Reset your 9 to 5

Calling all those small business owners and solopreneurs in Croydon. Wouldn’t it be great to get together with other small business owners and solopreneurs to exchange tales of terrible clients and slippery suppliers, whilst getting no-BS business advice from experts who know what works and what doesn’t? Well, good news! The Reset comes to Croydon on Thursday 10 April. Created by East Croydon Cool’s very own Maddy Duxbury in conjunction with Impact Croydon, we catch up with Maddy to find out more.

Croydonist: I think this has been the anti-networking event all us micro-business owners have been waiting for. What’s The Reset in a nutshell and what gave you the idea?

Maddy: In short – it’s an event for small business owners and solopreneurs. But it’s not your typical businessy event (which is why we’ve dubbed it anti-networking). It’s very much focused on those who’ve been hustling hard for a while and who are feeling pretty exhausted by it all.

It’s for those who have lived through the exciting phase of setting up a website and getting business cards printed. For those who have creatively drained themselves launching multiple new products and services. And/or for those who continue to put in the hard graft but who are still struggling to see financial rewards for their work. In short, it’s for those who have embraced the ‘working for yourself’ dream and who are now a little bit stuck or burnt out.

Where did the idea come from? Well, it’s basically where I’m at (and they always say you should sell to who you know!). I’ve also spoken to a fair few locals recently who are feeling similar so I wanted to put on an event that would provide some inspiration for us all to keep going (but in a more relatable way than a big Central London event tends to offer).

I know first-hand that when you’re feeling a bit broken by it all, the last thing you want to do is turn up to an event and “sell” yourself (and business) to others.

Studio Zao (the team behind Impact Croydon – an innovation programme that helps local businesses and entrepreneurs develop and launch new offerings) will lead the charge. They’ve worked with over 250 business owners and entrepreneurs across the UK—from London to Devon. So they’ve seen first-hand the emotional blockers that hold business owners back and (more importantly!) the practical methods that help them move forward.

I’ve also invited a local entrepreneur to give her (unfiltered!) insights.

Croydonist: The evening has a great (and puntastic) agenda from Speed Venting to Notworking drinks. Have you tried Speed Venting before and any tips for questions to fire at fellow solopreneurs?

Maddy: As you know, we do love a good pun 😉. Speed Venting is a new concept we’ve come up with so will keep it under wraps for now. But basically, think speed dating meets group therapy! It’s an opportunity for people to get work frustrations off their chest – and feel a sense of camaraderie knowing that others are going through the same thing. The NOTworking is a new take on a concept we ran previously at one of our Seasonal Parties. Again, all to be revealed on the night.

Croydonist: Can you tell us more about the local entrepreneur speaker, and what they’ll be talking about to whet our appetites?

Maddy: You’re hearing this first – as we won’t be officially announcing this until next week 😉

For the ‘Mistakes that Made Me’ part of the evening, we’ve got Laura Sawyer speaking.
You might have spotted her latest entrepreneurial venture on the East Croydon Cool Instagram feed. In fact, her tour of @the.south.wing (the Location House she’s designed) was one of our most popular posts last month.

Laura is a Creative Consultant, working with well-known brands like Charlotte Tilbury, John Lewis and The Savoy. She started her entrepreneurial career as a Prop Stylist and Production Designer, creating sets for ads and curating events and pop ups for big brands. Her background is in fashion buying for brands like LK Bennett and Gap.

But whilst her career all looks very planned out and polished right now, like all good (and real!) business journeys, behind the scenes – it’s been a long hard slog.

Laura will be speaking (unfiltered!) to The Reset guests about her experience working for herself.

Croydonist: The main event of the agenda is the Business Reset sessions run by Impact Croydon – how does this part work? Are there different experts tackling different business challenges? Do we need to come prepared?

Maddy: Would we ask exhausted business owners to come pre-prepared? No, we would not ! 😉

This part of the session is about giving attendees the space to work through their challenges with the Studio Zao team – who’ll use their expertise to offer fresh perspectives.

We’ll have three themed tables, each tackling a common challenge:

Purpose – If you’re feeling stuck, off-track, or questioning why you’re even doing this whole ‘run your own business thing’ (!), we’ll help you reconnect with what drives you, what you’re great at, and what your customers actually need (through our Entrepreneurial Ikigai exercise).
Prioritisation – If everything feels urgent and you don’t know where to start, we’ll help you cut through the noise and leave with a clear, achievable to-do list, and help you lighten the load with a bit of help from AI.
Progress – If you’ve had an idea sitting on your list for ages, but are too in the business, to work on the business, workshop it with us, and commit to one small action to take forward to test out your idea.

With the NOTworking drinks following this activity – there should be plenty of personal takeaways to share with others (no small talk and awkward intros here).

Croydonist: What are you most looking forward to about the event?

Maddy: In a world that’s obsessively online, my favourite thing about events is seeing people get together and build connections in real life.

It can be lonely working for yourself and living in your own echo chamber. So I really hope The Reset gives self-employed hustlers a moment to have a proper moan with people who get it, and to build some genuine connections as a result. After all, we didn’t start our own businesses to have to pretend to be something we’re not! I want people to feel comfortable to be themselves and be real about where they’re at right now.

I hope that by hearing the struggles of others, and by getting some tangible support from the Studio Zao team, people leave the event feeling inspired and motivated to keep going.

Croydonist: Do you have to be a Croydon business owner to attend?

Maddy: Modern day work terminology is confusing isn’t it?! Self-employed, freelance, small business owner, entrepreneur, solopreneur, side hustler, hybrid worker, contractor – the list goes on!

To clarify – this event is for small business owners or self-employed individuals only. That means that when purchasing your ticket, you’ll need to provide either your Company Registration Number (if you’re a Limited Company) or your Unique Tax Reference number (if you’re self-employed).

Thank you to Maddy for chatting with us.

The Reset takes place on Thursday 10 April, 6 – 8:30pm, at The Event Rooms, 3-7 Middle Street Croydon CR0 1RE. And most importantly, grab your tickets here.