By Richard Rosser, CEO, B4

At a recent B4 event at The Yurt at Nicholsons, one of our guests sent me a message afterwards that made me stop and smile.

“Last week I had one of those evenings where you just feel like you’re in the right place. I was invited to the B4 event at The Yurt at Nicholsons. The food was excellent, but the company was even better.”

It was a lovely comment, but it also reinforced something I’ve been reflecting on for some time.

People often talk about the Law of Attraction as if it’s something mystical. I see it rather differently. In business, I believe we attract people who share our values, our outlook and our ambitions. The culture we create determines the community we build.

When B4 launched twenty years ago, networking was often viewed through a very transactional lens. Businesses joined organisations because they hoped to meet customers. Success was measured by the number of business cards collected or sales leads generated.

Thankfully, I think those days are fading.

COVID changed many things, not least how we think about work, leadership and relationships. It reminded us that businesses don’t exist in isolation. They are part of wider communities, with responsibilities that extend beyond profit and into the wellbeing of their people, their customers and the places in which they operate.

I’ve certainly noticed a change in the businesses that are joining B4.

More than ever before, we are attracting organisations that understand the value of collaboration over competition. Leaders who are generous with their knowledge. Businesses that want to contribute as much as they want to receive. People who appreciate that trust takes time to build but becomes an extraordinary asset once it exists.

Of course, members still do business with one another. I’d be surprised if they didn’t.

But what’s interesting is that very few join B4 because they expect immediate commercial returns.

Instead, they join because they want to become part of something bigger.

They want access to different perspectives. They want to learn from others who have faced similar challenges. They want to collaborate on projects that create value for Oxfordshire. They want to support charities, champion young talent, explore new technologies, understand changing markets and spend time with people who make them think differently.

Winning business still happens. In fact, I suspect it happens more naturally than ever before. But it happens as a consequence of trusted relationships, not as the objective of every conversation. That’s a subtle but incredibly important difference.

Over the past few years, we’ve deliberately shaped B4 around this philosophy. Whether through B4 Daily, our Ecosystems, Oxfordshire Business Summit, Corum, NX or Raise, the emphasis is on creating environments where meaningful conversations can happen.

Those conversations often lead to collaborations. Collaborations often become partnerships. Partnerships sometimes become clients.

But none of that happens if trust isn’t established first.

As we celebrate B4’s twentieth anniversary, I’m enormously grateful for the calibre of people who choose to be part of our community. Every new member changes the dynamic slightly, and I’m pleased to say that today’s B4 reflects a growing movement of responsible businesses that understand success isn’t simply measured by turnover.

It’s measured by contribution. By reputation. By relationships.

And by the positive impact we have on those around us.

Perhaps that’s the real Law of Attraction.

Create a community built on generosity, curiosity and trust, and you’ll naturally attract people who value exactly the same things.

For me, that’s a far more powerful formula than networking ever was.