Level up your business: Upcoming events to inspire and empower

Published 8 December 2025

Events and awards

Surrey businesses – we’ve got an exciting line-up of fully funded events designed to help you grow, innovate, and stay ahead. From practical Net Zero guidance to marketing strategies and start-up support, these sessions are packed with value and completely free to attend because we are fully funding them for you.

Start your Net Zero journey

Decarbonisation is a strategic priority for UK businesses – and SMEs are part of the supply chain. This practical session will help you take the first steps toward reducing emissions.

11 December 2025 | Time: 2:00 pm – 2:45 pm | online | fully funded

You’ll learn to:

Calculate your carbon footprint
Create an action plan to cut emissions
Draft a credible carbon reduction policy

Hear from our expert, Shelley Lawson who brings practical advice borne of tangible experience. Shelley has helped businesses deliver carbon reductions whilst tackling their biggest issues, and strengthening the bottom line.

Start-up overview

Kickstart your self-employment journey with our interactive Start-Up Overview workshop.
In just one hour, you’ll gain valuable insights into the realities of working for yourself, assess your personal and business readiness, and leave empowered to decide if self-employment is right for you.

18 December | 11:00 am – 12:00 pm | online | fully funded

Become a go-to supplier for the public sector

Want to align with local authority programmes to thrive and grow? Learn more about the public sector supply chain and discover how to unlock local opportunities in facilities management.

Date: 20 January 2026
Time: 8:30 am – 12:00 pm
Location: Woodhatch Place, Reigate | fully funded | free parking

Why attend?

Hear from Macro Group, Surrey County Council’s facilities management delivery partner
Explore funding and support
Network with peers and partners

Find out more about working with the public sector by registering here

Future events 2026

The Marketing Lab series

Boost your marketing skills with our series of fully funded online workshops. Together they form a series, but there’s no obligation to attend all three; just choose the subjects that are most relevant to your own business. Or come along to all three and really reap the benefits!

1. Communicate with confidence

22 January 2026 | 11:30 am – 12:00 pm | online

Learn how to define and express your brand with clarity and impact.

There’s no limit to the number of attendees, just be sure to register early!

2. Build Your digital growth engine

12 February 2026 | 11:30 am – 12:00 pm | online

Explore smart digital strategies to expand reach and engagement.

There’s no limit on the number of attendees, just be sure to just be sure to register early!

3. Build, automate & accelerate

5 March 2026 | 11:30 am – 12:00 pm | online

Discover CRM tools, workflow design, and automation for sustainable growth.

There’s no limit on the number of attendees, just be sure to register early!

Hear from Dan Chidley, our trusted coach helping people, organisations, communities and good causes through coaching, mentoring, personal and professional development. Accredited Member of the Association for Coaching. Director level marketing and communications professional with 20 years’ experience: in-house, agency and consultancy. Chartered Marketer and Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing.

More fully funded sessions coming soon – check our events page for details, and follow us on LinkedIn to keep up to date.

All events are fully funded for Surrey businesses and delivered by Business Surrey, a Surrey County Council service offering expert advice to help Surrey businesses thrive. Find the right event for you here
Need tailored support? Contact us via the Business Support form
Want the latest updates? Sign up for our newsletter

Upcoming Business Surrey events: learn, connect, grow

Published 18 November 2025

Events and awards

Business Surrey is here to help local businesses thrive with fully funded webinars, workshops, and networking opportunities. Whether you’re starting out, scaling up, or looking to future-proof your business, these events are designed for you.

Meet Trading Standards: Stay compliant and confident

Running a business means navigating complex regulations. Join our expert-led webinar to understand the role of Trading Standards and how to avoid common compliance pitfalls.

Date: 2 December 2025 Time: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm Online | Fully funded

Highlights:

Key legislation every business should know
Introduction to the EASY 123 scheme
Live Q&A with Trading Standards expert Phil LeShirley

Who should attend? Business owners, managers, and anyone responsible for compliance or product safety.

Start-up Surrey online workshop – Funding options

Join us for a hands-on workshop designed to help growing businesses navigate the funding landscape.

Discover the full range of funding options available to early-stage and scaling businesses, with a special focus on grants and private equity.

Our expert speaker, Mark Taylor from Grant Hero, brings extensive experience in securing innovation funding, including successful bids with Innovate UK. Mark has helped more than 20 businesses access grants and accelerate growth.

In this session, we’ll cover:

How different funding routes work
What funders are looking for
How to choose the right approach for your stage and ambitions

You’ll also gain practical insights into crafting a compelling fundraising narrative, so you leave with a clear understanding of the funding landscape and the confidence to take your next steps.

Start your Net Zero journey

Decarbonisation is a strategic priority for UK businesses – and SMEs are part of the supply chain. This practical session will help you take the first steps toward reducing emissions.

