excellent. So let's start with Andrea, can you tell us a little bit about about you as a person?

Andrea Edwards: 3:11

Let's get the priorities in here. My favourite colour is orange. I love vodka I love elephants and dogs. I have two sons aged 21 and 25 but only one husband.

Scott Whitney: 3:25

So the priority was orange |Vodka, sons and then husband

Andrea Edwards: 3:34

Yeah, dogs, dogs dogs most probably come before the sons and husbands too.

Scott Whitney: 3:39

Excellent. Excellent. And Mark, do you mind giving yourself a little bit of a an insight into you?

Mark Waldron: 3:47

Yeah, I love going to gym, love keeping fit and healthy love getting outdoors especially loves making myself the best I can be. Because then I'll be the best the way I see it is probably the best in all the different roles of play in life. So just being a business owner, adaptable husband or friend and so on. So I go to the gym daily, go for a walk daily, which is what networking tends to be in network and, and obviously I've got a little son Mark who's nearly 20 months old and the wide Steph we've been married nearly five years or six years now. One of them nearly six years in is pretty sure

Scott Whitney: 4:23

Excellent. If you've got that wrong, you just don't want her to be listening to you.

Mark Waldron: 4:27

Definitely it is definitely

Andrea Edwards: 4:28

You she him counting fingers out

Scott Whitney: 4:33

So what I what I normally do on the on the podcast is I normally come in and I don't know a lot about my guests and I do that purposely but I can't unknow everything that I know about you guys. So with it being All4Inclusion, I've got four questions to ask you which all have four in them. So we'll start with you, Andrea will make it a little bit easier for for you because Mark will have to follow up on on this. So can you use four different words to describe MOVE

Andrea Edwards: 5:24

Fun, Inclusive Integral accountable.

Scott Whitney: 5:37

Excellent. And Mark, you've got four words to use.

Mark Waldron: 5:42

Well, I was gonna say accountable. Can't use that one. Support, Help. So I think one word that means be best, because it's it is about I suppose a bit it was a phrase itself, self actualization. So chances are, you know, know what you want a future and becoming a fourth one for MOVE. Again, it's not a single web problem solving,

Scott Whitney: 6:20

excellent Indeed, indeed. And I've, you know, obviously, with me being in a lot of the meetings, you know, I think it's great because you, you find answers to problems you don't even know you've got. And it just makes you more proactive as a result. So start with you first this time Mark. But actually, this is no advantage to going first in this one. So, four words to describe Andrea.

Mark Waldron: 6:55

Orange, I might just pick the four that she said orange Vodka Dogs But the orange is one of them. Definitely. Because if she didnt wear orange she wouldn't be Angela. But I know loads of stuff to say when something was single word to, you know, figures. Some numbers,

Andrea Edwards: 7:24

analytical, very analytical. Take that one yet.

Mark Waldron: 7:26

Your brain does a word and can't think what it is oh I know vulnerability. So she's strong on advocating vulnerability and showing people you know, to be vulnerable, because it's a superpower. And the last one determined, always knows what she wants. And then we put we both did what we put the plans in place.

Scott Whitney: 7:54

I've just worked out as I can see Andrea with her orange notepad out and orange pen writing away. It's actually an advantage to go second in this one, isn't it? So? So four words to describe mark, then Andrea?

Andrea Edwards: 8:08

Sorry for giggling that I thought oh, I could just write something down here. Focused, supportive, disciplined, and mindset.

Scott Whitney: 8:18

Excellent. So and this one has again? Well, I guess the advantages going second in this one. So, so so sorry, Andrea, on this four achievements from yourself before move?

Andrea Edwards: 8:36

Is this for me or Mark? So who's going first

Scott Whitney: 8:38

You go first? Yeah, four achievements that you've achieved before move.

Andrea Edwards: 8:46

I've been with my husband since I was 17. So to have a life partner, I think is special. So that's one, two is gonna be my kids. I have Elliot who's 25. And Ben is 21 incredible young men now. Gotta give that I was having a meeting with somebody yesterday and actually got this out to show them. This is my President's Award from McDonald's, only 10 people in the world get one each year. And I was one of those people to get that notice the UK flag on there. And the fourth one would be leaving a legacy around businesses that I've worked with and people I've worked with, and employees that I've worked with in a difference in people's lives.

