Welcome to County Business Clubs, the professional ecosystem for anyone looking for meaningful business connections. Here you’ll find multiple platforms for sharing your story because, unlike conventional networking groups, we prioritise self-reflection over self-promotion and help translate authentic insights into tangible growth. That way, we can focus on facilitating mutually rewarding relationships. Best of all, you can find us wherever great businesses exist.

OUR MANIFESTO

All business is symbiotic in nature. You can be inspiring your peers one day, and learning from them the next. In the end, people buy people. That makes sharing our stories the most compelling way to connect with one another.

What’s needed is a platform to embrace and empower our regional business ecosystem. Where varied backgrounds and perspectives provide new context. Harnessing potential, enabling growth. And at the heart of it, is a dedicated team of curators unlocking insights for the good of us all.

So we’re changing the way people think about networking. Because we believe in self-reflection, rather than self-promotion. We’re far more interested in the tell than the sell. By demystifying the art of storytelling, we deliver authentic thought leadership through events, publishing and broadcast media.

We come together to discover, share and grow. But we won’t be limited by geography or our imagination. Instead, we’ll seek out local leaders, visionaries and experts, wherever great businesses thrive. Growing communities, in partnership with the businesses that power them. And nurturing the entrepreneurial spirit in everyone.

Who We Are

For anyone in business who is looking for meaningful connections, County Business Clubs is a professional ecosystem that provides its members with multiple platforms for sharing their story.

Unlike conventional networking groups, CBC translates authentic insights into tangible growth and facilitates mutually rewarding relationships that prioritise self-reflection over self-promotion, wherever great businesses exist.

 Business Publications

 Podcasts

 Radio Show

 Events

Different Hats Podcast

Everyone has a story to tell. Different Hats Podcast offers a platform for entrepreneurs to share their journeys and inspire others. We help business owners navigate multiple roles and redefine success by focusing on building the business you want from what you have. Happy Listening 🎧

TO SHARE YOUR STORY

To become part of the CBC Sussex 100 and share your story with our growing community, advertise in SBT, or be a podcast or radio show guest contact us today:

Call 📞 01323 819007 or 07894762304

We help local people find local jobs!

Our mission is to provide you with the best local job opportunities from the best local employers in the South East, England. We want to help you find your dream job and to inspire you about your career options!

LoveLocalJobs.com is your local jobs board and employment engagement service, offering you the best platform to search and apply for job vacancies in Sussex. It is a completely FREE service for jobseekers to use with no cost implications involved.

In building an innovative, engaging and results-driven jobs board platform, we can promote a wide variety of opportunities at all levels – working with an array of the region’s best employers across public, private and voluntary sectors.

Search for local jobs             Apply online                 Sign up for job alerts

As a registered user of LoveLocalJobs.com, you can apply for job vacancies, set up and receive job alerts by email manage your applications, create your very own jobseeker profile and allow employers to search your CV.

We also offer a range of career advice, news and information, all designed to help you, whatever stage you’re at in your career. We advertise a range of jobs across all industry sectors; full-time, part-time, temporary positions and apprenticeship opportunities.

Love Local Jobs

Have a question about the jobs board? Need customer support? Thinking about using our services? 01273 651100 [email protected] 3rd Floor, Pelham House 25 Pelham Square, Brighton, BN1 4ET London/Gatwick office: Unit 38 Basepoint Business Centre, Metcalf Way, Manor Royal Business District, Crawley, RH11 7XX

Contact Us

Awards

We are a small, passionate and innovative team dedicated to providing the best possible service for our clients and communities. We love what we do and that is demonstrated in all of our work and all of our recent wins and commendations.

Together we are fully committed to enhancing the economies of the local areas in which we work – raising the career aspirations of local people, reducing recruitment spending and significantly improving our partners’ employer profiles.

With 41 million annual passengers, London Gatwick is the UK’s second largest and one of Europe’s top ten airports.  It is a vital piece of national infrastructure that drives both the national and regional economies by generating £5.5 billion GVA and supporting over 76,000 jobs (2023).  Almost 60 airlines fly from the airport to over 150 short-haul and more than 50 long-haul destinations.  With a declared capacity of 55 movements an hour, London Gatwick is the most efficient single-runway airport in the world.  

