Networking experience nationwide The team are networking experts and have considerable experience in the business of growing your businesses! Harvey Lopata was joint founder of Business Referral Exchange (BRE) in the UK. Backed up with comprehensive training for the members, BRE flourished and grew rapidly to over 2000 members in more than 140 groups throughout the UK, in just 7 years. “I was ready for a new challenge and recognised that more and more people were waking up to the power of the internet. I felt that an opportunity existed to develop a referral based social network for local businesses to work together supporting each other, so I exited BRE to start Word of Mouse,” explains Harvey. “In my view Word of Mouse is not in competition with BRE, in fact Word of Mouse and organisations like BRE dovetail together very well. I found that many people who visited the breakfast meetings really appreciated the benefits, but couldn't make the commitment. Word of Mouse is ideal for so many people who are in that situation.” Word of Mouse is a family business and Andy Lopata, Harvey’s son, has worked alongside him at BRE and now also has been instrumental in developing Word of Mouse. Andy is known across the UK as a leading expert on business networking. He is the co-author of two books on the subject, including the Amazon bestseller '...and Death Came Third! The Definitive Guide to Networking and Speaking in Public' and works as a business networking strategist for major corporations. “I’ve moved into the strategic end of networking and Word of Mouse is perfect for anyone who is developing their networking as a part of growing their business. I believe networking should be an integral part of any business plan, it’s a key part of business development. This is true for organisations of all sizes, from one-man bands to the large corporates who are just beginning to see the value of networking to their business growth.” The third member of the Lopata family to head the team is Claire, Harvey’s wife and the administrative level head who ensures that the ideas that Harvey and Andy dream up are able to be put into practice effectively. “I’m the one who tests out whether their ideas work – and, perhaps, suggest modifications when things don’t go as simply as I need them to! As the Word of Mouse network grows and develops I’ll be ensuring that the membership administration runs smoothly.” When the website was being developed words were needed to help to guide people around the facilities and that’s when professional copywriter, Lesley Morrissey, joined the team! As Lesley has considerable experience in management training and also runs the Ecademy.com support and best practice teams (in her spare time) – it made sense for her to become a permanent member of the team. “I know that small businesses often don’t have either the time or the money to get involved in formal training, but are often in need of help. That’s why I believe the Learning Centre will be a real support to Word of Mouse members. We’re planning to put together a range of options which will grow as the website and membership evolve.” Lesley is happy to talk to members who have specific ideas about what they would like to see in the Learning Centre – or have ideas to contribute on podcast or in e-book format.