The “Do Business Better Conference”, a new venture presented by founding director of the Merseyside Women of the Year Awards, Ellen Kerr, has received widespread praise following a successful sold-out inaugural event at Blackburne House.
The conference, headline sponsored by Carpenters Group, aimed to provide practical guidance with substance, value and purpose, on how anyone can do life and business better by addressing four essential pillars for success: Network, Information, Money and Self-belief.
Following a welcome from the Chair of Blackburne House, Liz Cross, Ellen opened the event by explaining how your networks are your net worth. She said: “Business can be a lonely place, and you need your network around you, to confide in, to bounce ideas off, to be your cheerleaders.
“Your network is your net worth, and it can make you a millionaire. There are people in the room today who will help you grow your business and yourself!”
Leadership Panel
The morning continued with a leadership panel chaired by Dr Eliza Morgan, from event partners, Honey & Morgan, exploring “Why better leadership improves business growth”.
Discussing the role of a good leader, Donna Scully, joint owner/director at Carpenters Group, shared her belief that a leader is not in charge of people, but instead is in charge of supporting people in their roles and on their own leadership journey, while David Wafer, from the Institute of Directors & McIver Scott Executive Search championed the importance of authenticity, along with a “cool head, warm heart and working hands”.
David also highlighted that the Liverpool City Region, although in the top three for new start business, was behind as a region in terms of productivity, and that strong leadership was needed to accelerate growth.
Elaine Bowker, Principal & Chief Executive at The City of Liverpool College, focused on the importance of continuous learning and skills development. She said: “Skills are the biggest contributor to GDP. We need to ensure young people have the right skills for the workplace, including so called ‘soft skills’, which are absolutely vital. We are also seeing lots of adults coming back to education to reskill, and people need access to quality upskilling, working alongside business all the time.”
Discussing the importance of diversity in leadership to drive growth, Emily McCrystal, Youth Power Co-ordinator at Restless Development, called for a broader view of diversity. She said: “Women in leadership need to look beyond just women, we are not just our gender. We need diversity of thought and to recognise that those furthest away from the systems of power are those most affected by them.”
Information Pillar
The first speaker in the information pillar was Alex Keyter of Generative Minds, who shared the AI tools, tech and access to information that would allow businesses to provide better value to clients and the people their organisations serve.
Presenting everyday use cases for AI such as framing difficult conversations, market research and creating training materials, with demonstrations, Alex wowed delegates with the power of AI, warned of its limitations and encouraged people to be curious and experiment with the technology.
He concluded: “As well as investing time into learning more about the tools available, it’s important to support your team so no one gets left behind in the age of AI.”
Garth Dallas, from Dallas Consulting, took to the stage next to examine purpose-driven business and the power it has to drive prosperity, providing delegates with useful take-homes that would help them to ensure their businesses deliver social value.
Geraldine Fuller from the Business and IP Centre and British Library, shared a host of inventions and innovations that had emerged from the Liverpool City Region, including the crossword, football nets and guide dogs, and the importance of protecting future innovations and inventions, sharing a host of surgeries and clinics in the region where businesses could find help and advice.
Marketing expert, Kelly Forshaw, Group Marketing Manager at Really Epic Dog Group, presented on the importance of customer retention and the “loyalty loop”. She shared strategies to increase Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) through repeat business, upselling and building strong relationships, the benefits of turning customers into advocates.
Lunch was followed by a session delivered by Juliana Pinero Landim from Katumba Drumming & Movement. Following her drumbeat, delegates joined in with a gentle movement and body percussion exercise that re-energised them for the second half of the day.
Money Pillar
The Money pillar segment of the event, which was sponsored by Vanguard, opened with FPC Managing Partner, Moira O’Shaughnessy, talking about personal finance. Bringing her dad’s stool on stage, she reminded delegates that financial wealth stands on three legs – being cash-rich, debt-free, and generating ongoing income.
She also championed the power of diverse income streams – such as ISA’s, property and pensions – and made a compelling case for long-term financial planning. Throwing a spotlight on the gender disparity that exists around pensions, Moira also implored attendees to make sure they were contributing to theirs and encouraging younger peers to do the same.
Chartered Financial Planner, Angie Staunton, from Vanguard, took us inside our own minds, exploring how behavioural biases shape the way we handle money and make decisions. From cognitive errors in judgement to emotional triggers, she explained the difference between System 1 (instinctive) and System 2 (deliberate) thinking – and why awareness is key to making better choices in business and life.
Sue Chambers, Investment Manager at River Capital, introduced the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund 2 (NPIF2), which is channelling £16 million into Northwest businesses and outlined a host of funding options for SMEs – from start-up loans to scale-up investment.
The final speaker in the Money pillar was, Sue Potts, CEO of the Venus Charity, who shared the inspiring work of the organisation and the impact it has on the communities it serves.
Founded in 1994, the charity is now a 1.7 million turnover business, employing 55 staff. Sue highlighted that charities create Gross Value Added (GVA) and argued that the charity sector, whose workforce mainly comprises women, is indeed the business sector and should be recognised as such. She also highlighted the persistent gender gap in funding across the charity sector, an imbalance that needs to be addressed
Self-belief Pillar
The final part of the day focused on the pillar of self-belief. Money mindset and a passive income coach, Shirleyann Haig, shared her inspirational story of how passive income saved her from financial ruin and how she developed the mindset and self-belief to navigate the challenges she faced, sharing tips and approaches with delegates.
Transformational leadership and holistic well-being consultant, Claire Morton, drew on her practice as a yoga teacher to help delegates focus on being present, and shared how presence can impact how you show up in the world, and how we can develop a deep sense of trust and confidence in ourselves.
Finally, business mentor and mindset coach, Debbie Edwards, talked to delegates about the “Audacity to be You”, sharing the distinction between the heart brain and the mind brain and how understanding both can impact how you talk to yourself.
Debbie said: “The words that you speak become the house that you live in, and they can impact you enormously.”
In a moving finale, Debbie demonstrated how the same words delivered by the mind brain and heart brain could have completely different impacts, and that coherence was needed to build a stairway between the two to allow you to move softly and compassionately through work and professional life.
Donna Scully from headline sponsor, Carpenters Group, joined founder and organiser, Ellen Kerr, on stage to close the event, with Donna thanking Ellen for the event, as delegates responded with a standing ovation.
Speaking after the event, Ellen said: “Six weeks ago, this event was all in my head – I can’t quite believe it. I had to take a moment at the start of the event, as I looked at the delegates in the room and saw it all coming to life. It was a truly inspirational day, and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.
“It would not have been possible without our fantastic sponsors, the City of Liverpool College – whose fabulous students also filmed the whole event, Vanguard, FPC and headline sponsor, Carpenters Group, as well as our event partner, Honey & Morgan.
“With the speaker line up we curated, I knew we had something special, but it has been even more successful than I hoped. It looks like we’ll be back again in 2026!”
For more information visit: https://merseysidewomenoftheyear.co.uk/do-business-better/
