I’m sat typing this at my Mother-in-Law’s dining room table in Redditch. This is the wonder of business today – it’s Half Term, Mrs T had some time off, so I’ve packed the Laptop, my folder and a few bits and we’ve headed up the M5 to Redditch.

We arrived on Tuesday afternoon so in the evening I joined in with #BromsgroveHour on Twitter. I really enjoy getting to know people this way and I made some good connections. Let’s face it, even when I’m back in the place I’ve called home for the last 4 years, I’m only an hour-and-a-half or so from J5 of the M5 so who knows what these connections could lead to?

I made sure to drop into a Motor Trade business near to my Mother-in-Law’s as well. Graham and I have chatted on Twitter so I wanted to check the place out. It also got me out of the house for a bit!

Graham’s place is on a small industrial estate in Redditch. Apart from a brief stint at the branch of national broker in Bromsgrove, my first ‘proper’ insurance job was at a now defunct broker just a stone’s throw away in an area of Redditch called Headless Cross. The 3 Directors there were really supportive guys. All car nuts like me as it happens and they later told me it was the MK1 MX5 I arrived at the interview in that actually got me the job! I worked my way up into the Commercial department and gained my first set of insurance qualifications there.

I think it got me a little nostalgic as I’ve no doubt plenty of the neighbouring businesses were clients of my former employers. I sometimes feel like we do business differently in Somerset but actually I don’t think it’s any different across the land. Certainly, as Graham and I chatted over a coffee and as I left my card behind with Mick, the mechanic who used to fix all the old bangers I’d buy at the local auctions, it struck me that it’s just as much about relationship building up here as it is back in Somerset.

So, if you’re a business in Worcestershire and the surroundings, do remember that I’m a regular visitor with the sort of local knowledge and expertise that can only be gained from growing up in Hartlebury, living in Bromsgrove and Redditch and building an insurance career in Halesowen and Leamington. In fact, wherever you’re reading this, do feel free to give me a call if you’d like insurance advice – I’m always happy to chat.