FAQs

You’re welcome to visit twice – that could be the same hub twice, or two different hubs, but no more than two visits in total. After that, if you want to keep seeing us, we’ll ask you to ‘put a ring on it’ and become a member.

Membership of our Cafe hub is $1881 inc GST, which includes a joining fee and the Fresh Academy program. After the first year, Cafe renewal is $1584 inc GST.  Further information can be found at freshnetworking.com.au/membership-packages.

To see which hubs are looking for your category, search our Business Categories Available listing

No – the position is held by a single member. If you cannot attend a meeting, one of your colleagues can attend in your place however this should be done on a permanent basis.

It depends on your membership category. If you are a Cafe Member, you can visit any other cafe hub. If you’re an Online Member, you can visit any online hub. If you have a Dual Pass membership, then every hub, café or online, is open to you.

The hub you join will depend on: a) where there is a vacancy for your category b) whether you want to join a cafe or Fresh National hub c) if you’re planning on joining a cafe hub, a location that you and your guests can get to for meetings every fortnight.  Note members are required to be a member of their hub for a minimum of 12 months before requesting a transfer out of respect to the hub members who invest time in building relationships with a new member.

You can pay by electronic funds transfer or credit card, whichever is easiest for you (there is a surcharge for credit cards).

To assist with cashflow, you may choose a payment plan option of 3, 4, 5 or 6 months which is paid via direct debit. (Note surcharges between 5-20% apply – more details on the application form).

No – we ask all members to commit for a year as we know in networking it takes between 8-10 months to start establishing relationships (6 months is just not long enough to see any reward for your efforts). Also the hub members are equally putting in the effort to get  to know you therefore we seek this minimum commitment for all parties to benefit.

You can pay by electronic funds transfer or credit card, whichever is easiest for you (there is a surcharge for credit cards).

To assist with cashflow, you may choose a payment plan option of 3, 4, 5 or 6 months which is paid via direct debit. (Note surcharges between 5-20% apply – more details on the application form).

There is no option to pay monthly over the whole year.

As a member, your commitments are:

1. Attend every meeting of your hub, with energy and engagement
2. Bring guests to your hub
3.  Meet with your fellow hub members one to one
4.  Engage in ‘Fresh Activity’ outside of hub meetings and have at least 3 things to report at each meeting. Fresh Activity could be visiting another hub, meeting a fellow member or guest, attending a Fresh event, making an introduction, making a referral, closed business received.
5. Be willing to participate in a leadership role in your hub, your hub success is determined by the contribution of it’s members.

Collaboration is part of our ethos. Fresh offers plenty of opportunities to collaborate with businesses that are your natural referral partners. Within the hubs, we offer you category protection, meaning that you will not have a direct competitor (someone who does exactly the same category as you) within your hub.

We understand that businesses may have crossover of services e.g. accountants may provide bookkeeping and CFO services, they cannot have all 3 categories, therefore they need to choose the area of expertise they would like to focus on and be known for.   This is also the same in the legal and marketing professions, the member is required to choose their primary focus and only promote this at their hub meetings.  A member cannot monopolize an industry otherwise it prevents the hub from growing, ultimately reducing connection opportunities for hub members.

We believe that this is the best approach to foster collaboration without you having to compete for your category within your hub.

If you cannot attend a meeting, you are expected to invite a substitute to take your place. Your substitute delivers your one-minute pitch and represents your business.

You are expected to attend all meetings of your hub. Everyone needs holidays though, and of course sometimes we are unwell, so you do have the flexibility to miss no more than two meetings every six months. Wherever possible, you should arrange a substitute to take your place.

Guests are the lifeblood of Fresh, giving our meetings energy, interest, vitality and business opportunities for your hub mates. So we do ask you to aim for at least one guest a month, with an absolute minimum of eight per year.  An offer of renewal is assessed on this KPI.

If you see a gap that a Fresh hub could fill, the first thing to do is to complete a New Hub Expression of Interest form. We’ll support you with marketing to get interested people along.   We recommend you have a minimum of 8 people to start a hub.

Yes, absolutely. We encourage anything that expands your network and develops your networking skills. Other networking groups are a great source of guests for Fresh too!  Just remember to provide referral opportunities to your fellow Freshies if you are expecting same.

