I initially joined TFI in 2016 to promote Visual Realms, my startup providing 3D virtual tours. However, it quickly became clear that Prominent Media, my software company, was at least as easy to refer, and so I quickly switched to the 'Software Developer' seat. At no point did anybody else providing 3D virtual tours ever request to join, so I got two seats for the price of one!
Best referral
In 2020 Katy Berrill, an ex-member, give me the first of two referrals which have generated a combined £400,000 of revenue over the past five years!
Most memorable moment
In 2018, TFI scooped two SME Business Awards. The awards evening was on a Thursday night, and we'd joked that if we won, we'd stay out until our usual meeting the following morning. In the end only Katy, Helene and I made it (and I have to confess I dozed for a few minutes waiting for the hotel to open the conference room).
Plans for the future
In January 2025 we launched Fintrano, a smart, simple diary app/CRM that helps trades, carers and logistics companies delight their customers with automatic confirmations, reminders and live location tracking. As I often say, Uber didn't disrupt the taxi industry by providing shorter journeys or larger cars; they did it by taking the worry out of the booking. Before you stand on the side of the road, you want to be sure that the taxi is coming to the right place, at the right time, and have some confidence that you are getting into the right car with the right person. Uber understood that, and solved it with technology.
Fintrano does the same, except that instead of getting into a car, you are letting them into your house, so the communication flow is, if anything, even more important.
TFI has been a huge part of our successful launch, with several members using it, first as beta testers, and eventually as customers. The support of this group has been essential; I would not have made it this far without them.