Vacaville Action Network
A Category Specific, Civic-Minded, Networking Group for Business Owners & Entrepreneurs Join a MeetingAbout Us
Why a Networking Group?
Are you hoping to grow your business, start a new business, or expanding your team(s)?
These are perfect examples of when a networking group can benefit you. The purpose of a networking group is for its members to operate as an extension of your business. Over time, the members of a networking group come to act as your marketing team. This happens through:
- Becoming more familiar with each other by regularly attending meetings
- Participating in business discussions
- Supporting charity events
- Learning specific information about your business and what makes you different during member presentations
- Meeting with other members 1:1 to learn more about them and why they are passionate about what they do
Ultimately, people do business with other people and businesses they know, like and trust!
How Can you Attend a Meeting?
Our meetings are held weekly on Thursdays, from 7-8:15am at Journey Downtown in Vacaville, located at 308 Main Street in downtown Vacaville. Please view our meeting schedule, including our non-meeting holiday weeks, on our Join a Meeting page.
We welcome any business owner or entrepreneur as our guest to a meeting. The only exception is the first meeting of every new quarter, which we reserve for our housekeeping meetings, and are for members only.
Meeting other business owners and entrepreneurs is important to us because:
- We learn from others just as they learn from us
- Each guest has the potential to become a new connection for us just as we can for them.
- Guests often become friends of our business, a power-partner, someone we refer business to, or all of the above.
A Typical Meeting Includes:
Sharing
Elevator Speeches
Each member and guest will have 45 seconds to introduce their business, share what makes their business unique, and who a good referral for them is.
Educating
Member Presentations
Every member gives a 10-minute presentation to the group 1-2 times per year. This is the time for you to shine, share in-depth information about your products or services, as well as telling us about any changes to your business.
Giving
Charity Updates
Every week the charity liaison provides the group with a quick update about our current charity. This might include current needs, an upcoming fundraiser, a special event or a status update.
Learning
Business Development Discussion
Each week the presenter from the previous week shares a discussion question with the group. The topic can be something they are trying to incorporate into their business, something they struggle with, something they want to learn about, or something as simple as a request to the group for help coming up with ideas.
Marketing
Referrals & Close of Business
Every meeting includes time to share referrals, say thank you for close of business, and share commitments to the group. Guests are encouraged to give feedback on what they thought of the meeting.
Inspiring
Closing Motivational Quote
“Networking with the right group of business owners is like hiring a staff of sales people for your business without the payroll expense. They all drop your name to the right people at the right time and know exactly what to say when referring you, It is the ultimate win-win for a small business owner”.
Who is Vacaville Action Network?
VAN is a group of civic-minded business owners and entrepreneurs working together to grow our businesses while giving back to the community. We are a category-specific group, meaning there is only one spot for any industry, such as a mortgage lender, roofer, property management company, etc. By limiting each category to one member, we are better able to focus on the business in each industry. This also means members create stronger connections, are more able to discuss and market other members’ businesses, and will be able to share better referrals for one another.
Giving back to our local community is also very important to us. Each quarter the group chooses a local charity to support. We dedicate a minimum of 50% of that quarter’s dues to the chosen charity. We also frequently initiate and help with fundraising events, provide goods and donated items of need, and do our best to increase awareness for our charity.
Percentage of dues donated to charity
- 2022 63%
- 2021 62%
- 2020 100%
- 2019 58%
- 2018 100%
- 2017 50%
Giving Back in Various Ways
We are the right networking group for entrepreneurs who also want to give back to their local community.
Volunteer project in conjunction with Pink Lemonade
Beyond donating funds and supplies, we try to find ways to support our charities in other ways. In the video above, you can see several VAN members working alongside Pink Lemonade as they help tidy the yard of a local family in need.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the costs of joining and dues?
Quarterly fees are $60 and are due the first week of each new quarter:
- The first week of January
- The first week of April
- The first week of July
- The first week of October
There is also a one-time fee of $60 to have your business showcased on the Members page of the website.
Dues can be paid via check, cash, Square, or Venmo.
How does the group choose a charity?
Every quarter each member votes on which charity they would like to support the following quarter. The charity that receives the majority vote is chosen.
What charities are eligible to be chosen?
The charities we vote to support are typically nominated by a member. However, we occasionally work with a charity that has come to us in search of support. A charity must be local to Solano County.
Typically the member who nominates the selected charity becomes the liaison for the charity chosen. However, any other member can be the liaison if needed. The liaison is responsible for:
- Regularly communicating with the charity
- Reporting a quick update about the charity and their needs to VAN members during our weekly meetings
- Managing any special events, fundraising opportunities or supply gathering events
- Providing information to the Secretary & Treasurer for donation purposes
What if I cannot make it every week?
We understand that sometimes there are schedule conflicts and emergencies happen. Each member is allowed up to three absences per quarter and you can send a sub in your place. Ideally a sub is someone who is very comfortable with your business and can speak on your behalf.
We ask that when possible, you notify us if you are unable to attend a meeting. This helps us communicate with guests and other members who may wish to speak with you, as well as helping the member who is presenting know how many materials to bring.
Are there any weeks the group does not meet?
Yes!
We meet approximately 45 weeks out of the year, but we do not meet the following days:
- The Thursday before the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday
- The Thursday before the President’s Day holiday
- The Thursday before the Memorial Day holiday
- The Thursday before the Labor Day holiday
- The week of Independence Day if it falls on a Thursday
- The week of Thanksgiving
- The week of Christmas
- The week of New Year’s
Are there performance-based penalties?
No!
VAN does not believe in deterrent-based motivation. We believe members will excel when they are giving back to the group because they have bonded with other members, because they have had good experiences with member businesses, and because they believe in our mission statement.
As such, we do not impose penalties based on member performance. Instead, we award quarterly member bonuses for outstanding members in certain categories. We encourage growth through camaraderie, making real connections, and providing high levels of customer service to our members and all of their referrals.
We appreciate each member for the ways they contribute, knowing each member gives back in a variety of ways, which include:
- Nominating and being a charity liaison
- Bringing guests to meetings and growing our group
- Referring themselves and their family and friends to members
- Managing and supporting a fundraising event for our charity
- Donating funds or goods to our charity
- Volunteering to be on the Leadership team
- Helping other members in time of need
Why do you meet so early?
We meet at 7am so our meeting can be completed by 8:15, giving most members time to get to their job site or first client by 9am. This allows you to connect with fellow members without missing out on work opportunities.
How often will I get to present to the group?
The frequency of member presentations is based on the number of members in the group. This means most members will present twice each year. Each quarter there are two meetings without a member presentation – during a Housekeeping Meeting and the following week when someone from our current charity presents to the group.
When a new member joins the group the leadership does their best to place them on the presentation schedule within 6 weeks.
What is a Housekeeping meeting?
The first meeting of every new quarter is reserved for a Housekeeping meeting. During this meeting we announce awards for members who have excelled in certain categories as well as various other awards and accomplishments.
This is also a time when every member has the opportunity to bring a discussion to the group. This might be a change in the agenda, a community opportunity, a change in the bylaws or other type of change that the group as a whole would need to vote on and approve before it could be implemented. We find that having these meetings every quarter ensures we stay on track, as well as allowing us adopt any changes needed for the health of the group.