SEEDS of business success sowed at Eastwood summit
Eastwood Hall welcomed entrepreneurs, family business owners and professionals from across the UK for a day of inspiration, collaboration and learning at the SEEDS of Unlimited Success Family Business Growth Summit.
Hosted by Vanessa-Mary, founder of the SEEDS Community, the event has grown steadily since its beginnings in 2024 and now offers a platform for business owners to connect, share experiences, and gain practical insights.
She said: "Our goal is to ensure that everyone leaves the event feeling inspired and ready to thrive.
"It puts a smile on my face when people get it and come back saying, 'you have amazing people here’.
"It touches my heart – I work all year round on this, and seeing it all come together, launching the magazine, and watching people make connections is incredible.
"I'm so excited about the future."
The day was compered by Annette Griffin of Annette Griffin Wealth, who challenged delegates to think differently about success.
She said: "To me, being rich is about more than money.
"It is about your health and your time, because without your health you've got nothing, and time is one thing you can never get back.
"True wealth is the freedom to make choices and spend time with the people who matter most."
Annette shared her personal journey of becoming a single parent and working up to five jobs to provide for her son and overcoming serious health challenges after losing mobility 18 months ago.
She continued: "I refused to believe that was my future, I made a decision to take my life back.
"One connection led to another and doors started opening that I didn't even know existed.
In the morning delegates heard from Ernest Henry Fasemkye, pathway lead for SEEDS Digitial Innovation Hub, Eleri Haf and Ian Jones of SilvaTree Exchange, Tim Freed of Book That In and Toddle About, Kim Petty from Kimborocks, Eddy Ankrett of Lockfit and Nicole Papantioniou of PN & Assocites Ltd.
A major highlight of the summit was the launch of The Legacy Ledger, a new business magazine celebrating entrepreneurship, collaboration and business success stories.
The publication was officially launched by Vanessa-Mary alongside Shaun Pritchard of Auraform Creative and Claire Scott of Claire Scott Digital Marketing, who helped shape and deliver the project.
The afternoon featured a series of masterclasses covering customer engagement, legal protection, succession planning, leadership and personal development.
Among the most innovative sessions was Leadership Presence Under Pressure, delivered by David Brown and Thea Crockett of The Institute of Sovereign Leadership.
Using a sword as a demonstration tool, the interactive masterclass explored how leaders can remain calm, focused and decisive when facing pressure and uncertainty.
Delegates also heard from Zoe Wadsworth of Ask Zoe encouraged delegates to reflect on The Power of Your Why, demonstrating how understanding purpose can help businesses connect more effectively with customers and strengthen long-term growth, and Andrew James Crawford of AJC Business Development, who presented Ignite Your Flame, which encouraged participants to reconnect with their purpose, unlock their potential and take bold action towards their personal and business goals.
The event concluded with a keynote presentation from Chipo Tembo-Munaiwa of Black Diamond Coaching before Vanessa-Mary thanked speakers, sponsors and attendees.
Find out more at seedscommunity.co.uk