Networking Without the Awkwardness – Welcome to Somerset Businesswomen UnLtd

The word networking can conjure up all sorts of images. Name badges, forced conversations, awkward introductions and the feeling that you ought to be selling yourself to everyone in the room.

Somerset Businesswomen UnLtd is rather different.

The regular networking meetings in Taunton and Chard are designed to be friendly, relaxed and genuinely useful – somewhere you can meet other local business owners, have a laugh, learn something new and go home with connections that could actually make a difference to your business.

And despite the name, men are very welcome too!

Good Business Starts with Good Connections

Running a business can sometimes be surprisingly isolating. Whether you're working from home, running a small team or juggling your business around family life, there are plenty of days when it's just you making all the decisions.

Getting into a room with other business owners changes that.

Businesswomen UnLtd meetings give you the opportunity to talk to people who understand the highs, lows and occasional absurdities of running a business. You can exchange ideas, ask questions, discover new suppliers, find potential clients and, very often, make some really good friends along the way.

The Somerset groups became part of Businesswomen UnLtd following its expansion into the county at the end of 2025, building on the established Somerset Ladies in Business community. The meetings combine informal networking with speakers, useful business insights, discussions and plenty of opportunities to build relationships.

There are no stuffy rules, no professional lockouts and no requirement to become a member – you simply book onto the meetings you would like to attend.

Debbie Knows How to Join the Dots

One of the biggest advantages of attending Businesswomen UnLtd is Debbie Gilbert herself.

Debbie has spent years building business communities and connecting people, and she's particularly good at remembering who does what.

Tell Debbie what you're looking for and there's every chance she'll say something along the lines of:

"You need to speak to so-and-so – come with me, I'll introduce you."

And that is where networking becomes really valuable.

It's not simply about collecting business cards or telling twenty people what you do. It's about meeting the right people.

Perhaps you need a web designer, accountant, photographer or marketing specialist. Perhaps someone else in the room needs exactly the service you provide. Or perhaps two businesses discover that they can collaborate on something neither could have done quite as effectively alone.

Those introductions can lead to referrals, collaborations, suppliers, customers and opportunities that might never have happened if you'd stayed behind your desk.

Useful – But Lighthearted Too

There's definitely a business purpose to the meetings, but that doesn't mean they have to be terribly serious.

Expect conversation. Expect laughter. Expect useful speakers and discussions. And expect to meet a real mixture of people at different stages of their businesses.

Some attendees have been running successful companies for years; others may have only recently taken the plunge into self-employment.

That's part of what makes the meetings so useful.

There is knowledge in the room, but there is also encouragement and support.

Businesswomen UnLtd was founded in 2011 and has grown around an ethos of collaboration rather than competition, creating networking environments where people can build genuine business relationships rather than simply delivering a sales pitch.

More Than Just the Meeting

The benefits don't necessarily stop when everyone heads home.

Being part of the wider Businesswomen UnLtd community provides further opportunities to stay visible, continue conversations and promote your business between meetings.

There is the Businesswomen UnLtd Facebook community, where members of the network can interact, share information and continue networking online, as well as the newsletter, which helps keep everyone connected with news, opportunities and what's happening across the network.

Attending the Somerset meetings can also open up opportunities within the wider Businesswomen UnLtd community, including online networking and business promotion.

It's a simple but important point: good networking isn't something that only happens for a couple of hours once a month.

The more people get to know you, understand what you do and see you participating in the community, the more likely they are to remember you when somebody asks:

"Do you know anyone who can help me with...?"

What Does It Cost?

One of the things we particularly like about Businesswomen UnLtd is its accessibility.

There is no annual membership fee required simply to become part of the Somerset networking community. You can choose the meetings that suit you, book your place and come along.

That makes it particularly useful for small businesses and sole traders who want the benefits of networking without committing to an expensive membership or attending compulsory meetings every week.

And when you consider that one good introduction could potentially lead to a new client, supplier, collaboration or long-term source of referrals, a networking meeting can prove to be a very worthwhile investment in your business.

Sometimes You Just Need to Get Out and Meet People

We're surrounded by digital marketing, social media, email, websites and AI – and all of those things have an important role to play in modern business.

But there's still something incredibly powerful about sitting down with another human being and having a conversation.

People buy from people. They recommend people they know and trust. And those relationships often begin with something as simple as:

"Hello, what do you do?"

So, if you've been meaning to try business networking but have been put off by the thought of something overly formal or sales-driven, give Somerset Businesswomen UnLtd a try.

Come along, meet Debbie and the other business owners, tell people what you do, find out what they do and enjoy yourself while you're there.

You never quite know who Debbie might introduce you to – and where that conversation could lead.