Business Foundations & Online Essentials

Business Foundations & Online Essentials runs at the Sovereign Harbour Yacht Club on Thursday 5 November, from 9:00am to 1:00pm. It's a morning of two practical workshops, one on business planning and one on online presence, put together for local businesses. The whole thing is fully funded for East Sussex businesses, so there's no cost to take part.

The first session, Business Planning - Build Your Business Roadmap, is led by Carl Southwell of Start Up Street. He focuses on turning ideas into working businesses using simple tools and a bias towards action, so it's more about getting things moving than getting bogged down in theory. The second, Online Presence & Everyday Business Tools, is run by Mina O'Brien, founder of Ditzy Media and an award-winning social media trainer with over 12 years' experience. She shows businesses, charities and community organisations how to stand out on platforms like Canva, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.

Between the two, you get a morning that covers both the internal side of running a business and how you present it to the world. You don't need any advanced technical knowledge to get involved, and the sessions are designed to be hands-on rather than just listening to a presentation. The day is part of the Business Essentials programme delivered by Freedom Works and funded by the Sussex and Brighton Strategic Authority and East Sussex County Council.

It's open to sole traders, early-stage businesses and micro businesses based and trading in East Sussex, though Brighton & Hove is excluded. If that fits you, it's a fully funded morning at the Sovereign Harbour Yacht Club, 3 Harbour Quay, Eastbourne BN23 5QF, on Thursday 5 November from 9:00am to 1:00pm.