In summary
As we enter the final month of another somewhat testing year for local SMEs, can we thank you again for your loyalty to FSB during our 50th anniversary year? We hope everyone finds some time to relax during the coming weeks and we look forward to supporting you again in 2025. And don’t forget if you want a chat about anything to do with FSB please don’t hesitate to contact us via the links below.
Featured news and events
Another very successful year of local FSB networking
When Covid kicked in, we knew that it was more vital than ever that our local SMEs and self-employed FSB members had the facility to keep in touch with each other and offer mutual support and advice. As a result we introduced online FSB networking for the first time and four years on it remains a very successful way for local SMEs to connect, help each other and create business leads.
By the time we will have hosted our final 2024 online meetings for Bath, Gloucestershire, Bristol and South Gloucestershire (see the ‘Event’ info below) we will have held 20 such meetings with over 600 people attending and we are grateful to all of you who have taken the time and trouble to join us for our hourly Friday morning meetings which take place up to twice a month. In addition to our online meetings we have held six in-person networking get togethers often alongside other partners - in Gloucester, Bristol, South Gloucestershire, the Cotswolds and Cheltenham – with an average attendance of over 30 and these events both online and in-person have all helped to create fantastic connections and build strong local community networks.
We are now busily planning our networking activity for 2025 and we would remind all members that not only can they attend all our local events but by visiting the FSB Events page they can sign up for virtual (or physical) meetings anywhere in the UK so you can sell your wares further afield.
To see the full list of meetings currently in the diary please visit FSB Events and don’t forget to check in regularly.
Gloucestershire, Bristol & Bath Virtual Networking
Our regular online networking meetings for this area continue to attract new people and very good audiences. If you want to join us for our final event of 2024 it is easy to register and free to attend. We are next getting together at 11am on Friday 13 December.
In other news
Tech and digital scheme available for West of England businesses
Businesses in the West of England and North Somerset could be eligible for support to help with new technologies, the exploitation of new markets and the embedding of new skills as part of an excellent scheme to help SMEs grow and develop digitally.
The ‘Tech for Business’ scheme is aimed specifically at supporting businesses in Bristol, South Gloucestershire, Bath and North Somerset with a minimum of three FTEs and £100k+ turnover and has already supported many local businesses to adapt to new digital technologies.
Eligible businesses will receive fully funded support to examine their current situation, a bespoke plan of action to take it further and then dedicated consultancy to develop relevant strategies and delivery plans via group workshops and 1-2-1 expert help.
To find out more if you are in Bristol, South Gloucestershire or Bath visit WoE Page and if you are based in North Somerset please visit North Soms Page.
Gloucestershire Growth Hub officially opens sixth centre
We were delighted to attend the official opening of the Cheltenham Growth Hub at the Hub8 Minster Exchange (MX) in the town centre. This means Gloucestershire now has six fully functioning physical growth hubs where SMEs of all sizes can attend workshops and meetings and gain valuable 1-2-1 support and advice.
The Gloucestershire Growth Hub network (see here) is regarded as among the best in the country and its multi-centre approach means no business in the county has to travel too far to get in-person help and advice on all aspects of running a business. The centres at Gloucester, Cirencester, Stroud, Cheltenham, Tewkesbury and the Forest of Dean all have a different feel and are run in slightly different ways but they all have a shared desire to provide practical assistance to SMEs on their journey and we at FSB are big supporters of their work. All the Gloucestershire hubs also put on a wide variety of free business events and you can see the current calendar at Hub Events.
If you are in the West of England, they also have an excellent Growth Hub for businesses and sole traders in Bath, Bristol and South Gloucestershire and you can read about it here. It offers a variety of support and can provide up to date information on the grants and employment initiatives provided by the West of England Combined Authority which oversees it.
Still in the news
FSB members given chance to quiz Bank of England on economy
In the run up to the 2024 Budget (see our analysis of how the measures announced could affect you at FSB Budget Briefing) we were pleased to host a special roundtable lunch event with the Bank of England where our members shared their concerns about the economy with senior Bank officials.
The meeting in Stonehouse, Gloucestershire took pace when one of the Bank’s Deputy Governors visited Gloucestershire and expressed a desire to meet local business owners to gauge the current mood among them after hearing of a sharp fall in confidence from FSB members and others.
We were able to put together a collection of local business owners from a wide range of sectors who all contributed with ideas and enthusiasm to the session. It was expertly chaired by the Area Lead for Gloucestershire Russell Warner and everyone involved enjoyed the experience.
The Bank told us they appreciated the chance to hear the frank views of attendees with many of the business owners expressing their concerns about local economic (in)activity.
Find time to investigate our business supporting webinars
You may have seen that the FSB host a number of webinars on a variety of subjects and we are aware that not everyone can watch these ‘live’ due to work commitments. That is why we are pleased to remind you that when we do nationwide webinars on key issues we always try to record them so business owners can watch them later at their convenience.
We would therefore encourage you all to check out the free 'FSB On Demand' service where we have a library of some of our recent business supporting webinars for people to be able to listen to in their own time.
We have done them recently on the issues such as the impact of November’s Budget (see Budget Overview), using email to get new business (see Supercharge Email Automation), the impact of recent employment changes (see Employer law updates) and more. We also have regular 'Maximise Your Membership' events to show current (and prospective FSB members) who we are and what we do. You can see a recent one at Membership Benefits.
'FSB On Demand' can be found at Webinars Library.
More news and activity near you
- Cornwall
- Devon
- Dorset
- Somerset and Wiltshire
- More from FSB South West
Get in touch
Your FSB Development Manager for Gloucestershire, Bristol and Bath is Sam Holliday. If you'd like more information about the topics above, or if you have news about this area that you'd like to share, please get in touch.
- email us: [email protected]
- follow us on X: @FSBGlosandWoE
- follow us on Facebook: @FSB.GloucestershireBristolBath
- connect with me on LinkedIn: Sam Holliday