Networking with The Federation of Small Businesses

The Business School, in partnership with the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), is pleased to host an informal and welcoming networking event for business owners from across the North East. This relaxed session will focus on building new connections, rekindling existing relationships, and sharing insights in a friendly and engaging setting.

This event is open to both FSB members and non-members, offering a valuable opportunity for all local business owners to connect and collaborate.

The event will also feature a bite-sized seminar delivered by an expert guest speaker, offering a timely exploration of key topics currently shaping the business landscape.

Speaker session - Balancing Act: Why Mental Fitness Matters in Small Business

Running a small business today is more demanding than ever. In addition to navigating economic uncertainty, digital disruption, and shifting customer expectations, business owners face constant pressure to perform, pivot, and persevere. But behind the scenes, many are running on empty, juggling personal sacrifices, emotional strain, and the mental toll of uncertainty.

This short seminar will explore the often-overlooked challenge of mental fitness for small business owners. It will make the case for rethinking success not just as growth or profit, but as alignment between personal purpose and business direction. Drawing on insights from entrepreneurship research and frontline support work, the seminar will offer guidance on how to better align personal and business development, cultivate resilience, and build businesses that don’t just survive, but support the wellbeing of those behind them.

Attendees will leave with a renewed perspective on what it means to lead a business sustainably, one where mental fitness is treated not as an afterthought, but as a foundation for long-term performance and purpose-led growth.

About Our Speaker

Prof. Pablo Muñoz is an applied social scientist and Professor of Entrepreneurship at Durham University Business School. His research sits at the intersection of human enterprise, social challenges, and natural environments, with a particular focus on entrepreneurship as a tool for social change. He explores themes such as mental health and wellbeing in business, sustainable and regenerative enterprise, the commercialisation of social science, and future-oriented methods for addressing complex societal challenges. He is the founder of the Social Science Enterprise Lab and co-founder of Mind Your Business, a Durham University spin-out that offers human-centred business development and mental health support for small business owners. Professor Muñoz also serves as Co-Director of the Durham Enterprise Centre and the Centre for Social Justice and Community Action, and is Co-PI at the Global Centre for Contextual Safeguarding. He is Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Business Venturing Insights and holds visiting research positions at IE Business School in Spain and EGADE Business School in Mexico.

Agenda

9.30am Arrivals, registration and informal networking over refreshments

10.00am Welcome by FSB

10.05am Welcome from Professor Joanna Berry, Associate Professor (Entrepreneurship) at the Faculty of Business at Durham University

10.15am Guest speaker: Prof Pablo Muñoz - Balancing Act: Why Mental Fitness Matters in Small Business

10.45am Informal networking

11.30am Event close

Refreshments

Tea and coffee will be provided.