Testimonial - Deborah Green

Why I still go
Urbano is an interesting name for a networking group. The word comes from the Latin urbanus - of the city. Cultured. Comfortable in company. It shares a root with urbane - someone who moves easily through rooms full of people. Probably the version of ourselves we imagine we should present when we walk into one of these things.

Before working independently, I spent years in environments where work arrived through structures that already existed. Relationships built over time, a pipeline, a reputation attached to the company before I ever entered the room.

When you leave that behind and build something yourself, you realise how much invisible infrastructure you were leaning on.

I joined Urbano for fairly obvious reasons. More contacts, more introductions, more visibility. What I found was something I hadn't known I was looking for. A room of people who understood. Not because they were sympathetic, but because they were living the same thing - the same irregular rhythm, the same gap between the confidence you project and the reality you manage. Founders, consultants, creatives, lawyers - different businesses, same uncertainty. And something I hadn't expected: genuine curiosity. Not working out what someone can do for you but wanting to know how they got where they are, what they're building, what's hard and what isn't.

You remember things about each other. Someone mentions a difficult client one month and you ask about it the next. Over time familiarity becomes trust, and trust is what things are built on.

Your workshop reminded me that most meaningful work comes sideways. Through introductions. Through people remembering how you made them feel in a room six months earlier. Harder to measure than direct ROI, but probably far more valuable.

That's why I still go.

Once a month I sit in a room with people who know the difference between appearing confident and actually feeling secure. People who are generous with introductions, advice, and sometimes simply reassurance.

That feels increasingly rare.

Deborah Green - Founder, Studio Bright Green