More than 230 delegates are expected at Coombe Abbey Hotel next March, and FindaBiz will open the day with its SWAP networking format.
The FSB Business Bootcamp and Networking Event returns to Coombe Abbey Hotel on 1 March 2027, this time as FSB Bootcamp: Mindset, Money and Momentum. More than 230 delegates are expected. We will be there with our SWAP networking format to start the day, and this piece looks at what that means if you run a small business or work for yourself.
What the day at Coombe Abbey involves
Lee Osbourne of the FSB describes the event as a chance for small business owners, entrepreneurs and the self-employed to grow their business and widen their network. Sandra Garlick MBE and Gus Bhandal are hosting. The event is interactive, and its expert speakers will give practical advice and strategies you can put to use in your business straight away. There will also be exhibition stands for services that support small businesses.
Why the networking at the start matters more than it looks
Meeting new people in a room of 230 is harder than meeting them in a room of twenty. Most people arrive, find a coffee, say hello to the two faces they already know and sit down for the first talk. By lunch they have heard a lot and met almost nobody new.
A structured session at the start of the day changes that. Patrick Findabiz of FindaBiz put it this way: “The FBS Bootcamp is always a fantastic event, and couple that with our unique swap networking format and you have a winning formula.”
Our advice is to get there for the start. The talks will give you ideas, but the people you meet in that first hour are the ones you will follow up with and, in time, refer work to. Aim to leave with a handful of names you intend to contact the following week. A conversation at a large event leads to a one to one over coffee, and a few months later to a warm introduction when one of their clients needs what you do. That is how a steady flow of referrals usually starts.
Making the day count for your referrals
If you hold a seat in a FindaBiz group, go with the group in mind. Look for natural partners for your own trade, meaning people whose customers regularly end up needing you. Keep an eye out, too, for anyone who could fill an empty seat in your group, and invite them along.
Write down one practical idea from the speakers and bring it back to your next meeting. The rest of the room will get more from a single tested idea than from a list of everything you heard.
If you need an adviser or supplier, walk the exhibition stands and take a card. Then ask your group whether anyone has used them. A stand tells you what a business offers. Someone sitting across the table from you can tell you whether they deliver.
If you have not joined a group yet, treat the day as a taste of networking. A single large event can open conversations, but the accountability and repeat introductions come from meeting the same people regularly, in a group with one seat per trade where the referrals for your work go to you.
Come along to a FindaBiz group as a guest first to see how a meeting runs and who is in the room. Your first visit is free. If you would like a look at FindaBiz before March, our free online networking runs every Friday and is open to anyone with a free account.
