E-factor’s Club, the Business Hive and fellow Grimsby-based business, Sourcefour, are positively buzzing to announce the launch of the new Business Hive website. Far from just a website refresh, this launch brings a revolutionary tool to the table to further support North and North East Lincolnshire’s business community – Business Hive Connect.
A game-changing online platform, designed exclusively for Business Hive Club members, Business Hive Connect has been created to enhance members’ experience, allowing them to connect, collaborate, and expand their networks – all with a tap of a finger.
The new website, developed by Sourcefour, aims to strengthen the local Business Hive member community – building on the incredible foundations Mark Webb, Managing Director at E-Factor Group and his teams, have been building for the last 13 years. A social media-style online channel, Business Hive Connect promises to empower professionals to grow their networks and businesses and make even more meaningful connections to progress the region’s flourishing SME community.
Mark Webb, Managing Director at E-Factor Group, said: “With around 300 members, Business Hive has always been proud to support the business community. The Hive has always been a space dedicated to helping local business owners learn new skills, absorb expert insights from top speakers, and collaborate with each other. On top of that it has always been a place where businesses can find and receive trusted referrals – with every member knowing they are working with like-minded, dedicated, professional individuals across the board.
“With this new website and Business Hive Connect feature, we wanted to deliver a tool that will further support and progress our members with their goals, and hopefully broaden our business community even further – there has literally never been a better time to become a member!
“Having approached Rob at Sourcefour with some ideas, his team got to the bottom of what we were looking for and just ran with it. Little did I know what Rob and the team were beavering away with! Far removed from the ‘brochure’ style of the old website, Sourcefour has transformed the online offering of Business Hive into a platform that will truly serve its community, championing collaboration. Our local business economy is still a hugely undervalued resource, so to be able to not only continue to support and promote it but pave the way for its future growth by launching Business Hive Connect is a big moment, for all of us.”
The new website, developed by Sourcefour, based in Grimsby and leading the way in building online platforms for membership clubs and communities, will give the Business Hive a new public-facing look, while Business Hive Connect promises to be a real challenger to B2B social platforms.
Once logged into their custom dashboard, members can access features like editable member profiles, business profiles, friends and followers, posts, direct messaging, mentions, notifications, groups, job listings, events, member offers, and resources.
With Business Hive Connect, members can upload profile and business photos and information, view and interact with other members’ profiles, share updates and media, send private messages, tag each other in posts, configure notifications, join groups, view job openings, book Hive events, access member-exclusive offers, and utilise Hive resources.
“We simply asked, ‘How can we make the website into a tool for the community?’ And this is where we landed! We created Business Hive and Business Hive Connect as a way for our members to maximise their club experience,” added Rob Pritchard, Managing Director at Sourcefour. “By providing this exclusive online platform, Business Hive members can now seamlessly network, communicate, and share opportunities with fellow professionals.”
Shaped by feedback from long-standing Business Hive members, Business Hive Connect is a channel created by SMEs for SMEs. A platform for a community that shares geography, by connecting and collaborating via Business Hive Connect members can expect to find authentic businesses, that understand each other’s challenges and want to celebrate each other’s successes.
Even those who currently aren’t members will be able to benefit from the new Business Hive website via its new online HIVE Directory. With only Hive members listed, this public-facing directory comprises trusted, quality, local businesses, detailing the services/products they offer, in one place.
A further benefit for members is the added transparency surrounding Business Hive’s service, Shield. Delivered in partnership with Hive Patron, Stallard Kane, Shield has been designed to make HR and employment law accessible for every business, through Shield, Business Hive members can access HR and personnel experts, templated documentation, and a manned HR phoneline, as well as in-person advisor sessions every month, whether they are employing their first team members or their 25th.