SME Directory
Coming Soon
Unlock Opportunities with Targeted B2B Connections and Services
Online and face-to-face facilitated networking events
Targeted lead generation and email marketing services
Sales training and coaching for solopreneurs and business owners
SME Community - for questions and advice
Business directory (coming soon)
All designed to fuel your company's growth
Break the Ice
Online Networking
Network with like-minded business owners and entrepreneurs then follow-up your new connections to explore strategic partnerships and professional growth opportunities.
It's a simple but highly effective and efficient format!
Participants are a mix of Founders and CEO's of from Dubai-based small businesses. There is always a mix of existing and first time attendees so that there are always new connections and opportunities created.
Each participant is given between 2 and 3 minutes to introduce themselves, their hobbies and interests as well as their business.
The objective is simple: to connect at a human as well as a business level - hence 'Break the Ice'.
You may then be asked a short question that reflects on what you said, and this helps you to build further connections.
Running every two weeks, each fully guided Break the Ice session lasts for 1 hour.
Now in its 5th year, Break the Ice has proven to be a pain-free, efficient and dynamic way for thousands of small business owners to develop new connections, create opportunities and sometimes even making new friendships in the process.
In Partnership with SBC:
Live In-Person and Online Networking Events
Facilitated networking events that ensure you leave having met everyone in the room.
SBCs' Phil Bedford and Michelle France organize several weekly tailored networking events for a variety of industry sectors to foster connections, collaborations and the sharing of innovative ideas among professionals.
Networking Formats include:
Super Connect speed networking whose format ensures that you will meet every attendee
Optional 'Deep Dive' round-table sessions for a more in-depth networking experience (dependent upon the number of attendees)
SBC VIP & Asentiv Business Lunch Club - social event
SHE Connects female-only networking sessions
SBC Goes N.U.T.S. (Networking Under The Stars) - social event
Sundowners - social event
The SBC in-person networking events take place in-person at the Media One Hotel, Media City, Dubai.
The event fee includes a networking breakfast and valet parking.
(Opens a new tab to the Strategic Business Connect Portal)
Sales Training and Coaching for SME Business Owners
As a small business owner does the thought of sales "terrify" you? Or perhaps you don't see yourself as a salesperson... Because salespeople are born, not made, aren't they?
In reality it is YOU, the founder of your business that is best placed to 'sell' to your clients. And it's both a mindset and a skill that you have to learn quickly if you're going to succeed.
To learn why this is the case; to add to (or enhance) your current sales skills; or simply because you need to accelerate your ability to 'sell', then attend one of our upcoming in-person workshops.
Easy Sales 101 workshops are purposefully designed with a practical, "real-world" approach for small business owners. You'll walk away with your own tailored action plan and be ready to increase your sales success.
You'll discover what it is to 'sell', why your clients will (and should) buy from you, understand the sales and buying cycles, learn how to overcome the fear of rejection. Even look at which opportunities you should be working on, and which you shouldn't!
Want to fix your mindset when it comes to sales?
Need to understand the sales (and buying) process?
Learn why people 'should' buy from you?
Want to fill your pipeline or funnel but don't know what these terms mean?
Need to figure out if you're wasting your time on opportunities you'll never win?
Is your social media and Ad spend not generating a return, so need to do something different?
Wondering whether you should outsource sales, or hire a salesperson?
Already have a Sales Team?
But want to Improve their Skills and Effectiveness?
(Opens a new tab to The Academy For Sales Excellence website)
The 'AIWA' Sales
and Marketing System
Unlock Growth with the AIWA System
Building and growing a business isn’t easy – especially in the early years when time, resources, and energy are stretched. That’s why we created AIWA – which stands for: Artificial Intelligence + Workflows + Automation.
The AIWA System is a complete sales and marketing solution that brings together:
Proven sales strategies and experience.
Advanced automations and workflows we've perfected in our own business.
Leading AI-powered tools, including GHL, Apollo.io, Clay.com, and OpenAI.
