In summary
As we wave goodbye to January, plans are well advanced for a number of Expos, events and stakeholder engagement for the remainder of 2025 which will provide excellent opportunities for our members to network and pick up essential advice on a range of business issues. Please do keep an eye on our events page on our website and also our social media platforms (links below). As always, feel free to get in touch directly if you have anything you’d like to discuss.
Featured news and events
FSB Needs You!
We are currently seeking nominations from FSB members in West Midlands to become our new, regional Chair with effect from 1st April 2025. Working alongside staff the regional Chair promotes and champions FSB to external stakeholders and audiences, supports our lobbying on issues important to local businesses and supports activity and membership growth within the region. To find out more, request a copy of the full role description, please contact [email protected] before Thursday 13 February. Selection will take place between 14 February and 28 February.
FSB Featured Event:
Fancy a Cuppa?
We know the West Midlands is a great place to do business, so we are delighted to bring you this in-person networking event, in partnership with HSBC. Come and join us to meet other small business owners and grow your business.
It will be a relaxed event with an emphasis on making introductions, connecting with new contacts and meeting old friends. Whether you are a regular networker or new to these types of events, you will find a warm welcome and a nice easy atmosphere for making those valuable introductions.
HSBC will be sharing their ‘Strengthen your Business: A Financial Resilience Toolkit’, so it’ll be well worth popping along to access this valuable resource.
The event will take place on Wednesday 12 February 2025, 9.30 – 11.00 a.m. at HSBC UK, 1 Centenary Square, Birmingham B1 1HQ.
In other news
Your Opportunity to Collaborate, Learn and Network
The very first West Midlands Business Festival (WMBF) 2025 will run from 3–14 March and is shaping up to be one of the largest B2B events in the UK, offering an unparalleled platform for businesses to access funding opportunities, financial advice, skills development resources, sustainability guidance and cutting-edge business innovation insights.
Organised by Business Growth West Midlands (BGWM), the festival will be one of the region's biggest and most influential annual business-to-business events.
It will offer valuable opportunities for SMEs to connect with potential partners, experts, and investors as well as the chance to unite behind the Mayor’s plan to grow the economy and make the West Midlands the best place to do business.
Conferences, workshops, networking activities, exhibitions, dinners, product launches, and showcases will be held right across the region over the two-week period. This is more than just a festival, it’s a catalyst for lasting connections and collaboration. As a springboard for future growth, WMBF helps businesses create partnerships and strategies that drive progress long after the festival ends.
A list of events, which is being added to all the time so keep popping back, can be found here.
Staffordshire - Get Started and Grow - Custom growth plans made with care for your small business
There’s never been a better time to start up and scale up your business than right here and right now in Staffordshire. Partially funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF). Get Started and Grow offers all business in Staffordshire (up to five years old) the help they need to start up or scale up.
Choose from fully-funded:
- Accountancy, financial planning and cash flow support
- Free HR advice and support
- Free legal advice
- Website development
- Branding and logo design
- Free social media and digital marketing consultancy and support – depending on your business’ needs.
There’s no catch. Working with local experts, you’ll be supported with a fully-funded back office support package that are as unique as you and your business. There are no "off-the-shelf" packages here.
The scheme supports businesses that:
- are based in Staffordshire. Unfortunately, they cannot support businesses in Stoke on Trent at this time.
- are up to five years old
- are willing to undertake a short business start-up guidance course, such as the Start-up Programme, run by the NextGen, offering a wide range of start-up support and mentoring. These short and free courses are a great way to network with other local businesses as well as get a great grounding to start your business.
Find out more here.
Still in the news
Put your Small Business through it’s Paces
After a successful round of FSB Business Bootcamps throughout 2024, we continue to work on our Midlands programme for 2025! Next off the block will be our well-established Business Bootcamp at Coombe Abbey in Coventry on 24 March aimed at ‘Igniting your Business for 2025'.
We are now also taking bookings for our Staffordshire and West Midlands Business Bootcamp which will, again this year, be held at the beautiful Keele Hall in Staffordshire on Thursday 26 June 2025. The theme of this year’s event will be ‘Stratagise for Success – from Theory to Reality’ and promises to be as informative and enjoyable as our 2024 event!
All our Bootcamps offer an excellent opportunity to network, hear from an expert panel of speakers on a range of subjects and pick up great advice and tips which you can implement in your business to help drive your success.
Book your place(s) now to avoid disappointment! Further information on the rest of the programme of Bootcamps will be coming soon, so keep an eye out.
Great Women in Business Meet up - 7 March 2025
This event will see four great communities coming together to celebrate International Women’s Day. Join the Great Women in Business meet up on Friday 7 March 2025 at the National Conference Centre, Solihull to meet fabulous women who will empower and inspire you. This extraordinary event will help you connect with every person in the room. Instead of the standard 60-second pitch, you will lean to build relationships that grow a supportive, nurturing community. Throughout the day you will get the opportunity to hear from and meet the four inspiring women behind the Great Women in Business Meetup.
More news and activity near you
Get in touch
Your FSB Development Manager for Staffordshire and West Midlands is Karen Woolley. 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: @FSBStaffsWMids
- follow us on Facebook: @FSB.BhamBlackCountryStaffs
- connect with me on LinkedIn: Karen Woolley