Scott Whitney: 9:36

Excellent. Mark, same question.

Mark Waldron: 9:42

Probably again, similar to Andrea you know my wife Steph, so finding someone and we have good life. And we we sort of make each other better definitely, which is good. Construction company, which I literally stopped doing to go and pursue MOVE. Something construction normally was successful, made me money, and the projects that we worked on, were always really good, but won't you know, they're there forever until a house gets knocked down. But assuming I've been there for many, many years, they those extensions with built in loft conversions and stuff like that all people are enjoying them, which is nice. When I was a member of BNI networking, I was member of the year three years in a row until I left, and I win the award for networker of the year and I'm currently network of the year for dance on business. So I've been at work and have been a bit known as the the main networker in Liverpool on the surrounding area is definitely a good achievements. And I think you'll one is just for me, being a leader, someone, I've just put my money where my mouth is, I don't just tell people to do stuff, or give advice on stuff that I don't do myself. So I'm heavily on social media, showing what I'm up to talking myself in the gym or four in the morning, doing the stuff that I say I'm going to do. And that's a good leadership quality, I think everybody should have so proud to have that as well.

Scott Whitney: 11:13

Excellent. And I'll let you work as a team for for this last one. So four achievements, but since MOVE started,

Andrea Edwards: 11:24

I'll go first meeting a business partner, virtually, and becoming business partners. In the pandemic, it's got to be our number one.

Mark Waldron: 11:38

As in like we've started, we've incorporated the company started with a bank accounts each put money into it made that successful or profitable. And all before we met,

Andrea Edwards: 11:49

We physically hadnt met, we never physically met. I think four months later, we met in person.

Mark Waldron: 11:55

One thing that we've done well, for a fact that is, every time we do a social meetup events, they're always maxed out, they're always fully booked. And everyone always has a really good time there. And obviously, we've got another one on the eighth of September coming up, which will be the biggest and best yet. So that's always a good achievement for MOVE. And obviously, I think another one would be the fact that we've gone from the basic network and concept turned into MOVE Online, and then gone from MOVE Online, spotted that there's something missing, which is MOVE Elite community. So there's no sort of almost a level for every, every business on where they're at with the weather up with their business, whether it's a startup, or even a business idea, or whether they've been trading for five or 10 years.

Andrea Edwards: 12:40

I was just looking, but I haven't got one on my desk. So I'm not going to look any further. Mark and I wrote 52 workbooks in lockdown, which is the backbone of our coaching. So we spent hours upon hours on Zoom. And I mean, hours upon hours. This because we never met. So we wrote these 52 workbooks, which all our one to one clients use, which are incredible, because they give the stepping stones for a new business owner or an existing business owner who's got issues in the business because most business owners are amazing technicians, whether you're the hairdresser, the painter, the web designer, that you're got that your profession, but nobody ever taught you how to run a business. And there's so much different from leadership to marketing to profit and loss and our workbooks, set that out in chunks of information that you can work with alongside your business, because a lot of the times you get huge documents to fill in when you're working with people and trying to run a business and you don't implement anything. So that's one, I would also say that we've got an amazing coaching system that we've set up from scratcg

Scott Whitney: 13:52

Excellent, excellent. So that's the four questions done so you can have a bit of a breathe out. I mean, one of the things I think if I was to go into business with someone, I would definitely be wanting to meet them face to face and obviously the pandemic. Was that scary?

Andrea Edwards: 14:17

I can honestly say, obviously, it's all about people. And as a business coach and advisor, mentor, whatever I get called, I would be telling people to do due diligence and understand that person. But there was such a quick connection. And there's such synergies and the way we thought it was, it was I think we both believe it was meant to be our paths were meant to cross at that time.

Scott Whitney: 14:42

Excellent. Yeah, because I mean, I always think if I'm looking to have someone to support me, as, you know, as business owner with All4Inclusion, I think my accountant, I want to have a good relationship with my accounts, and I don't need to meet them. But I want to have that good relationship with person who does my website. Again, once I have that good relationships, every person that that I'm working with, I want to have a good relationship with.