The airport is located 28 miles south of the UK capital and is extremely well-connected, with more than a quarter of England’s population (15 million people) – including all of London – less than one hour away by road or rail.  A six-year, £2 billion sustainable growth programme includes an ambitious plan to be a net zero airport by 2030 and to increase capacity by bringing the airport’s existing Northern Runway into routine use, alongside its Main Runway.  Vinci Airports owns a 50.01% stake in the airport, with Global Infrastructure Partners managing the remaining 49.99%.

Our vision is to be the airport for everyone, whatever your journey. We're focused on delivering a personalised experience, that is easy and efficient. At the same time, we aim to be the UK’s most accessible airport, prioritising the needs of every passenger and giving everyone an equal opportunity to fly. And for our people, we're continuing to build a diverse and inclusive workplace, one where everyone is welcome.

Restaurants and bars at London Gatwick

Indulge in a world of flavours as you explore our diverse selection of restaurants, cafes, and bars. From traditional British pub grub to exotic Asian delicacies, our eateries are designed to offer an experience that mirrors London's vibrant culinary scene.

Browse all restaurants

Reserve & Collect at World Duty-Free

Discover the world’s leading brands at World Duty-Free, along with exclusives and savings on fragrance, alcohol and sunglasses you won’t find on the high street.

Welcome to the Acumen Family

ACUMEN LAW is an award-winning, innovative law firm with a unique offering. Democratically run by all, with no secretaries, letter dictation or pretentiousness; just modern, approachable, smart lawyers and top-notch support of a different kind. (And if you happen to see a lawyer in flip flops – not to worry, that’s just one of the ways we do happy!)

We are based in Brighton and Sussex but work internationally and nationwide with a strong presence in the South East.

ACUMEN BUSINESS LAW

Working with you, the entrepreneur, business owner and changemaker, we are here to protect you and your business. We are Business Law specialists who quote fixed fees at the outset and advise clients from all over the world via quality Legal FaceTime.

Click here to visit us at ACUMEN BUSINESS LAW

ACUMEN PEOPLE

Working with private individuals, we are here to protect you and your family’s needs. The firm was set up as the law firm of the people for the people Buying homes, support with family matters or looking after future generations- at the end of the day all we care about is making people’s lives better!

Click here to visit us at ACUMEN PEOPLE

The only manufacturer of intraocular lenses in the UK

Rayner is leading the way in ophthalmic innovation with IOLs and ophthalmic solutions designed to provide surgeons and patients with the best visual outcomes.

When ophthalmologist Sir Harold Ridley implanted the world’s first IOL in 1949, he chose Rayner to manufacture this ground-breaking invention. Since then, Rayner has experienced over 75 years of continuous growth and experience, now selling in over 95 countries worldwide.

Our mission is to deliver innovative and clinically superior ophthalmic products that consistently respond to the expectations of our global customers and reward the profound trust placed in us to improve sight and quality of life.

Rayner has a broad portfolio of products across the patient pathway, including monofocal and premium Intraocular Lenses (IOLs), a full range of Ophthalmic Viscosurgical Devices (OVDs), a family of Ocular Surface Disease (OSD) solutions, SOPHI Phaco emulsification machine, and RayPRO, the only digital patient outcomes platform specifically designed for ophthalmology.

With regional offices in every corner of the world, Rayner’s state-of-the-art global headquarters and manufacturing plant are in Worthing on the South Coast of the UK.

Rayner is a British company and the only manufacturer of intraocular lenses in the UK.

Our dedicated Research & Development team are committed to their mission of developing innovative new products, clinically superior materials and state-of-the-art automated manufacturing equipment.

Combining extensive in-house technical expertise in the fields of advanced optics, materials, injector design and automation, together with a collaborative cross-departmental project management culture, enables us to position ourselves at the forefront of the IOL market with a constantly-evolving portfolio of innovative product solutions. A consistent customer-focussed approach to development also helps ensure that products are always designed with user needs at the forefront of our minds.

Reflecting the global nature of today’s ophthalmic market, we continue to actively build a network of close links with leading universities and research organisations across the world. These mutually-beneficial relationships are designed to expand our technical knowledge whilst helping to further the development of life-changing cutting-edge ophthalmic technologies.

