“How has being a member of BNI helped your business?” I asked Claire Fisher of The Invisible Assistant when we met for a one-to-one recently.

“My BNI chapter is my board meeting,” said Claire. “I am the only director in my company so, while I naturally share quite a lot with my staff, it’s not like I’m talking to them as fellow business owners.

“At BNI, everyone is a business owner, and that means I can share issues, discuss challenges and get real support. For example, I know I can ask the accountant any questions I want, and he will give me great advice.

“I have used the services of many other members, and they have always been great – fantastic work, delivered on time, and an absolute pleasure to work with.”

The Invisible Assistant provides bookkeeping and payroll services to companies all over the UK. “Many businesses think they can do bookkeeping and payroll themselves, but I would ask if that is really the best use of their time. And do they really have the expertise to get it right?

“Calling on the services of a professional bookkeeping and payroll company like The Invisible Assistant means it will be done accurately and on time, and that also means your accountant’s fee will be lower because they will have less work to do.”

Claire can be reached at [email protected] or 0800 999 1581.

If your company would enjoy the sort of networking benefits Claire has described, please get in touch with me – [email protected]. As we only allow one person from any trade or profession to join any given chapter, let me point you in the direction of a group ready to pass referrals to you right now.

By Alyson Roach