Less broadcast, more conversation: what I'm bringing to Back to Business
I sat down with Emilia at V2 Radio recently to talk about LinkedIn, the Last Friday Club, and the Chichester Chamber's Back to Business event on Friday 11 September. Here's the short version of what we covered, and why I think you should be in the room.
Firstly, Emilia asked how I got here
I started The Chichester Social ten years ago, after a few years in-house at a marketing agency. Before that I spent 11 years with West Sussex County Council in change and project management on big IT projects, which taught me more about how people actually adopt new things than any marketing course ever did.
The business started out managing Facebook and Instagram pages. Over the last seven years or so I've focused almost entirely on LinkedIn. It's my first love. I've been on the platform for more than 20 years and I've used it in completely different ways depending on what I was doing at the time.
Here's the thing that changes everything for most people: stop treating LinkedIn as a broadcast channel and start treating it as a conversation, the same way you would if you were networking in a room. Once that clicks, making the most of it gets easier, and it stops feeling like a grind.
Why Back to Business is worth your day
The Chamber's strapline for this one is "One Day, Hundreds of Ideas", and they aren't overselling it.
The headline speaker is Alex Polizzi, known to most people as The Hotel Inspector, though she's also a very successful entrepreneur and business turnaround expert. Alongside that there are panel discussions, exhibitions and plenty of time to actually talk to people.
The workshops are structured as three sessions with six workshops in each, and delegates choose one workshop per session. So you're building your own day rather than sitting through someone else's agenda.
My session: Reach, Fall in Love with LinkedIn
I'm in the first session of the day, 9:15am to 10:00am.
I know "fall in love with LinkedIn" is a big ask. I'll settle for you liking it a little more than you did yesterday.
I'll be sharing 10 simple tips to get the basics and the foundations right, whether you're just starting out or coming back to the platform after it slid down the to do list. LinkedIn is vast, and not every feature is for everyone on day one. That's exactly why I'm keeping it simple. Simple is what gets used.
No growth hacks, no formulas, no overthinking. Just the things that turn "I know I should" into "this actually works".
The one tip Emilia asked for
She asked me for a tip on growing your business quickly, and I had to be honest: there's no magic bullet on social media. Patience, consistency and being yourself are what count.
But if I had to pick one thing, it's this: don't do it on your own. Go and find your people.
We have a genuine wealth of opportunity here in Chichester. Try everything, commit to the spaces where you feel most comfortable, and be generous once you're in them. Give your advice freely. If someone asks a question, answer it properly rather than caveating it half to death. This isn't about undervaluing your specialism or having no boundaries at all. It's about being an active participant in your business community, because helping other people grow pays you back.
And give someone a shout out. Someone just starting, someone who's helped you, or someone who could do with a boost right now.
The Last Friday Club EPIC values carry through most of how I work day to day. I Encourage, I act with Purpose, I act with Integrity, and I'm all about Community.
Come along
Back to Business is a major new annual event for the business community in Chichester and across the region, from ambitious new businesses to established ones looking to evolve. It runs from 8:30am to 5:00pm on Friday 11 September 2026.
Ticket prices (all plus VAT):
Chamber member, full day: £105
Non member, full day: £125
Chamber member, morning only: £65
Chamber member, afternoon only: £45
Non member, morning only: £75
Non member, afternoon only: £55
My workshop is in the morning session, so a morning ticket only covers it 👏
Book your ticket here:chichestercci.org.uk/back-to-business