Rayner’s great history of working with leading ophthalmic surgeons to make their ideas reality (from the first IOL developed for Harold Ridley in 1949, through designs for Choyce, Strampelli, Epstein, Binkhorst, and more recently in collaboration with Professors Apple and Amon) continues today, and we welcome new product concepts from all external sources. If you are a surgeon, academic, inventor or even a patient with a great idea, we would love to hear from you (contact us: [email protected]).

We believe we have implemented a company structure which is perfectly suited to support our focus on innovative, agile and fast-paced development. Combining this with our commitment to reinvest at least 15% of annual turnover in R&D activities will continue to give us a strong competitive edge in the 21st century ophthalmic market.

Your Managed Service Partner

Award-winning leading providers of outsourced IT support, Cybersecurity solutions, and business IT consulting.

We are a B2B IT support and Cybersecurity company for small to medium businesses. We know first-hand that every business is different and as a result has different needs. This is why we tailor-make our packages to specially fit your unique needs, allowing full protection and IT support even as your business continues to grow.

How we do it:

We believe in a layered security approach and give free consultations and advice on which solutions best fit your business. With our highly qualified and continually trained tech team offering you 24/7 support, along with our friendly account managers making sure your every need is met,  you can rest assured knowing your company is safe, because to us, it’s not just business, it’s personal.

Why we do it:

We do all this because we know just how catastrophic a data breach or faulty server could be to any business and feel strongly that no one should ever have to go through having their years and years of hard work destroyed.

Let yourself grow and request a free brochure today - http://www.chrysaliscourses.co.uk/

HMD Kontro is recognised as the pioneer of sealless pump engineering and manufacturing.  Contact us to discuss how magnetic drive pump technology can save you time and money.

In 1947, the very first sealless magnetic drive pump was developed by HMD Kontro, breaking new ground in pump and fluid handling technology. For more of our illustrious history in sealless pump design and development, please take a look at our timeline.

HMD Kontro Sealless Magnetic Drive Pumps

The HMD Kontro sealless magnetic drive design offers a wide range of operational benefits.

• Maximised reliability and uptime
• No risk of emissions or leaks
• Increased safety for employees
• Environmentally friendly
• Minimal spare parts inventory
• Reduced operating budget

HMD Kontro pumps are particularly suitable for situations involving high temperatures, high viscosity, high value, high pressures and volatile substances.

Sealless magnetic drive pumps are the first choice for a wide range of applications, especially in industries involving toxic substances as well as for fine, corrosive and aggressive liquids.

• • Chemical
  • Upstream Oil & Gas
  • Downstream Oil & Gas
  • Power
  • Water & Waste
  • Pharmaceutical
  • General Industry

HMD Kontro provides sealless pumps that save money and increase profitability thanks to less complexity, less time required for design, installation and commissioning, lower operational costs, a requirement for less skilled labour less environmental impact and less risk to your employees.  As the original inventors of the magnetic drive pump we now offer sealless pumps in many configurations and to a wide range of operating parameters for many applications.

Sealless Magnetic Drive Pumps engineered to meet your needs

HMD Kontro offers a wide range of sealless magnetic drive pumps to suit your industry. Our pumps offer a wide range of benefits and advanced features.

Take a moment to see how our pumps can help revolutionise your process workflow. The many benefits of HMD Kontro magnetic drive sealless pumps include:

• Product Security:  Our pumps provide a very safe and robust method for liquid transfer. By eliminating seals, the primary opportunities for leaks associated with traditional sealed pumps are eradicated.
• Efficiency:  By improving performance and significantly reducing maintenance, sealless magnetic drive pumps can dramatically reduce downtime and lost production and thus maximise efficiency.
• Reliability:  Proven reliability in the most severe climate conditions, from the frozen Tundra of Siberia to the deserts of the Middle East and the humid climate of Louisiana, HMD Kontro pumps have been utilised worldwide.
• Health & Safety:  With no mechanical seals to leak your fluids including hazardous chemicals, HMD Kontro pumps offer a clear choice for process industry professionals, including those who deal with volatile or high-value materials.
• Up To Standard: HMD Kontro sealless pumps are manufactured to conform to international design and safety standards, including ATEX, ISO, API and ANSI requirements.
• Operational Benefits:  Sealless magnetic drive pumps require less monitoring and maintenance than a traditional sealed design, resulting in substantial savings over the lifetime of the pump.
• Service Team:  In addition to our own, highly experienced Aftermarket team, our Channel Partner service centres are situated all around the world and are designed to keep our sealless magnetic drive pumps operating at peak performance. Standard pumps and parts are available from the factory and in the field.

