Small business bulletin for Hampshire, Isle of Wight and Dorset

Local News 3 Jan 2025

Local small business news from Nicky Kildunne, your FSB Development Manager. Updates cover Winchester, Southampton, Portsmouth, Basingstoke, Andover, Fareham, Gosport, Havant, Eastleigh, Lyndhurst, Aldershot, Farnborough, Bournemouth, Poole, Weymouth, Ferndown, Dorchester, Wimborne Minster, Bridport, Isle of Wight.

In summary

February is shaping up to be a busy month for getting out.  Join us in person at Southampton Eagle Labs on 12th, Winchester B2B Expo on 13th or the Fareham Expo on 27th where we will also be hosting a lunchtime networking session.  If you’d like to join a virtual networking session, we host meetings at 9am - 10am on the second and fourth Fridays of the month.  Book all via FSB events webpage.

Featured news and events

Southampton Solent Café Connect

Southampton Solent University has teamed up with the Federation of Small Businesses (Hampshire, Dorset and IOW) to offer members the opportunity to book a free, 30 minute Café Connect session with the University. The Café Connect sessions aim to provide small businesses across the region with the opportunity to talk with the University about their current challenges and priorities and explore how the University may be able to collaborate to overcome these.

Maybe you are looking to grow your workforce without taking on extra overheads or you require a creative solution to refresh your brand and develop new content. Maybe you require access to specialist facilities or want to develop a new market concept. Whatever stage or challenge you are at within your business Southampton Solent offers a range of business solutions to support business growth and development.

The sessions are open to businesses that recruit 2 – 250 people and have been established for over a year. To book simply select your time here and log in to Microsoft Teams, with a hot drink, at your chosen time. Café Connect aims to provide an informal, introductory meeting environment, with no formal commitment required at the end of the session. Pop along, tell us about your business and let’s see where we can connect!  

 

 

FSB Talks: Southampton

Wednesday 12 February 2025, 4-6pm, at Network Eagle Lab, Portland Terrace, SO14 7SJ

Join us at Barclays Eagle Lab for an info packed event featuring 3 different speakers plus the opportunity to network with other delegates. 

Book your free delegate place now>

In other news 

Send less business waste to landfill and more to a good cause

A Good Thing is a not-for-profit, volunteer run organisation that makes it easy for businesses to donate unwanted items to local charities, providing businesses with access to nearly 3,000 charities across the UK. 

A Good Thing is free for businesses to make donations of up to 3 small (less than 5m3) items per month, up to a value of £1500.  For larger or high value donations there is a small fee.

According to a recent study, approximately 1.2 million desks and 1.6 million office chairs end up in landfill each year. The study couldn’t count the amount of IT equipment, branded merchandise, surplus products and other items that also go to landfill. 

A Good Thing is a simple-to-use app that makes donating easy. Using the app, you input what you have, where you are, what timeframe you’re working to and whether you have any preferences as to the charities you’d like to support. A Good Thing then does the matchmaking by finding a local charity that has a need for what you’re offering.

 

 

Winchester Business Expo

13th February – 10am to 2pm - Voco Hotel, Winchester

Time is ticking, and the Winchester Business Expo is just days away! Happening on Thursday 13th February, this event is packed with opportunities designed to help your business grow and thrive.

Here’s why you can’t afford to miss this expo:

  • Sales & Marketing Strategies – Learn from industry leaders how to boost your revenue and reach new customers.
  • Business Innovation – Discover the latest trends and innovations that can help you stay ahead of the competition.
  • Networking – Connect with other business owners, entrepreneurs, and professionals from the local community who share your drive for success.

Whether you're looking to expand your business, increase your customer base, or gain fresh insights, the Winchester Business Expo has something for you.

Spots are filling up quickly, so make sure you register for free now and secure your place.

Special Offer at the Winchester Expo for FSB Members

FSB Members get £100 off the price of a Stand when booking a B2B Expo. Contact [email protected] to take advantage of this offer.

 

Still in the news

Thriving Together 2 for Southampton, Portsmouth and Isle of Wight based businesses

25 February 2025 | 10:00am - 3:30pm

Event Location: CETC, Fareham College, 3-5 Meteor Way, Lee-on-the-Solent, Hampshire, PO13 9FU

As a small business Solent Business and Skills Solutions understand that sometimes taking time out of the business is difficult, and although new products, services and training is important sometimes you just don't have the time.

They have come up with a solution.  Thrive Together is a CPD Day designed especially for Small Businesses whether you are just starting or have been established for a while.  The day will cover all of the hot topics for any small business including Marketing, Sales, AI and more and will also be accompanied by a small business exhibition so you can see what new products and services are out there.

All this in one day and free of charge.  To reserve your space register now and choose the workshops that interest you.  You can choose one workshop per session and there are limited spaces on each workshop so be sure to register early to get your first choice. 

Book your free place here>

Fareham Business Expo 2025

Thursday 27 February 2025 - Fareham Leisure Centre, Park Lane, Fareham, PO16 7JU

Get your FREE tickets to Fareham’s biggest networking event.

Fareham Borough Council is pleased to be partnering with Everyone Active once again to deliver the Fareham Business Expo at Fareham Leisure Centre. Following its successful launch in 2023, Fareham Business Expo has now been adopted as the official business-to-business exhibition and networking event of the popular Portsmouth and South Coast Business Week.  

Join the hundreds of attendees at the Fareham Business Expo to ensure you do not miss out on the opportunities that arise when curious, motivated, proactive businesspeople come together. It is free to attend, and you can just turn up on the day, but it is advised that you pre-register on-line to avoid the queues and be entered into a prize draw to WIN a hamper worth over £1000. Click here to register as a visitor! 

 

Fareham Business Expo

 

More news and activity near you 

Get in touch

Nicky Kildunne

Your FSB Development Manager for Hampshire, Dorset and Isle of Wight is Nicky Kildunne. 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. 

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