A slower kind of networking, for founders who'd rather have one proper conversation than fifty business cards.
Root & Reflect is a small, in-person gathering for business owners who are done with networking that feels like performing. No pitching, no queuing up to talk at each other, no leaving with a stack of cards you’ll never look at again.
Held among plants rather than in a hotel conference room, there’s something in being surrounded by things that are actually growing while you talk about your own business growing. It slows the room down in a good way.
This one falls at Mabon, the old marker for the harvest, when the year asks what you’ve actually grown so far and what you’re ready to let go of.
We’ll meet at Grounded in Southsea for honest conversation, a short seasonal check-in, some planning on whats next and time with people who are building something real.
A small group. No more than 10 of us, so it stays a conversation and not a crowd.
A short opening, 10 minutes at most, on the season and what it might mean for where your business is right now.
Structured but relaxed conversation in small groups, not a free-for-all mingle.
No stand-up-and-sell-yourself round. Just talk.
You’ll also take a seasonal plant home with you, something rooted to keep on your desk long after the evening’s over. A small, physical reminder that things grow slowly and mostly out of sight, which is usually true of business too.
Root & Reflect is hosted by Caroline Sumners, a marketing consultant with twenty five years of experience helping founders build businesses on trust rather than hype. Caroline works with business owners who are done with vanity metrics and bro marketing, and spends most of her working life talking honestly about what actually grows a business versus what just looks good online. Outside of work she’s usually being dragged round Southsea by her dogs, Percy.
We’re meeting at Grounded in Southsea, the award-winning plant shop and community hub on Marmion Road.
Started by owner Sam Cooper during lockdown and grown from market stalls into a proper shop, Grounded has picked up local awards for Best Plant Shop in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight and Friendliest Small Business in Portsmouth, and it’s built a reputation as a genuine community space as much as a place to buy plants.
It’s the right kind of venue for this. Slightly chaotic in the best way, full of plants growing and calming us. A place where conversation about business should happen.
Each ticket Includes a seasonal plant to take home and refreshments
Spaces are deliberately limited, so grab yours if this sounds like your kind of gathering.
Tuesday 22nd September
10 .00 AM - 12.00 Noon
£25 per ticket
Spaces are deliberately limited, so grab yours if this sounds like your kind of evening.
Tuesday 23rd September
06:00pm - 08:00pm
£25 per ticket
Seasonal plant to take home and refreshments on the night.
Tuesday 23rd September
06:00pm - 08:00pm
£25 per ticket