Date: 11 December 2025 Time: 2:00 pm – 2:45 pm Online | Fully funded

You’ll learn to:

Calculate your carbon footprint
Create an action plan to cut emissions
Draft a credible carbon reduction policy

Start-up overview

17 December | 11:00 am – 12:00 pm | Online

Become a go-to supplier for the public sector

Want to align with local authority programmes to thrive and grow? Learn more about the public sector supply chain and discover how to unlock local opportunities in facilities management.

Date: 20 January 2026
Time: 8:30 am – 12:00 pm
Location: Woodhatch Place, Reigate | Fully funded | Free parking

Why attend?

Hear from Macro Group, SCC’s FM delivery partner
Explore funding and support
Network with peers and partners

Future events 2026

The Marketing Lab series

Boost your marketing skills with our fully funded online workshops:

1. Communicate with confidence

22 January 2026 | 11:30 am – 12:00 pm

Learn how to define and express your brand with clarity and impact.

2. Build Your digital growth engine

12 February 2026 | 11:30 am – 12:00 pm

Explore smart digital strategies to expand reach and engagement.

3. Build, automate & accelerate

5 March 2026 | 11:30 am – 12:00 pm

Discover CRM tools, workflow design, and automation for sustainable growth.

More fully funded sessions coming soon – check our events page for details, and follow us on LinkedIn to keep up to date.

All events are fully funded for Surrey businesses and delivered by Business Surrey, a Surrey County Council service offering expert advice to help Surrey businesses thrive. Find the right event for you here.
Need tailored support? Contact us via the Business Support form
Want the latest updates? Sign up for our newsletter

The Event Edit

Published 14 October 2025

Events and awards

Business Surrey is excited to bring you a vibrant line-up of fully funded events this season – all designed to help your business thrive.

Whether you’re looking to boost your sales strategy, enhance team wellbeing, or stay on top of compliance, our events offer expert-led insights and practical support to help you succeed.

Workforce Wellbeing: Ensuring your team are fit for life and work

Support staff wellbeing to boost your business.

Reduce absenteeism and increase productivity with healthier, more energised employees
Attract and retain top talent by prioritising workplace wellbeing
Improve morale and engagement through visible investment in staff welfare

Join our expert panel to explore practical tools and frameworks, including:

How Are You? – a wellbeing framework for your organisation
Workplace Travel Plan – step-by-step guidance to promote sustainable commuting
WorkWell – fully funded one-to-one coaching for Surrey-based staff to help them thrive

Date 21 October 2025 | 12:00pm-1:00pm Online | Fully funded

Register here

Accelerate your growth & win more customers

Join us for a high-impact, in-person workshop led by business growth expert Roya Croudace.

You’ll learn how to:

Understand your market and customer needs
Craft a compelling value proposition
Build customer loyalty
Master closing techniques and negotiation
Ideal for Surrey-based SMEs looking to scale up and sharpen their sales approach.

Royal Holloway, University of London | Thursday 26 November 2025 | 9:30am – 12:00pm | In person | Fully funded

Register here

Meet Trading Standards: business surgery

Following strong demand, our Trading Standards team is back for another interactive Q&A session. This isn’t a webinar – it’s a chance to speak directly with experts, ask questions, and get tailored advice on compliance, product safety, and more.

Hosted by Phil from Surrey Trading Standards and the Business Surrey team.

Tuesday 2nd December 2025 | 12:00pm-1:00pm Online (Interactive Format) | Fully funded

Register here

Start-Up Overview

Kickstart your self-employment journey with our interactive Start-Up Overview workshop.

In just one hour, you’ll gain valuable insights into the realities of working for yourself, assess your personal and business readiness, and leave empowered to decide if self-employment is right for you.

This virtual session is offered regularly by the expert team at IncuHive. The course is fully-funded by UK Government as part of Growth Hub funding to Surrey County Council.

Wednesday 22nd October 2025 | 11:00pm-12:00pm Online (Interactive Format) | Fully funded Register here

Wednesday 19th November 2025 | 11:00pm-12:00pm Online (Interactive Format) | Fully funded Register here

Stay Connected

All events are part of Business Surrey’s mission to help local businesses thrive. Find the right event for you here.
Need tailored support? Contact us via the Business Support form
Want the latest updates? Sign up for our newsletter

People looking interested while meeting other business people at an event. Business Surrey events.

How to start a business on a budget

Published 6 August 2025

Advice and support, Thought leadership

Starting a new business can be exciting and rewarding. However, if not properly planned and budgeted for in advance, it can also be a drain on your finances. This is especially the case if you are self-funding the business from savings or a small business loan (known as bootstrapping) instead of securing funding from venture capitalists or other investors.

If you are bootstrapping your business, here are 3 practical tips on how to start a business on a budget.

