The Club held its first online event via Zoom, with networking and an informative talk on wellbeing during the Covid-19 emergency from Vice-President Marie Paterson.
The event kicked off with online networking in breakout groups, giving Members and Guests the opportunity for informal chats.
Wellbeing expert Marie gave her online audience some top tips on how to remain focused, productive, healthy and upbeat during this time of uncertainty.
NEXT EVENT: The Club’s next event is May 20: AGM Evening, when Andy Lothian, Chairman of Insights Group, will explain the importance of focusing on your purpose rather than just your plan and the value of a people-centred approach to business.
In the week of International Women’s Day, the annual celebration of the contribution women make to the world, St Andrews Business Club held its third annual Inspiring Women event, this time in conjunction with Fife Women in Business.
As in the past two years it welcomed two more inspiring women who have achieved much to date in their careers and lives.
Rachel Weiss, Partner at Rowan Consultancy, shared her story in St Andrews Business Club’s 3rd annual Inspiring Women event.
Rachel Weiss shared how after studying mathematics at Oxford she began her career asa school teacher before becoming a counsellor and coach, founding Rowan Consultancy in Perth in 1997. It now has a network of counsellors from London to Inverness, together with coaches and trainers throughout Scotland, helping people to live more satisfying lives.
In 2017, she also founded the Menopause Café charity which coordinates pop-up events worldwide, where people gather to drink tea, eat cake and talk about menopause. It also runs the world’s only Menopause Festival – #FlushFest2020 will be held in Perth on May 29 and 30.
Rachel spoke engagingly about her fascinating journey, the setbacks she’s faced and how she’s overcome them.
Rachael Nixon, Owner of Chanix Millinery, shared her career journey in St Andrews Business Club’s 3rd annual Inspiring Women event.
Rachael Jayne Nixon explained how she began her career as a children’s nurse. Her interest in millinery came after she moved back home from a spell living in Saudi Arabia, where she’d bought a large and expensive ‘hatinator’ to attend a race day organised by the British Embassy.
On her flight home, the hatinator was accidentally destroyed by another passenger. As she had several weddings to attend that year, Rachael, who’s been into crafts since childhood, ended up making a replacement herself because she couldn’t find any she liked and matched her outfits.
Her Chanix Millinery business began when she posted a photo of the hatinator on Facebook and got two orders for more! Since then she spent three years teaching herself the traditional millinery skills before studying it formally at Glasgow Clyde College .
She went on to share how in a short time she has become an international award-winning milliner, including first place at the Lincoln International Millinery Competition, Best Hat at a Melbourne Cup event in Australia and Winner of Amazing New Business Innovator in No1 Magazine’s Amazing Women Awards 2020. Rachael spoke movingly of how she’s gained confidence through overcoming barriers.
Thanks to both women for inspiring everyone!
For more photos, go to the Album on our Facebook page.
NEXT EVENT: The Club’s next event is April 22: Business Communications, when Eugene Clarke will help you achieve your goals through effective communication.
Club President Caroline Rochford welcomed everyone to the 70th Birthday dinner-dance held by St Andrews Business Club at The Old Course Hotel.
To celebrate the Club’s 70th birthday a special dinner-dance was held at the Old Course Hotel.
Members past and present and their guests were welcomed by a piper before enjoying a glass of fizz and networking.
A photograph of all the Club Presidents present was taken before everyone took their seats.
Presidents past and present (from left): Frank Quinault (2007-8), Bruce Alexander (1985-6), Ewen Sparks (1999-2000), Caroline Rochford (2019-20), Alan S. Morrison (2018-19), Ronnie Murphy (1991-2) and Stephen Westwood (2010-12).
In her welcome, Club President Caroline Rochford explained the Club began in 1950 when ex-Provost George Bruce took up the idea of David Thomson to have a business club to help local businesses discuss and address issues affecting trade. Thus the first meeting was held on January 24 1950 in the Town Council Chamber.
