Members on the move
Izaskun Gurruchaga Marketing and Strategy Consultant
By Theresa Mills

“Disastrous.  Catastrophic.  It’s a great time to start a business!”  This is how marketing and strategy consultant Izaskun Gurruchaga views the current state of affairs in Spain.

Izaskun moved to Barcelona 12 years ago after a successful marketing career in the Basque Country.  She spent nine years running successful businesses with a partner, then, after a change in personal circumstances, ventured out on her own.  Izaskun decided to use her experience in large corporations and small companies to help other people set up their own businesses.

“I help ordinary people start small businesses.  Having worked in large companies, I understand how businesses work, but the information can often be complex and confusing for the average person.  I help them understand this advice and teach them how to put it into practice.”

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Despite a snowy start to the day, the February Business Lunch was one of the most successful yet! Nearly 40 people braved the cold weather on the second of February to take part in an afternoon of food, fun and networking at the CentOnze Restaurant in the Le Mérdien Hotel on Las Ramblas.

Speakers included: Maité Freixa of Hammam and Henna ecological hair salon, Birgitte Knaus, portrait painter and artist, Nina Heindrichs from Better Business International, Bea Salas with BCNin and Mayte Bruguera, General Manager of Barcelona Crew.  Speakers donated items for the raffle and a few lucky people walked away with valuable prizes including event tickets, books, a DVD and beauty products for men and women.

The next Business Lunch will take place on Wednesday, 14th March from 13:30-15:30 at the CentOnze restaurant in the Le Mérdien Hotel, La Rambla 111.    http://www.lemeridienbarcelona.com/en/bars-and-restaurant

We are continually working to improve the event and welcome comments and suggestions from our members. Feel free to contact Theresa Mills, Event Coordinator, at mmtc72@hotmail.com if you have questions, suggestions, or if you would like to be a speaker at the next event. We look forward to seeing you in March!

Members on the move
Rohan Hall Founder & CEO Cool Mojito
By Theresa Mills

Social networking web sites started as a way to connect with friends, family and colleagues via the internet.  Yet they’ve rapidly expanded into a global phenomenon that has been responsible for changing the way the world communicates.  Thanks to social networking web sites, people who once had no voice can now be heard, censored information has been shared for the first time in history, the oppressed have used it as a tool to help change government and unknown talents have become famous overnight.

There is, however, one area that remains relatively unexploited.  Social networking as a business tool.  This month, we are interviewing Rohan Hall, a visionary who has grabbed hold of this idea and used it to create a software tool that helps small and medium business owners promote and monetize their businesses utilizing the immense power of social networking.

Originally fromJamaica, Rohan worked in theUnited Statesas a technology consultant.   He worked for companies such as HP, Honda, Oracle and Lockheed, eventually starting his own company rSitez and writing a book Stop Working.  Hall’s successes in the States led him to look abroad for other opportunities and three years ago he moved his family toBarcelonawhere he set to work on his latest endeavor – Cool Mojito.

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The November Business Lunch at Brasserie Flo restaurant was a great success!  We nearly doubled the numbers from the previous month, providing more valuable networking opportunities than ever.

The successful attendance was a direct result of the efforts of members who invited friends and associates from the past and present.

Speakers at this month’s lunch included Stijn Teeuwen from Lucas Fox International Properties, Rebecca Castleton, career coach and founder of Castleton Associates and Christophe Cassan, events organizer and live music promoter.  Cassan’s company, Chispas Music, donated the prize for this month’s drawing, which was won by Penelope Olij-Perez, marketing director for Konnekt Telecommunications.

The December Business Lunch has already been scheduled for Wednesday, 21^st December from 13:30-15:30, so make sure you put it on your calendar!  The Christmas-themed lunch will take place at the Brasserie Flo restaurant, Jonqueres 10, Barcelona. Reservations for the decemeber Lunch may be made at the event page.

As always, we welcome your comments and suggestions.   We look forward to seeing you at the December lunch!

In response to your feedback, we have lowered the price of the November Business Lunch to 30 Euros!

This month’s event will be held on Wednesday, 30^th of November from 13:30 until 15:30 at the Brasserie Flo restaurant in Barcelona.

We are happy to introduce ‘Success Stories’ at the lunch – inspirational speakers who will briefly share their secrets of success.

Also, in an ongoing effort to develop more business contacts for members, we ask that you invite a guest to this month’s lunch.

Please take a moment to register for the event online under the Events section, or contact Corrina Mills at corrina.mills@spectrum-ifa.com or Jonathan Goodman at jonathan.goodman@spectrum-ifa.com.

In order to keep the event running efficiently, we ask that you give 12-hours notice for cancellation.  Please also let us know in advance if you require a vegetarian menu.

We look forward to seeing you at the November Business Lunch!

Members on the move
Rebecca Castleton Founder Castleton Associates
By Theresa Mills

“Never waste a crisis!” says career coach Rebecca Castleton, founder of Castleton Associates.  Rebecca is the first in our series of interviews with inspirational Biz Lunch members.

Rebecca has worked as a successful career coach for over 20 years, with clients based in three countries.  She uses her experience as a career coach, her psychology background and her skills in branding and marketing, to help clients ‘reinvent’ themselves and create their own personal brand.

“People come to me for different reasons,” she says.  “They may have lost their job, are re-entering the job market or are simply looking for a more fulfilling career.  Sometimes people come to me not knowing what they want, but they know they want a change.  Whatever their reason, background or age, I can help them develop a new life plan.  During the coaching process, I conduct assessments to discover their strengths and interests and together we develop strategies to apply these skills in work and life situations.  My clients may not know what they want when they start, but in the end, they find clarity.  When they have clarity, they are able to recognize opportunity.”

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The October Business lunch, held on Wednesday, 26^th October was a great success.  New and returning members came together for an afternoon of networking at the Brasserie Flo restaurant inBarcelona.

Guests were greeted with a welcome cava and canapés, where they spent an hour getting to know one another.  The ‘meet and greet’ was followed by a sit-down lunch in a more intimate setting where members could engage in more in-depth conversations with their peers.

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Feedback is welcomed and encouraged at this stage. Please report any bugs or problems as comments on this post and we’ll do our best to look at them and get back to you. Thanks very much.

Welcome Business Lunchers!

The site is very new and has just launched to a beta group of users. This will allow us to see how real uses interact with the site and we’re looking forward to seeing how the beta launch progresses and how the site is used. At this stage it could be useful to provide a bit of info about the site and what it’s designed to do.

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