Small business owners and leaders from across the Solent area came together on 4 November 2026 for Thriving Together: Small Business Growth Day, a free event run by the Solent Business Growth Service, part of Solent Growth Partnership. The day took place at Fareham College’s Civil Engineering Training Centre in Lee-on-the-Solent.
Thriving Together is designed to give busy owners time away from day-to-day operations to focus on growing their business. This edition brought together expert-led workshops on AI, leadership and strategy, sales, personal branding, finance, SEO and bidding for public sector work, alongside one-to-one sessions with specialist advisers.
A survival guide for small businesses
Jonathan Bird, founder of Delivered Social, led a “Survival Guide to Business” workshop. Inspired by Bear Grylls, the session explored the tools, technology and AI-powered solutions that small businesses need to thrive over the next few years, from automating everyday tasks to working more efficiently.
“The energy in the room today has been brilliant. Small business owners rarely get time to step back and look at how they work, and seeing people leave with tools they can use in their business tomorrow morning is exactly why I love doing these sessions. AI isn’t something to be scared of. Used properly, it gives small teams back hours every week.”
Jonathan Bird, Founder, Delivered Social
What attendees said
Joe Taffurelli, founder of The Long View, is a business and executive leadership coach who delivered the Leadership and Strategy workshop later in the day.
“I work with business owners on strategy and leadership, and I’m delivering the session after this one, so I’m really looking forward to it. The only downside is that I’m the one standing between everyone and their lunch!”
Joe Taffurelli, Founder, The Long View
Ruth Morgan, founder of Ruth Morgan Coaching, is a leadership and business performance coach and mentor.
“I help small business owners, founders, entrepreneurs and creative professionals to thrive in life and at work. I’m loving the Thrive event today, especially the new ideas and thinking around AI.”
Ruth Morgan, Founder, Ruth Morgan Coaching
Free support for Solent businesses
Thriving Together is one of a range of free events and services from the Solent Business Growth Service, which offers small businesses practical advice, funded training and one-to-one support. Details of future events are on the Thriving Together page.
