It can be a lonely business being a small business owner so it's always great to grab an opportunity to meet other small business owners and also get hints and tips on running your business.

So, last week I headed down to Birmingham to the Theo Paphitis #SBS small business conference.

I went with my friend, Clare, who is not only a friend but is also the owner of Clare's Handmade Delights and works in Sunshine No.1 too! She also supplies us as well, with her sewn items for the home, including sit mats (perfect to carry with you outdoors), aprons, tea towels and bowl cosies (pop your bowl of soup/stew/porridge into it, pop the whole thing in the microwave, heat up as normal and lift it out without burning your fingers!).

We explored a bit of Birmingham and we were both really impressed with the mix of beautiful, old buildings and modern architecture which makes it a stunning city to explore, especially with canals wending their way through the centre.

The conference was a whole day, filled with inspiring speakers covering lots of subjects, from challenging your mindset (is it a fixed or growth mindset) and being proud of your achievements ("they are facts, not bragging"!) to how to grow your business and where to find support.

We had a lot to talk about at dinner that night!

It's good to come away with some fresh ideas about how to work on your business. Recently, I have been taking some more time away from working in the shop to working on it. To keep a small, independent gift shop running and viable after almost 10 years means I have to focus on keeping customers wanting to buy from us and finding new customers.

Small businesses are finding it tough at the moment with the continued economic challenges - certainly customer spend is down while our costs have increased - so, to stay open, we have to make sure we're doing all we can to get our name out there and keep sales coming in!

Before heading home the next day we did a self-guided walking tour around the city (with a few food and coffee stops to sustain us!) and chatted about what we had learned at the conference and what action points we were taking away.

On Wednesday we had an accountability meeting to work on those points and keep each other encouraged and accountable.  And now we're making this a weekly session to keep each other focused. 

Onwards and upwards!