1. Work out your needs and reduce unnecessary costs

Assuming you’ve already carefully planned and researched your business idea to ensure it is viable and that there is a market for it, the next thing you’ll need to do is assess what you’ll need to actually set it up and run it.

In addition to business tools, equipment, and initial set-up costs, such as regulatory or licensing fees, you’ll also need to know your ongoing overheads, such as material costs, cost of premises (if applicable), inventory, salaries, admin, etc.

In short, you need to know how much you need to generate a profit by taking into account all the costs and expenses you’ll incur running your business.

It’s important during the start-up phase that your business budget is spent wisely.

It may be tempting to spend money on nice-to-haves, but at this stage, you should only buy what you absolutely need. If you need to purchase business tools and equipment, you could consider re-loved or refurbished equipment. Not only will it save you money, but it is a sustainable business option that can go toward your net zero goal.

Also, consider working from home at the start-up phase to lower overheads if you can.

Now is also a good time to be strict with your outgoings and reduce unnecessary expenditures such as pricey subscriptions to services or apps you no longer use.

2. Adopt a low-cost marketing strategy

You’ll need to market your business so people know you exist.

Marketing can take up a huge chunk of a business’s budget, but there are low-cost and free marketing strategies you can use to make your business visible. For an in-depth framework to help you build your own tailored marketing strategy, check out our free Marketing Toolkit.

Online – social media and website

Building a social media presence is low-cost and effective. You can also do this organically instead of using paid advertisements. Research which platforms your ideal clients are using, and start with the one they use the most.

You can then post content to promote your business and also attract your ideal customers with content that interests them and is relevant and helpful.

If you have an SEO-optimised website, you can use it to market your business effectively. Your website doesn’t need to be complicated or expensive, either. There are low-cost and even free options available. If your website isn’t SEO-optimised, do some research into how to optimise it yourself. There are lots of free online resources available from reputable sources like Hubspot to help you do this without having to pay an expert to do it for you.

In addition to showcasing testimonials, products and services on your website, you can start a blog and develop a content marketing strategy to increase website visitors. For example, you can share your helpful SEO-optimised blog content on your social media channels to drive traffic to your website.

Print and out of home

Another low-cost marketing option that may be suitable for your business, is to create and print leaflets at home and distribute them locally by posting through letterboxes, leaving leaflets at suitable venues, and posting them on public notice boards. These can include a link to your website or social media channels, you could also add a QR code linking to the same.

The personal touch

And don’t forget how effective word of mouth can be, so let all your family, friends and wider network know about your new venture and get them to support you, too.

Finally, adding a personal touch to all your customer interactions can go a long way to building brand loyalty, and it doesn’t have to break the bank. For example, if you sell a product online, you could add a personalised handwritten thank you to the delivery note, or if you do business face to face, provide a simple loyalty card or discount on their next purchase.

All this will go toward building a good reputation, which is invaluable.

3. Make use of free online resources and tools

You can use free online tools to help you manage day-to-day business processes such as invoicing and accounting, project planning, appointment setting, graphic design for content, and many others that are available.

By automating business workflows with free online tools, you are not only saving money but also freeing up your time from tedious admin tasks so you can focus on running a profitable business.

Free online business groups and forums, including those on social media platforms such as Facebook or LinkedIn, are also worth researching. They can connect you with other people in your field or industry and can be powerful networking tools. They can also be a treasure trove of valuable free advice on running your business on a budget.

There may even be collaboration opportunities you can leverage. For example, you can work alongside other businesses to increase your visibility or barter and trade with them for services, to further reduce your overheads.

Support for your small business in Surrey

If you are a Surrey business or looking to relocate to Surrey, you can contact our team of experts for free and accessible advice and support.

Whatever your business, we are here to help you succeed – by providing access to quality resources alongside expert local knowledge and insight.

You can also:

access an easy-to-use support directory with more than 120 national and regional schemes.
view our list of events across Surrey to support networking and shared learning
register to receive our regular newsletter, including news on funding, events, free training and support for all Surrey businesses.

Start your Net Zero journey

Start-up overview

Become a go-to supplier for the public sector

Future events 2026

The Marketing Lab series

Meet Trading Standards: Stay compliant and confident

Start-up Surrey online workshop – Funding options

Start your Net Zero journey

Start-up overview

Become a go-to supplier for the public sector

Future events 2026

The Marketing Lab series

Workforce Wellbeing: Ensuring your team are fit for life and work

Accelerate your growth & win more customers

Meet Trading Standards: business surgery

Start-Up Overview

Stay Connected

1. Work out your needs and reduce unnecessary costs

2. Adopt a low-cost marketing strategy

Online – social media and website

Print and out of home

The personal touch

3. Make use of free online resources and tools

Support for your small business in Surrey

Join our email newsletter