Although Mr Bruce paid tribute to the part played by women in the business life of St Andrews, women were not initially admitted but it was agreed they might be permitted to attend meetings. Women were, of course, later admitted as members.
Caroline went on to explain that the club’s strength, then and now, is the breadth of its membership, who as individuals are involved in a wide range of business interests, local, national and in some instances global.
As Mr Bruce was keen to ensure younger businessmen were involved in the Club, Caroline said she was sure he would be delighted to learn of the introduction of the new daughter club, St Andrews Business Club Students, created last year by the current marketing communications interns, Sanaa Sachdev and Stanley Parker.
Caroline than through some of the Club’s past meeting places, including McArthurs Café – now The Rule – on South Street, the Scores Hotel and the New Golf Club, before listing some of its most prominent speakers, who include Sir Tom Farmer and Andy Irvine. A message was read out from Glen Pride, who was President in 1967-8, recounting how he was invited to join the Club before becoming its President the following year!
Caroline then thanked the committee members who helped organise the event, the staff of the hotel for their excellent service and to Audrey Clarke for her piping.
After dinner, Past Presidents Frank Quinault, Stephen Westwood and Ewen Sparks talked about times past in the Club before a raffle was held in aid of the Refugee Survival Trust, which Food For Support – a fundraising initiative co-founded by Stanley Parker – supports year-round through donations from special dishes sold at local eateries. It raised £534.
The prizes, mostly kindly donated by member businesses, were:
The Old Course Hotel – Champagne Afternoon Tea for 2
Fairmont St Andrews – Champagne Afternoon Tea for 2 in the Atrium Lounge
Scaramanga – Citylander laptop bag
Fife Cultural Trust – a Theatre gift voucher for one of their venues
West Port Print & Design – A voucher for a pull-up banner or box print from
Luvians – A bottle of wine
The club – A bottle of champagne
Finally, all enjoyed dancing till midnight to renowned band Ceilidhdonia.
For more photos, go to the Album on our Facebook page.
NEXT EVENT: The Club’s next event is March 4: Inspiring Women, when the speakers will be entrepreneurs Rachel Weiss of Rowan Consultancy & Rachael Nixon of Chanix Millinery.
Club President Caroline Rochford chaired the event.
As our climateheats, causing more regular severe weather events and permanent changes to our environment, more businesses are realisingwe need to change our everyday operational practices to make them more environmentally sustainable.
This event heard three highly experienced and environmentally–conscious speakers discuss ways our businesses can have less environmental impact andhow to market your ‘greenness’ and use it to build relationships with stakeholders.
Resource Efficient Scotland Implementation Adviser Fiona Flynn, explained why and how businesses can be environmentally sustainable.
Fiona Flynn, an Implementation Advisor at Resource Efficient Scotland, explained why andhow SMEs can make their business environmentally sustainable and its benefits.
Reseda Muir,Co-founder and Director ofSt Andrews-basedMuir WalkerPrideChartered Architects and Interior Designers (MWP),explained how MWP made its business more environmentally sustainable.
David Stutchfield, Sustainability Manager of the University of St Andrews, talked about what the university has done and how you can market your sustainability goals and commitments.
University of St Andrews Sustainability Manager DavidStutchfieldtalked about its work on sustainability policies, carbon management plans, sustainable resources plans and utilities and waste, how businesses can do the same and market their new ‘green’ credentials.
For more information about this subject, you can visittheir websites at:
St Andrews Business Club will turn 70 years old this month and is looking for help bringing together as many of its past Presidents as possible for the birthday event.
One of the oldest continuously-operating business clubs in Scotland, it turns 70 on January 24 and is holding a celebratory dinner-dance at The Old Course Hotel on Friday February 21. The Committee are appealing for any of its 62 past Presidents to get in touch so they can attend.
Current and past members can book for the dinner-dance, which will feature music by renowned band Ceilidhdonia, via the club website.
Speaking about the club and the event, current President, Caroline Rochford, said: “It’s a massive achievement for such a relatively small networking and business club to have survived this long, but we are justifiably proud of this achievement thanks to the hard work of the hundreds of volunteer Committee members over the decades and the support of our members.