Andrea Edwards: 15:15

You know what, Mark, and I most probably learn more about each other via zoom because we're in each other's houses every day. And life was happening around because it wasn't like a client call. It was just us working online. And so I got to know Steph online, I got to see Mark as a baby being born to where he is now. In fact, he hears my voice and smiles. Yeah, so there's there's lots of positives that I would never have thought about. because we were intensely talking on Zoom.

Scott Whitney: 15:49

So if, if you've got two people opposite ends of the country, would you would you say, would you encourage them to, to just go for it, if it feels right?

Mark Waldron: 15:59

One hundred percent I think zoom zoom as a, you know, a platform to connect with people, not in person, but you know, nearly in person, you can you can see to the the physically being in a room so that we can see each other that, which is not like the most important thing in the world, it's good for body language and stuff. But you can still see body language on a on a zoom call, there's arguably more stuff, you can pick up on a zoom call than you can in person, environment, a big network event centres, like a bni 30, people around the big U shaped table set out, I'm gonna miss the people on that side of them looking at them. But honestly, if you can see everyone at once, and you can sort of pick up on what things are doing, and people on the phone like this looking down, you know, or the speaking to someone over there, and you'll see something's going on in the room, so you can pick up on so much stuff. And I think one of the key things that I've learned from the move, and the social events we've done as people were members move online for months. And then we said, let's have a nice update a social events. And when people met, it was as if it was not the first time they were physically. But for many, for most people it was, but they knew each other so well. And that shows the power of like, literally verbal and visual on a screen. It's still it's not, it's not going to replace in person, but it's certainly a close second. Because again, the motor relationships are being built, that when you meet someone face to face, and you're like yeah, we know it's gonna, even though it's the first physical ever seems to be,

Andrea Edwards: 17:36

I have to 100% agree, obviously, Mark, and I've been in business now. And it's working really, really well. I've only ever coached face to face. And when we have to go online, I was like, this is going to work. In actual fact, I picked up more about the person's face their mannerisms, because I was focused on just them there was no distractions, whether it was in a coffee shop or restaurant in their office, which is very, very, like a tunnel vision. And I can pick you up and particularly even on move online, I could be writing to people say you're not yourself today that might not have even spoken. But I can pick up on the body language that I I do something called NLP neuro lingual programming that the skin tone and the words they'd use. And actually, in a group of people, as Mark said, on a group of 20 people on screen, I'd be having one to one conversations via the chat and pick it up on things they didn't say or did say. And then would chat to them after that after the meeting. Because you you pick it where people really were. So I've been blown away with how zoom, whatever platform you're using. It can be so intensive you choose it to be if you're the watcher, the listener that you can actually support and be as just if not more helpful to

Scott Whitney: 18:54

On one of our on one of our webinars, we had people. someone who Richard Bevin on, and he spoke and said, sometimes actually zoom or teams can can be a little bit of a levelling of the playing field. So people can look at me now. And they wouldn't know that I'm disabled. Now, if you've got someone who's hard of hearing or deaf, actually, if they're in that U shaped room, or if they're in any sort of meeting room, they find it hard, but like we've done on some of the move meetings, you're able to put on the captions so that makes things a lot easier for for them. So I'm not going to say it's is better for absolutely everyone with

Andrea Edwards: 19:54

and we're not advocating is better either. But it's a good it's a good second or you know, as a hybrid.

Scott Whitney: 20:02

Yeah, but for some people with disabilities, it is better. You know, you haven't got you know, people I guess, who suffer with anxiety haven't got the anxiety of you know, yeah, we're like, yeah, traffic getting to sort of a meeting. So, so for some people it can be, it can be better.

Andrea Edwards: 20:24

Do you know Scott I have a quite a funny story. I am confident and I do have an opinion and I'm very chatty. So people have a visualisation of who I am. And the first time I met a lot of our members was at one of our most socials and I walked in wave to some people I heard them say when who that is the I got my drink when I was the table. And only when I spoke to the girl Oh my god, it's you, Andrea. But you're so small. And for the people that don't know me, I'm only four foot 11. But if you get to know me, by this way, you only see me from here. And you visualise a much taller person. And that's a true story. Yeah. Four people sitting there were absolutely blown away that evidently four foot 11

Scott Whitney: 21:10

Yeah, um, when I first first met you as well, I, I imagined you to be taller as well. But obviously being in a wheelchair, I'm still looking, looking up.