For more information about HMD Kontro and our products including ZeroLoss® containment shells and VapourView® a non-intrusive gas in liquid detector, please call +44 (0) 1323 452000 or email us.

Mr Digital is the antidote to the broken agency model

Based in Brighton, we are a Growth Architecture Partner for ambitious brands in Hospitality, B2B, and eCommerce. We exist to replace the traditional "digital agency" approach, often defined by hourly billing, scope creep, and vanity metrics, with a Fixed-Fee Commercial Partnership focused entirely on measurable revenue.

Instead of selling hourly consulting or ad-hoc campaigns, we build Revenue Engines. We combine Strategy, Web Development, Paid Media, and Creative into a single digital ecosystem. Our partners benefit from total accountability via our proprietary "Performance Tracker," ensuring decisions are based on real-time £ Revenue Influenced (over £300M+ generated to date), not just clicks or impressions

Find out if we’re the right growth partner for you

Mr Digital is the partner for business leaders who are tired of the "broken agency model" and want a strategic financial asset, not just a service provider. We are a Growth Architecture Partner that puts commercial certainty first.

We diagnose before we prescribe. Using our Strategic Blueprint and Digital P&L analysis, we identify exactly where your revenue is leaking and where it can scale before we spend a penny on ads.

Once the strategy is defined, we move to high-velocity execution. We replace the chaos of hourly billing with a Fixed-Fee Revenue Partnership, delivering the Strategy, Web, SEO, and Paid Media required to drive growth. We help clients make decisions based on £ Revenue Influenced, guided by commercial evidence, not marketing assumptions.

Understand the philosophy driving our results

Our philosophy is simple: Marketing must be a profit centre, not a cost centre.

We believe growth should be predictable, measurable, and transparent. We don't rely on "hope marketing" or rigid, theoretical frameworks. Instead, we build custom Revenue Engines.

We diagnose before we prescribe. Every partnership begins with a Strategic Blueprint to identify revenue leaks and opportunities before we move into high-velocity execution. This ensures that every decision is intentional and that every pound invested is attached to a measurable commercial outcome, giving you the clarity to scale with confidence.

Services Mr Digital offer

Growth Architecture & Strategic Blueprints: We diagnose before we prescribe. We replace "fractional support" with a complete commercial strategy. Using our Strategic Blueprint and Digital P&L analysis, we identify revenue leaks across your customer journey before investing in delivery. We transition businesses from ad-hoc marketing to a predictable growth system.

Paid Media (PPC & Social): We manage Google Ads, LinkedIn, and Meta campaigns with a strict focus on revenue-influenced, not just clicks. We have replaced the "Infinity-5" process with our proprietary "Performance Tracker," giving you real-time transparency on exactly how much revenue every pound of ad spend generates.

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO): We build long-term market leadership. Our SEO strategy goes beyond basic keywords to capture high-intent traffic for B2B, eCommerce, and multi-site brands. We combine technical precision with authority-building content to ensure your brand dominates the search results that actually convert to revenue.

High-Performance Web Development: We build "Commercial Assets," not just brochure websites. Whether on WordPress, Shopify, or Webflow, our sites are engineered for speed, user experience, and conversion. We ensure your digital infrastructure is capable of handling scale and turning traffic into paying customers.

Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) & Analytics: Traffic is vanity; conversion is sanity. We use structured data and live dashboards to continuously optimise your funnels, reducing drop-off and increasing the lifetime value of every visitor. You get 24/7 access to your commercial data—no more hiding behind static PDF reports.

Email & Lifecycle Marketing: We turn one-time buyers into loyal advocates. By leveraging automation and platforms like Klaviyo, we build retention systems that recover abandoned revenue, boost repeat purchases, and maximise the profitability of your existing customer base.

