Getting Kendal’s businesses into print
Friday morning brought one of our busiest meetings in a while, with 22 members in the room and a special guest joining us — Gareth Lloyd, editor of in-Cumbria business magazine.
Gareth gave us ten minutes on the magazine, which relaunched in June with a cleaner design and a good deal more content. It sits within the Newsquest group, alongside titles including the Westmorland Gazette, so a story that lands in in-Cumbria often finds its way into the newspapers too.
What came across most strongly was his appetite for the human side of business. Not just turnover and growth, but the moment a deal got done in a pub, the fork in the road that changed everything, the mistake that taught someone something. New sections since the relaunch include Startup of the Month, a deals and partnerships page, and a column called What I Learned, where business owners write honestly about the decisions that shaped them. He was clear that the South Lakes deserves more coverage than it tends to get — which made a room full of Kendal businesses very happy indeed.
He also made the point that things are tough out there for a lot of firms right now, which is exactly why shouting about the good stuff matters.
The magazine is completely free, delivered to your home or business, and there’s a daily email round-up of Cumbrian business stories too. It’s genuinely worth having — you can sign up for both here: https://www.research.net/r/in-cumbria
Elsewhere in the meeting we passed 11 referrals between us and reported over £3,880 of business generated from referrals made previously — a reminder of what a room full of people who know and trust each other can do.
The Ingroup meets every Friday morning between 8am and 9am in Kendal. We’re 25 local businesses supporting each other with referrals, advice and good company.