Mark Waldron: 21:23

Maybe not too far, though. I don't think it's too far off, is it? No.

Scott Whitney: 21:28

Yeah, almost the same high, almost the same height. So how do people get involved with with move?

Andrea Edwards: 21:39

I just felt I had done a lot of talking so was gonna let you go then? Well, the first thing would be to hopefully, contact Scott, who is an absolute incredible ambassador for MOVE. So thank you for that Scott. contact myself or mark by LinkedIn. And I don't know after when this goes out, can we have a link for MOVE in there as well? So yeah, we'd love to have anybody on as a guest to come and check us out. And if you'd like us join as a member or or first of all, which some people have done this week, has come on MOVE netwalking, chatted to some of the members liked the people that were with. And then we have some new on this morning, who tried the move online session, and they've already signed up as a member. So there's lots of ways of checking us out.

Scott Whitney: 22:21

Excellent, excellent. And yeah, there will be links in the show notes to to MOVE Online, and to both your LinkedIn profiles, as well. And any other profiles that you want to put in there, as well.

Mark Waldron: 22:36

Another thing is there anyone that's on LinkedIn, or maybe Instagram as well, but certainly LinkedIn, you can literally search for a hashtag,#moveonline. And that will show you all the posts that people because people do shout about it, when they're on a meeting, you say, Bring me today, here's what I got from it, they'll speak about it from their experience. And it can be different for everyone. But if you type in the hashtag, you can just see a load of posts got dating back for the last nearly, you know, two and a half years, and look through the different things that people get from it. So it gives people an idea of what to expect and what they could use it for. Before they even come onto me.

Scott Whitney: 23:09

Excellent, thank you. Mark was very polite, putting your putting your hand up. I wasn't sure if you had something to say or if you needed to go toilet and have a bit of a break. So So yeah, so that's how people can get get involved. And then why should people be getting involved?

Mark Waldron: 23:28

I'd say most of the time, business owners who are either new to business or been in business, 10 years doesn't matter where you are positions daily, you know, on a daily basis, and it can be it can literally be anything, people can be plain sailing, and then all of a sudden, these are just other bigger ship, and I don't have to deal with it. But I'm going to try and deal with it. What we often see is people having this trial and error approach, and they'll get over themselves in certain research on on, you know, using Google and YouTube and stuff and find out information that takes them hours did not sometimes days and even weeks or months in some cases, and you think there's actually a bunch of people, been there and done it who can give give you solid advice, then a lot of the meetings are move online, you come online and you say, how do I how do I use LinkedIn better? Or I've got a leadership issue and two members of staff arguing all the time, what do I do to control that? Or I'm not any CRM system, no processes and systems in place? What's the best place to start? All the different questions get answered by people who've been there and done it. And again, people like myself and Andrea, literally people pay us to coach them in this stuff. And once we move on, I mean, you get all this information for free. And I think the key thing is on, like networking events or something, when you're on a meeting, you're sat there listening to each person sort of, you know, challenge or dilemma or question for that week, and also listen to the responses. So you learn some stuff that you didn't know that you needed to know, because there'll be stuff that you think, Okay, I've never been asked that something I should know. But I've just listened to four or five answers. And I'm equipped with the answers to that potential issue that I could face in the future. And I'm now equipped for it.

Andrea Edwards: 25:08

And also a lot of people give book references. Mark will have one in front of him. And those again, just help you build as the leader, as the business owner, or as the employee, your own business skills. And again, it just hones in and takes away the dilemma of which book I should be reading next. Because people give you the reason why to read that book and what it's done for them.

Mark Waldron: 25:33

Yeah, one last thing I'll throw in as well as it's all centred around business and personal developments but there's there's elements of known again, people who just fed or developed bad day the mindset isn't in the right place, the mental health could be affected. There's lots of different issues happen. And we've got one member whose brother died a couple of months ago, nearly three months ago. She's always having challenges. But she comes on and get support from people, even though it's got nothing to do with business, and not into personal development. It's just how they will cope. And slowly but surely, you can see it getting a little bit better as the as the days go on. So it can be a space just to some issues like you don't want to really put on to your friends and family or your work colleagues or your wife or your husband and so on. So it's a good it's a good space for anything that you need help with.