Changes
“When you think back to what running a business back would have been like in 1950, so much has changed – there were no industrial tribunals, very little employment or health and safety legislation and the technology involved in running a business now would have been unimaginable then. Equally, running a business in post-war Britain would have had very different challenges to those we face today.”
Caroline, who took office as only the second woman President in the club’s history in May last year, added: “Our business club has stood the test of time and we are delighted to be celebrating its success and taking this opportunity to thank those who, over the years, have kept the club going. Past presidents who’ve not been in contact with the club in recent years should email the club Secretary via secretary@standrewsbusinessclub.co.uk as we’d like to have as many present as possible.”
St Andrews Business Club is the place in North-East Fife to meet business people, learn business tips, and holds networking events at least monthly between September and June. Past speakers include such names as Sir Tom Farmer, Sir Menzies Campbell MP, Andy Irvine, Former Lord Advocate Lord Mulholland, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland, Lord Ian Duncan and William Dowson, Bank of England Agent for Scotland.
Anyone wanting to learn more about this event, or book should go to the Eventbrite listing.
The beginning of the new year is the perfect time to review your business strategy and what your priorities are.
One such priority for many businesses is becoming more energy efficient and environmentally sustainable.
Our first event of 2020 will enable you to learn how to make your business greener, which will benefit you, your business and the planet.
This will be our first event to be held at Rufflets Hotel while our usual venue, The Old Course Hotel, is undergoing extensive refurbishment of its conference and meeting facilities.
Three Expert Speakers
Three expert speakers will share their knowledge in the event which starts at 5.30pm.
Resource Efficient Scotland Implementation Adviser, Fiona Flynn, will explain why and how SMEs can make their business environmentally sustainable, the benefits of doing so and the impartial expert support available from Resource Efficient Scotland.
Reseda Muir, co-founder and Director of St Andrews-based Muir Walker Pride Chartered Architects and Interior Designers (MWP), will explain how MWP made its business more environmentally sustainable and how you could do the same for your business.
Finally, University of St Andrews Sustainability Manager David Stutchfield will talk about its work on sustainability and how to market your ‘greenness’ and use it to build relationships with stakeholders.
Join Us
If you want to come along and learn about this important business topic for business, as well as network, is asked to book via Eventbrite.
Report by Sanaa Sachdev& Pictures by Stanley Parker
Members enjoyed the Club’s 2019 Festive Social at Fairmont St Andrews.
The five-star resort encapsulates luxury, elegance and truly breathtaking surroundings and prides itself on its array of facilities, including two championship golf courses.
Along with 211 luxury guest rooms, it also offers a unique dining experience at the La Cucina Italian eatery and the recently awarded second AA Rosette – St Andrews Bar and Grill. Its services expand beyond dining with a world class spa facility that includes a swimming pool, sauna, steam room, Jacuzzi and relaxation room.
Club President Caroline Rochford welcomes everyone to the event.Stewart Elder, Fairmont St Andrews Director of Sales, welcomes Club members.
The event was held at the newly-refurbishedZephyrSports Bar and began with a warm welcome and a short presentation by the Hotel’s Director of Sales, Stewart Elder.
Members enjoyed networking over drinks in the Atrium on arrival at Fairmont St Andrews.Members enjoyed networking and festive canapes and drinks in the Zephyr Sports bar at Fairmont St Andrews.Members took part in festive quiz.
It was followed by an evening full of networking, drinks, canapes and a quiz! The Christmas spirit definitely brightened the ambiance, making it one of the many great nights we’ve had with our members.
Thanks to Fairmont St Andrews for kindly hosting this event and becoming a corporate member of the club and to all our members for attending it.
For more photos, go to theAlbumon our Facebook page.
Our first event of the New Year brings this in to focus with three guest speakers: Fiona Flynn of Resource Efficient Scotland, Reseda Muir of Muir Walker Pride and David Stutchfield of University of St Andrews, who will talk about ways in which you can make your business have less environmental impact, an example of how it’s done and how you can market your ‘greenness’ to build relationships with stakeholders.
