This page is will help you to understand a little more about who and what WBT is. We have tried to answer some questions that will help you understand our role a bit better. However if you have questions that aren’t answered we want you to contact us and ask them. We will always do our best to answer them or find someone who can.
Question:
Who is WBT
Answer:
WBT stands for Wincanton Businesses Together. WBT is a reformation of the old Wincanton Chamber of Commerce.
Question:
What is WBT’s role?
Answer:
Our role is to:
Encourage and promote existing businesses in our community.
Encourage and promote the starting of new businesses in our community.
Alert local businesses to any relevant business networking and training opportunities.
Provide local events where possible and practical.
Build a relationship with other Chambers and Business Associations in the surrounding area.
Listen to our local business community and react where possible to their concerns and needs.
Question:
How is WBT financed?
Answer:
WBT is wholly financed by members’ annual subscriptions, and individual business sponsorship on an event by event basis. As of 2011 membership is on a business basis at an annual rate of £15.
Question:
Are committee members paid a salary?
Answer:
No. All our committee members are volunteers. We have no salaried positions. If we were in a financial position to pay for a full time chairman and secretary life would be a lot different. Much more could be accomplished. Pie in the sky you may say. However if every business in our area became members I estimate that we would have circa 500 members. If each business paid an annual membership of £100 (This seems to be an average membership for Chambers throughout the country) WBT could employ a full time chairman and secretary whose sole purpose would be to work on behalf of our business community every day, every year.
As it is your committee is a small group of unpaid folk who share one thing in common. We care about our business community. It’s an interesting fact that only two committee members actually have a High Street business, one has a home based business, one is retired, and one does this because she wants to help her community.
In my book that is amazing.
Question:
Does WBT have monthly/regular members meetings?
Answer:
No. When I took over as chair of WBT I had several conditions.
I didn’t want to be bound by any standard Chamber rules or conditions. I wanted a fresh start with a blank sheet so that we could let WBT develop naturally.
I didn’t want to charge any membership fee until we could justify it. Hence for the first couple of years membership was free. In that time we established our Christmas Extravaganza, and got involved in various issues. It was then felt that we could justify a small membership fee of £15.
I believed that if we are to organise monthly/regular members meetings/events, they have to be meaningful, and of clear value to our members and the community as a whole. I am not interested in arranging regular meetings that revolve around a few glasses of red and telling each other how wonderful we are. Arranging events is relatively easy. Book a speaker. Book a venue, and write to everyone to let them know. However arranging an event that captures the attention of our business community, causing them to sign up and attend, is a different kettle of fish. I have attended many events where the speaker clearly knew his/her stuff, but the only effect was to send us to sleep. That is not acceptable. WBT will not arrange any event unless we have a reasonable expectation of solid support from our business community and other surrounding areas.
Question:
If you don’t hold members meetings how do you keep the Business Community up to speed?
Answer:
We intend to make best use of our website and e-mail. The majority of you all have access to e-mail and Internet. Being a voluntary organisation with no guaranteed income we need to exercise strict financial controls and get best value for our £’s. That means keeping communication and marketing costs to the absolute minimum. E-mail is wonderful, and to all intents and purposes is free.
Our website has just been set up, and in time will contain all up to date information we feel is important for our Business Community. As we receive information and notifications from all over our County and beyond, we will add this to our website. Where relevant we will include links so that you can open up the appropriate page on each site to find all the information you want.
We intend to have a members’ page that will display our members’ details, including a paragraph about them and a link to their own website. Links to/from members’ websites are good for all concerned and helps us all gain brownie points with search engines.
So please add our website www.wincantonbusiness.co.uk to your favourites and check it regularly. If you make a point of checking our site once a day you will be sure to catch all new items and will be able to react to them without delay.
You will see that our site allows interaction. Where appropriate, pages will allow you to post replies. This helps us to keep up to date with your issues and needs.
Question:
How do you know what needs to be done to help the Business Community?
Answer:
The simple answer is that, unless you tell us, we don’t know. Much as we would like it, we can’t read minds or thoughts. We don’t know if you are having problems or need help if you don’t tell us. We don’t know that you are employed by another business, but that you would love to start your own business. If we did we would be in a much better position to provide help and assistance. For example, albeit that finance is in short supply, I can tell prospective new High Street businesses that it may still be possible to obtain grant funding. Even if no finance is available we can still bring a lot of help and information to the table for existing and prospective new businesses.
New Questions:
If you have other questions we will do our best to answer them for you. Simply e-mail is with your question and we will reply as fast as we can.
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