At the heart of AIWA is a powerful Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system. This is where your customer and prospect data becomes one of your biggest business assets. With AIWA, you’ll not only keep your database clean and up to date, but you’ll also use it to:
Automate follow-ups and reminders.
Generate referrals and collect Google reviews.
Run prospecting campaigns to reach new audiences..
Manage your deals and see the health of your sales pipeline with an easy to use 'drag-and-drop' opportunities dashboard.
Improve your responsiveness to your customers and track their interactions with you, all from one place.
Implement workflows and automations to "eliminate" repetitive tasks.
And the best part? Much of this happens automatically, running in the background while you focus on growing your business.
We offer two ways to get started:
A Done-for-You Service – We build and manage the system for you, so you can hit the ground running.
Guided Support – We help your team set up and manage key elements, giving you the tools to take control.
In either case we help you to identify new opportunities to grow your business. It could be saving time so that you can spend time on your strategy, or coming up with ideas to identify and target new markets, new revenue streams and so on.
Curious if AIWA is the right fit?
Let’s have a chat about your goals and challenges. Together we’ll explore how AIWA can help you to manage your day-to-day sales activities, free up your time, and shift your focus from working in your business to working ON it.
SME Community Page
We are developing a community page to share, discuss and learn sales, marketing and AI strategies to help you grow your business.
You can register using this link: SME Growth Hacks
Please create a username and password when registering.
There will be chat sections on various topics and we will add to these as the community grows. We will also post news and events as well as courses (some free, some paid).
We would love to have you in the community.
FAQs
Got Questions? Find Your Answers Here!
Is Break the Ice industry sector specific?
Our philosophy is to keep Break the Ice sector neutral. That's for several reasons:
1. Business owners are people first, and connecting at that level (not just for their industry sector) is important.
2. You and I may not do business together, but it is likely that we will each have a list of connections on our phones that we can refer and reference.
3. Do you want people - your potential competitors - on the same call? If they are, how open will you be?
4. There are plenty of industry specific networks already. If you really want another, I'd be happy to show you how I run Break the Ice and you can copy the model to run your own!
What size of business does Break the Ice cater for?
Break the Ice is aimed at small businesses - those described as S in SME. , both existing and new.
I have a business in Dubai but am based overseas. Can I still attend?
Absolutely! Our services are for those with a business here in Dubai..
What if I miss a session. Is it recorded?
Break the Ice sessions are not recorded. If you are unable to attend please do let me know in advance if possible and I'll invite yout to the following session.
Do I need to keep my camera on?
We will ask you to keep you camera on for the duration of the session. Afterall, it's a sign of your active participation, and it is a networking session afterall where people get to "break the ice!"
If you are unable to keep you camera on due to being in an unsuitable location or in transit then we recommend you disconnect and attend a future session.
Do you share contact details after the event?
During Break the Ice we ask participants for their permission to be able to share their email addresses after the event. This is shared in a follow up email to all those that attended. Anyone that does not give their permission will have their email excluded from the follow up.
Being given someone's email address is a privilege and therefore we ask you to use it for a follow-up request to meet only. Please do not add people to a spam list. Anyone found to be doing that will be excluded from future events.
How many people attend Break the Ice?
We limit the session to 20 people, and lock the virtual door once that number is reached, or at 14:05 when we start... whichever comes first.
How do I register for Break the Ice?
Registration is via the link above. Once registered you will receive a Zoom link to the session in a calendar invite. Please check your spam folder just in case you don't receive it in your inbox.
Can I attend more than one session?
By all means. However the invitation isn't automatic at this stage so you will need to re-register for the next session as the link changes.
Can I have my AI note taker attend?
Due to privacy concerns we do not allow not takers to attend the session, and any that do join will be removed.
Can you send me a list of attendees in advance?
Whilst we have a registration list we do not share this in advance. Whilst people do register there are always those that are unable to attend so sending a list out would not be appropriate.