Content & Social: We move beyond "posting for engagement" to "Demand Generation." We create content strategies that build authority and trust, positioning your brand as the obvious choice in your sector before the sales conversation even begins.

Lead Generation: We build a qualified pipeline, not just data lists. Our multi-channel lead generation programmes are integrated directly with your CRM, allowing us to track the ROI of every lead from first click to closed deal.

Industry-Specific Solutions We deploy deep sector expertise where we know we can win.

• Hospitality: Driving covers, bookings, and revenue for multi-site operators.
• Professional Services: Generating qualified B2B leads.
• eCommerce: Scaling transactional revenue.

Ross Crawford is the Founder of Mr Digital, a Growth Architecture firm he built as the antidote to the broken agency model. Since 2016, Ross has helped ambitious brands in Hospitality, B2B and eCommerce move beyond vanity metrics to build true "Revenue Engines."

Ross rejects the traditional hourly-billing agency structure. Instead, he champions a Fixed-Fee Partnership model where Strategy, Tech and Performance Marketing combine to deliver measurable commercial return. He partners with business leaders to diagnose revenue leaks, implement proprietary growth systems ("The Performance Tracker") and scale what works, without the scope creep or "digital noise" of traditional agencies.

Let’s talk about your next stage of growth

Choose the way that works best for you and we’ll respond within one business day.

Contact us

Start the Conversation Call us on 01273 942 329. No scripts. No "account managers." Just a direct conversation about your commercial goals and whether our Fixed-Fee Growth Architecture is the right vehicle to achieve them. We’ll respond with clear, strategic advice within one business day.

Book a meeting instantly

Book a Commercial Strategy Session. Pick a time that suits you using our live calendar. You’ll meet directly with a Director-level strategist to diagnose your current performance gaps. We’ll look at your "Digital P&L" and tell you honestly if we can help and if we can't, we'll tell you that too.

Website: www.mr-digital.co.uk

Email your brief

Send us your Commercial Objectives. Prefer to outline your challenges first? Send us your requirements or current revenue targets. We will review your digital footprint and respond within one business day with a clear perspective on your next steps and how we can deliver a measurable return.

Request a callback

Request a Callback: Leave your details and a Senior Strategist will call you back. We’ll discuss your specific sector challenges, whether in Hospitality, B2B, or eCommerce and how a partnership can deliver the ROI you need. No pressure. Just commercial clarity.

Leaders in Employment Law

Sherrards is a leading specialist employment law firm, providing employment law advisory services, HR consultancy and employment related training from our office in Sussex. Sherrards have specialist employment lawyers and legal consultants, and is recommended by the Legal 500 and Chambers, the leading directories of the legal profession, as a provider of employment law advice.

Sherrards’ national client base includes organisations in the private, public, and voluntary sectors.

The team at Sherrards is praised in Chambers for providing “a first-rate, seamless service, with strong, clear advice.” One client interviewed by Chambers said “With Sherrards, I feel confident and assured about taking a case forward.” Another said “The team comes across as approachable and gets back to me very promptly.”

The Legal 500 describes Sherrards as “extremely professional” and states that the team “always provides excellent advice.” They note that Harry Sherrard and Dan Soanes “always explain the legal terms without complexity.”

Sherrards provides practical and creative solutions to employment law problems. Our approach is no-nonsense, business-minded and jargon-free. We help you to get to the root of the problem and deal with it effectively – and legally!

• Employer Services
• The Sherrards Academy
• Training and Development
• HR Consultancy
• empLawyer®
• Insurance
• Employee Services
• Occupational Health
• Health and Safety
• How to Guides

Why DuraSuite is different

Most systems help you manage a specific function.

DuraSuite helps you understand, design, and improve how your business operates as a whole.

Understand what?

Where the business is really at

Operational risks, hidden gaps, process breakdowns, unclear ownership, governance weaknesses, and what is actually blocking performance.

Design what?

How the business should work

Standard operating procedures, HR policies, risk and controls matrices, business case templates, SLA and KPI mapping, and end-to-end project management plans for HR and payroll technology implementations, covering every phase from discovery to go-live. This is where vendors often fail to deliver positive results, and where organisations either lack the time to create these assets themselves or find doing so prohibitively expensive.

