Please follow the link to the best property development funding deal of 2018.

Contact mikes@greatoakcapital.co.uk or call 07874 160944

Many years ago there was a monthly meeting in Manchester where investors met entrepreneurs which was a massive success.

I am reviving this format with Business Angels, Crowd  Funders, Bankers and investors mixing with business owners or intended business owners.

Please come along to the Life Centre, 235 Washway Road (main 56) Sale, M33 4BP on

MONDAY 27 JANUARY 2015 AT 7 PM.

My first guest speaker will be Nick Montague from the Funding Circle who specialises in crowd funding and many bankers and investors will also be there.

The cost is £10 and we want you to join in.

Let me know by email mikes@greatoakcapital.co.uk  or call me on 07874 160944

This is a very interesting article in the Trafford Business Connect magazine featuring a story about Mike and this has led to him giving a talk to the breakfast group on the 8th January 2015 and a big networking event planned at the Lancashire Cricket Club Ethihad Stadium in February. http://www.lccc.co.uk/

Anyone wanting to attend either event use the contact form: http://www.greatoakcapital.co.uk/contact-us/

Click on the link below to read the article;

Seven-secrets-article

I was delighted to chair this open forum with Graham Stringer MP, Graham Brady MP, Baroness Susan Williams, together with journalist and author Alex Brummer.

Lots of interesting questions ranging from immigration issues, the Middle East situation to finance, banking and an elected mayor for Greater Manchester.

The hundred or so guests were enthralled for the entire two hours which concluded with drinks, nibbles and of course networking.

Professional networking event held at Cheshire campus

The 23rd October saw a networking event organised by Manchester Metropolitan University’s Cheshire Campus and Chartered Institute of Marketing’s North Staffordshire and Cheshire branches take place at the campus.

The guest speaker Mike Samuels, managing director of Great Oak Capital Ltd, , gave attendees an inspiring presentation on how to successfully network. Mike stated his aim

Mike Samuels has been self-employed for over thirty years and has relied heavily on networking and maintaining a large contact list to build his success.  Mike showed the members of CIM how successful his networking was by showing the 1,452 contacts in his phone book. Earlier this year Mike had previously spoken to students at the campus about networking.

The inspired audience thought Mike’s presentation was “engaging and very funny” as he took on the persona of Lady Gaga (including a fetching blonde wig) to show how to begin a conversation and use it to grow  business contacts. The audience then took part and  started conversations themselves, with many coming away with a list of new business contacts and a knowledge of how to engage at networking events using the seven secrets.

As a trader in vacant houses Mike Samuels, CEO of Great Oak Capital Limited, was a big success until the buy to let boom made stock very hard to locate and forced Mike into other initiatives. He expanded an overseas education company into Europe and engaged in internet marketing, which he continues to this day.

Following a chance meeting with a university business school lecturer he was offered the chance to deliver a guest seminar and chose to answer the question ‘What are the 7 secrets of successful networking?’

The lecture was delivered to a room full of students at Manchester Metropolitan Universities Crewe campus and his interactive professional, yet light hearted approach, was very well received.

Relating the story that Mike was offered the opportunity to purchase £78 million of residential property being sold by a property development company, Mike, having done his own due diligence found thirteen potential investors from his own contact list each with the £78m required.

As a serial networker and collector of useful contacts Mike went into detail about the importance of building a network and how to maintain contacts. He delivered a clear, concise and interactive message, beginning by discussing the merits of networking.

Personal branding is vital to building a successful long term career he continued, try writing a blog, Tweeting, join Linkedin and complete your profile.  Mike urged the students to have professionally designed business cards and explained the importance of preparing an ‘elevator speech’.

Why and where to network were also discussed and the participants were taken to a mythical networking event where they learned how to prepare both physically and mentally and how to adopt the correct behaviour, including rules on alcohol consumption and meeting and greeting.

They learn how to ‘work the room’ and be interesting to new people by talking about what they are rather than who they are, and then how to follow up their new contacts.

To reinforce their confidence Mike created a scenario of a Lady Gaga obsessed person entering a coffee shop and finding the only available seat was sharing a table with his heroine. The student must open a conversation or lose the opportunity to engage. Mike’s approach led to meaningful interaction to underline the points made in the seminar.

The entire class of about forty students were then encouraged to put into practice what they had learned by networking and finding affinities.

This again proved very successful and the students, many on overseas exchange from countries such as France, Belgium, Latvia and Bangladesh had a great time and enjoyed the interaction.

Mike has been now been invited to talk to, or hold seminars for professional groups, companies and networking organisations nationally and the door has opened to another successful career.