Firstly, you complete an application form. Then the facilitator (or co-facilitator) of the hub you’ve applied to will contact you for a ‘Fresh Audition’. Don’t worry, there’s no singing involved, it’s simply a set of questions about your expectations and experience of networking, what you’ll bring to the hub and how

10 days from date of invoice.

Yes – a full refund is available within the cooling off period less an administration fee of $110 inc GST.  After the cooling off period there are no refunds.

Come prepared with an introduction to your business (you’ll have 30, 45 or 60 seconds depending on the meeting agenda). Listen and engage with the others in the meeting. Be open-minded and fun.

Yes – the venues offer us the room free of charge, on condition that everyone attending buys a breakfast.

We ask all members and guests not to spam anyone in the room. That means not sending out mass unsolicited emails, or adding people to your mailing list. Of course it’s fine to connect on LinkedIn, or to ask someone for their contact details for a follow up meeting.

The hub meet and greeter will be expecting you (from your online registration) and will note that you are there, so that you can be welcomed in the meeting. You’ll be asked to order your breakfast (which comes out once everyone is seated) and the meet an greeter will introduce you to people for informal networking before the formal meeting starts.

The link is sent out the night before, 2 hours and 10 mins before the meeting. So don’t worry if you don’t have it the night before, it will be in your inbox by the morning.

That’s no problem, you can cancel your ticket directly via Eventbrite or if you have enough notice, it is courteous to let the facilitator know that you can’t make it. Don’t forget to book for the following meeting!

There is no fixed time – we have start ups and we have people with long-established businesses. It is more about your network, your attitude to connecting and giving referrals, and the quality and professionalism of the service you offer.

This means that if someone asks ‘Do you know someone who…’, your first thought is to refer a Fresh member. If there’s someone in your hub that fits the bill, great. If not, you can use the Fresh Members’ Directory to find someone in the right category, or you can post a request on the Members Only Facebook page.

Networking isn’t about selling. It’s about building genuine relationships based on trust and liking. If you come to a Fresh meeting determined to deliver a sales pitch, you probably won’t get very far. Our members are most interested in getting to know you.

Once your membership has been approved, full payment is due within 72 hours of your invoice date. You can spread payments over the first 3,4,5 or 6 months of your membership – surcharges apply. (please refer to What are my payment options above)

Business networking is the practice of connecting with like-minded business professionals to grow their network and form trusted relationships for referrals and business support. An example of business networking is when businesses gather to meet through formal or informal groups in their local area on a regular basis, sharing ideas and meeting new people.

Networking grows sales through the engagement of connections that are known and are trusted.

When the business needs to generate referral based sales and nurture potential future customers.

A simple business networking google search will deliver networking events in your local area.

1. Networking groups such as Fresh Networking
2. Online/Social Media Networking such as LinkedIn
3. Trade or professional groups
4. Community clubs

The most important criteria for networking with entrepreneurs is to be genuine and to have a giving mindset.

Business networks are formed by like minded individuals who take the time to get to know each other so they can have a trusted network that refers to and receives referrals.

In most metropolitan areas you can attend a local networking group as a guest where you can meet businesses from your local area by scheduling one to one meetings and or catch ups.

For most small businesses, networking is the cheapest and most effective marketing strategy because you are meeting interested and engaged potential customers or referring parties.

By being an active and giving networker that ‘gives to get’. Being active is about attending and contributing to meetings while a giving mindset builds engagement and trust.

Small businesses network in their local area in organised groups. You can also find local area networking groups on social media that are great to build connections with.

Networking groups are the perfect way to connect with local businesses because everyone is there to do the same thing. Inviting non members as a guest is also a great way to show value for local businesses.

Online business networking is networking using virtual meeting software like Zoom, Teams or Google Meets.

Online businesses need to engage in the real world to form trusted relationships just like any business. With online networking you can connect your online business with referral partners and potential customers in an efficient manner.

Business networking online is now popular since the Covid pandemic due to the lack of travel, cost and the ability to get to more networking events online. Sign up to a group that does online networking and get engaged with social networking sites like LinkedIn that will grow your business and profile significantly.

Simply search on Google and an online business network in your area will display. You can attend as a guest and ask people for recommendations before committing to a group.