We have one open meeting every month, except December, where we open our doors to all businesses that would like to enjoy a great breakfast, interesting speakers and grow their connections with lots of networking opportunities.
Our members meet every week and if you ever consider joining us, we do accept guests for breakfast at these meetings too.
Simply select an event below and book in to join us.
Wednesday Business Club Open Networking Meeting 25th June 2025
Derek Hettenbach is an independent renewable energy consultant. He is based in Banbury and has been working as an advisor for 14 years. His experience covers renewable energy installations of various technologies both commercial and domestic. Derek has experience, including funding, in larger projects.
Our open meetings are just that, open to all business categories. In general we have an interesting speaker from the public or private sector and on occasion from a local charity. The event offers plenty of time for networking, both before and after the event and a great breakfast. These meetings are a great place to further improve your network contacts and build on the connectivity between businesses locally. Guests are therefore very welcome to attend whether new to networking or a seasoned pro, we always look forward to meeting you.
Itinerary
Meet and Greet
07:00 - 07:30
Meet up you for an early networking session amongst other business owners.
Guest Speaker & Questions
07:30 - 08:00
Join us to listen to our speaker this month who will be sharing lots of information about their business.
Breakfast
08:00 - 08:30
Join us for a great Littlebury Breakfast to help kick start your day and continue your conversation with like minded businesses.
Referrals and Guest Introductions
08:30 - 08:45
hear from our guests about their businesses and what we can help them with. We will also share referrals amongst the group.
Close
08:45 - 09:55
We generally close around 08:45am but guest are welcome to continue to network after the meeting.
Speakers
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Derek Hettenbach: life as an independent solar consultant
Derek Hattenbach is an independent consultant based in Banbury. He provides tailored solar and renewable solutions to his clients, working with a number of different installation companies and suppliers to fit the systems to the job.
What was your path to becoming an independent consultant?
I started in renewable energy about 13 years ago, at the time the government Feed- In Tariff was being introduced to kickstart an industry that, although up and running, needed support to meet commitments in alignment with international agreements. This carrot and stick approach started the industry that we know today, and I realised that this opportunity could create not only an income, but also a benefit for homeowners.I began training to become a surveyor for solar panel installations, advising homeowners of the benefits and explaining how the financial model would work for them. As a natural progression, I worked not only as a sales representative, but also as a consultant to make sure the customer fully understood all aspects, benefits, pros and cons of a potential installation.
The industry, at that time, began to attract a less than desirable reputation because of the actions of some disreputable companies not providing the correct services to their customers and due to sharp practices of sales staff. I made the decision to only work with a company which had an impeccable reputation for honesty and quality of service.
Unfortunately, because of rapid expansion, that company began to experience problems with maintaining their high standards, as volume meant customer service suffered. Rather than continue working directly with them, I decided to take control of the presentations and offerings to customers, as an independent consultant, to maintain the integrity of the process.
I began to build a network of trusted installers to complete the work my customers required.
I was therefore able to work in the best interests of the homeowner or business owner, able to find the right installation company to do their work, rather than only working on behalf of a single business which may not be the best installation company for that style of solar panel system.
I have been independent for just over six years now and have working arrangements with several installation companies, so I’m able to offer a number of options for consideration, tailored to the individual requirements of the homeowners and commercial property owners alike.
This works to the benefit of each of my clients as there is no bias towards any one company and means there are always several different propositions to consider. I work almost exclusively by recommendation and personal introductions. Referrals are the strongest form of connection in business.
Going
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Jackie Bayley -
Paul Kielman