About Us

Counterpoint Not Working started out in 2007 as the Kent Business Network. It was set up to provide an opportunity for informal networking as a sort of antithesis to the formal networking meetings that we were participating in at the time. We met in a different venue in Shepway each month.

I relaunched the networking group as Counterpoint Networking in 2008. I am Jo Dodds of Counterpoint Matter Ltd. I started my own business in 2005, a local community magazine called The Hythe Handbook. I built that business and expanded it to eight local Handbooks at one point by local business networking. In 2007 I was awarded the Networker of the Year award by the Channel Chamber of Commerce. In 2008 I started working with small business owners to help them to better market their business online using social media including using WordPress to create websites with a blogging capability more closely aligned with social media sites.

In 2009 we moved our meetings to Port Lympne Wild Animal Park and had a wonderful eighteen months ‘meeting’ with, and learning about, the animals as well as local business people!

In 2011 we moved our meetings to the Red Lion in Hythe and moving into 2012 we are rebranding as Counterpoint Not Working providing an opportunity for local business people to meet ‘after hours’ in an informal environment, with an emphasis on us ‘not working’ and socialising together. This partly came about whilst we were meeting at Port Lympe after having to start an extra meeting a month at the Red Lion that we called ‘Networkers Anonymous’, which gave our stalwarts a further opportunity to meet up each month!

We have a strong core of regulars, who come to every meeting that they can manage. We also have many local business owners who pop along when they can.

Our aim is to enjoy ourselves, learn something, make some new contacts and sometimes even to pass referrals!