Scott Whitney: 26:19

Yeah, I guess that's one thing we've we've looked at the kind of business aspect, we haven't really touched upon as much that wellness aspect in and we've had meetings were kind of everyone to know, whether it be whether or something that's going on as come in kind of feeling extra bit of weight on their shoulders, and the meetings more been about wellness. And everyone's gone away just so much. Yeah, so it's so much lighter on their feet. So, so yeah, so that's, that's really good as well. So Mark, kind of put a bit of a spanner in the works in my in my brain, because I did have something that I was going to say, and I can't really remember what it is. But that's what happens sometimes when you have FND. So thank you both for coming on. I might remember what it is and just shout out randomly as you're both leaving zoom to come back. And I might say it, but I probably won't. But no thank you both for for coming on. It's been absolutely excellent. having you on. Thank you very much for supporting All4Inclusion. But as I always do, if you both got one last thing to leave with people that have been listening today,

Andrea Edwards: 27:43

I most definitely have. I have been a business owner for 14 years employed 120 staff at one point multi million pound turnover, lots of fingers and lots of pies. I left school being told I'd make a lovely wife, but I was determined I was I had the ability to do better. And the difference was I had dyslexia. But when I was at school, it wasn't really discussed. I'm a true believer, if you work hard, you have a vision you mix with the correct people, then you can do whatever you need to do whatever your desire is, you can do it. So don't let other people stop you because society doesn't believe you're gonna make it in the world.

Mark Waldron: 28:29

Good one mine would be I suppose we've actually said some refer referenced this earlier on on our MOVE Online meeting this morning. Wednesday morning, recording this now. And it was about if you're in business or you're a professional, because you've got it, you know, you're in your money in some way. If you want to be doing the best he can, you've got to be the best in yourself. Then treat yourself well physically workout, go for a walk. Look at what you're putting in your body, you know, water, the right type of nutrition. And, you know, treat yourself well off after yourself because I'm not sure you know, good in yourself. You cannot be the best business owner, professional mom, dad, husband, you know, anything that you want to be out there, you can't be that unless you're looking after yourself. And sometimes a lot of time takes discipline, which is obviously something I'm a massive into. So go to the gym everyday eat well, drink your water, sleep, and the rest will take care of itself.

Scott Whitney: 29:27

Excellent, thank you. And you've redeemed yourself Mark, although for the spanner in my head a minute ago, I remembered what I was gonna say when I was when I was listening to you say so I've worked for for a couple of large organisations. And when you want to get something done, you bring in experts. So you bring in someone from the IT department, someone from Sale's, customer service, HR, and you have everyone around the table. And when you're, when you're on your own when you're when you're in a small business, you cannot do that. But that's what MOVE is like for, for me with with different kinds of people around you know, in that meeting each week, it's almost like having one of those big meetings where you've pulled people in from from different departments who are all willing to work to go the extra mile to support you. So I managed to get that in.

Andrea Edwards: 30:30

I like that, I like that

Mark Waldron: 30:35

It's literally like a board of directors. That's what it is. But all the minds in one place. Or you know, say where do we need to go? What do we need to do? Anyone know something that I don't know that you Get ideas and you can get the big corporations, you've got that sort of that in their in their company and setup but the small business owner does the one man band or the person with five members of staff. So I think a move definitely is is one of the elements of move is exactly.

Scott Whitney: 31:03

Excellent. Excellent. So yeah, so thank you, everybody for listening. I'm sure you've enjoyed it. If you've recognised Andrea's voice, but not recognised who she is, she was on our very first webinar. So that may be why you can recognise her voice. But yes, thank you all very much for listening. Our podcasts will be going out on Wednesdays back to normal after this. But yeah, thank you very much. And thank you, Mark. And thank you, Andrea,

Andrea Edwards: 31:38

as always, thank you, Scott. incredible human being, as I said earlier,

Mark Waldron: 31:42

so thanks to Scott