Built-in tools for sharing knowledge, collaborating across teams, and communicating clearly, so organisations can build stronger connections and support each other as they grow.

Improve how?

With structure that sticks

Measurable diagnostics, continuous monitoring, vendor accountability, and practical frameworks that turn insight into sustained operational performance.

Business Function

Payroll Platforms

Ensure employees are paid accurately, on time, and in compliance with local regulations. They process payroll transactions, manage deductions, taxes, pensions, and statutory obligations.

HR Platforms

Manage the employee lifecycle, including recruitment, onboarding, performance, engagement, learning, and workforce administration. They help organisations support and manage their people.

DuraSuite ⚡

Examines how the entire business operates. It identifies gaps, unclear ownership, operational risks, process breakdowns, governance weaknesses, and scaling challenges, then provides the structure, accountability, and improvement frameworks needed to fix them.

What Each Function Answers

What DuraSuite Delivers

Operational clarity across teams and functions

Clearly defined roles, responsibilities, and ownership

Stronger governance, controls, and accountability

Reduced business risk and operational dependency

Improved process efficiency and effectiveness

Better alignment between strategy and execution

Scalable operating models that support growth

Practical frameworks that turn insight into action

The Outcome

Payroll systems ensure people get paid.

HR systems help manage people.

DuraSuite helps businesses operate with confidence, control, and clarity.

Built by a recognised payroll and HR transformation specialist, DuraSuite goes beyond software. It provides the structure, governance, operational intelligence, and practical frameworks organisations need to scale successfully, reduce risk, and perform at their best.

Most businesses don't look broken but underneath, this is what's happening.

• Payroll is running on trust not certainty.

  Every cycle ships on hope. One missed control and confidence collapses.

• HR is active but not driving real outcomes.

  Motion without momentum. Activity without measurable impact on the business.

• Projects are moving but not consistently landing.

  Deadlines slip. Scope drifts. Ownership blurs. Delivery becomes a coin toss.

• Teams are busy but not truly aligned.

  Everyone working hard. Nobody pulling in the same direction.

• Growth is there but it feels fragile.

  The numbers are up. The foundations underneath are not built to hold them.

This isn't about effort.

It's about how the business is actually operating.

See where you stand

Trusted by leaders

One connected way to run your business properly.

DuraSuite finds the gaps, helps you fix them, and puts the right structure in place, so your payroll, HR, and delivery work together.

"The work was exceptional."

— CFO, McDonald's Restaurants Ltd

"A true industry leader who delivers exceptional results and elevates the entire profession through advocacy, mentorship, and strategic thinking."

— Pete Tiliakos, Industry Analyst & Thought Leader, Payroll Industry

"Enabled us to design human-centred systems that drive alignment."

— CEO, Nuutology

"A creative, dynamic, all-rounded fantastic payroll professional — never shy to share her thought leadership. An incredible talent."

— Wendy Muirhead, Payroll Industry Leader

"Strong expertise across global payroll and mobility."

— Partner, KPMG

"Results-focused, with excellent expat tax and global mobility expertise — managing complex and competing priorities with sound international experience."

— Beth Thomas, Partner

Trusted across global payroll, HR, and transformation. Start running your business properly.

See exactly where your risks are.

PayrollHRTeamsProjects

Get your free report

✓ No cost✓ Takes 2 minutes✓ Instant insight

The DuraSuite difference

Why DuraSuite works

Simplify what's complex

Bring structure to payroll, HR, and delivery so nothing is left to assumption.

Create real alignment

Define ownership, roles, and accountability so everyone moves in the same direction.

Make confident decisions

Spot risks early, understand what matters, and act with clarity.

The transformation

This is what changes

Reliability

Run a business you can rely on

• Payroll you know is right not just assumed
• Projects that land with clear ownership
• Teams aligned around shared priorities
• Decisions made with clarity, not guesswork

Scale

Grow without breaking what you've built

• Strong, structured foundations
• Controlled, compliant operations
• Systems that scale with your business

That's what DuraSuite enables.

Take your free diagnostic

You don't need more tools.

You need your payroll, HR, and delivery to finally work together.

That's what DuraSuite does.