Sam Forsberg, of ActionCoach Scotland, explained the importance of maintaining some kind of work-life balance as our working lives get busier at the event held by St Andrews Business Club at The Old Course Hotel.
Success in business is no good if you end up sacrificing your health or your relationships with your loved ones.
As our working lives get busier by the year, maintaining some kind of work-life balance gets harder, particularly for the self-employed.
The audience heard from Sam Forsberg, from ActionCoach Scotland, who gave attendees practical advice on organising themselves and looking after their physical health, to help with setting and achieving realistic business goals which allow them to also meet their personal goals.
For more photos, go to the Album on our Facebook page.
NEXT EVENT: The Club’s next event is Dec 11: Festive Social, where members can enjoy a festive social event and tour of the five-star Fairmont St Andrews hotel.
St Andrews Business Club has been named the Best Business Networking Club in Fife by the Content Marketing Academy (CMA).
Earlier this year Nicola Crawford at the CMA evaluated networking clubs in Fife based on criteria including membership cost, type of events, topics discussed, location of events and member attendance. After comparing our club with Fife Chamber, BNI and Fife Networking Group, it rated St Andrews Business Club as the best!
In her blog post setting out her process and the results, Nicola writes: “For consistency, flexibility, price, and opportunities to learn and network, I think St Andrews Business Club is your guy.
“They’ve done a decent job of laying it all out for you and you don’t need to be tied into their membership to attend. Whether you’re an early bird or a night owl, there are options there for you. And suitable when you’re already squeezed for time working hard on your business.” Thanks Nicola!
Speaking about this latest honour for the Club (we were a finalist for Best Marketing Campaign in the 2019 Fife Business Awards), President Caroline Rochford said: “I’m delighted the Club has been chosen as the best place for business networking in Fife. We’ve worked extremely hard over the last three years to create a place that provides SME owners and managers with the knowledge and networking they need to succeed. It’s great to have that recognized in this way.”
CMA founder Chris Marr is no stranger to Club members as he explained content marketing and its importance at our December 2016 event.
Chris explained how, over the years, people have become more comfortable with web purchasing and the importance of using content marketing to gain the trust of people online to drive sales.
Chris’s talk encouraged the Club to provide more explanatory content on its website use our events and social media to keep our members updated about things useful for their business.
Doing that and many other things has helped us grow the Club’s membership to more than 130 members this year – a record as we approach our 70th birthday.
Thanks to all our Committee members, members, speakers and guests for helping us achieve this accolade. We intend to continue working to keep improving!
Club President Caroline Rochford chaired the event with the help of Vice-President, Marie Paterson.
Members, Guests and visitor enjoyed an evening of Structured Networking at the Old Course Hotel, St Andrews.
Each month from September to June, we organise an event where speakers present on useful topics, with networkingbefore and after.
This time, as a result of demand from our Members in our Annual Survey, held a ‘networking-only’ event for Members, guests and visitors.
The evening began with structured networking organised by Vice-President Marie Paterson.
The evening was organised so everyone present could get to know each other better, raise their company profile, gain new contacts and learn from each other. Thanks to our Vice-President, Marie Paterson, for leading the structured networking to fulfil this goal.
Afterwards, everyone got the chance to informally interactover a buffet and refreshments.
Members, Guests and visitors enjoyed an evening of networking at the @Old Course Hotel Golf Resort and Spa.
Diane Helbigsays:“Networking is an investment in your business. It takes time and when done correctly can yield great results for years to come.” We hope this night did that for all present.
For more photos, go to theAlbumon our Facebook page.
NEXT EVENT : The Club’s Next Event is November 13: Work/life balance – success without sacrifice, where the speaker, Sam Forsberg, will give practical advice on organising yourself and looking after your physical health so you can set and achieve realistic business and personal goals.
The Club held its first online event via Zoom, with networking and an informative talk on wellbeing during the Covid-19 emergency from Vice-President Marie Paterson.
