A free, practical workshop for SME owners and directors in the East Midlands

A free, practical session for SME owners and directors in the East Midlands

Running and growing an SME is rarely easy, and tougher trading conditions can make it harder still. Costs rise, customers take longer to make decisions, cash needs careful management and business owners have to make some tough calls about where to put their time and money.

Yet there are businesses that continue to grow, win new customers and improve profit when the market around them is difficult.

At Tinderbox Business Development, we’ve spent the last 17 years working with SME owners to help them do just that. On 28 October 2026, we’ll be sharing some of what we’ve learnt at a free morning session at The Nottinghamshire, Cotgrave.

What we’ll cover

Led by Tinderbox Managing Director David Turner, Grow your business in tougher markets will look at the practical steps SME owners can take to improve sales, profit, people and the way their business is run.

We’ll cover:

The five elements needed to achieve step-change growth

Where to focus your time and money when resources are stretched

How to get your team behind your plans

Ways to improve sales and profit when the market is difficult

What businesses that continue to grow tend to do well

The session draws on Tinderbox’s work with more than 500 SMEs since 2009 and will include real examples from businesses we’ve worked with.

A view from Allica Bank

We’re also delighted to welcome Shaun Whiting, new business relationship manager for the Midlands at Allica Bank.

Shaun will look at what is happening in banking, some of the issues SMEs face when seeking banking and funding support and how Allica Bank works with businesses that want to grow.

There will also be time over coffee at the end of the morning to meet other local business owners, speak to the Tinderbox and Allica teams and continue some of the conversations from the session.

The event is free to attend, but places are limited.

Event details

Date: 28 October 2026

Arrival: From 8.00am | Presentations: From approximately 8.30am

Finish: Coffee, tea and networking, with departure around 11.00-11.30am

Venue: The Nottinghamshire by The Club Company, Cotgrave, Nottinghamshire, NG12 3HB

We’d love to see you there!

Description supplied by the event organiser.