Date: 22 December 2025
Author: Jess Clark
For Entrepreneurs Only (FEO) is stepping into 2026 with real momentum - a packed 2025 behind us, national recognition, and thousands of volunteer hours that show just how powerful peer-driven entrepreneurship can be in Hull and East Yorkshire.
In 2025, FEO was shortlisted in TheBusinessDesk.com’s Yorkshire Business of the Year Awards under the Community Impact category, recognising the contribution members make through peer learning, mentoring and hands-on support. FEO also became headline partner of the HEY Business Awards, aligning two flagships of the region’s business community under one shared mission - to celebrate success and inspire more people to start, adapt and grow. Throughout the year, FEO members volunteered over 4,000 hours to support fellow entrepreneurs – time given freely to share experience, troubleshoot challenges and champion new ideas, all rooted in peer learning and peer support.
Those 4,000-plus hours are at the heart of everything we do. Our members don’t just talk about helping others - they turn up, share what they’ve learned and walk alongside people who are building businesses in this region. FEO is built on peer learning and peer support. I want to say a massive thank you to every one of our members and our key partners for the time, energy and the financial commitment they give to help Hull and East Yorkshire thrive.
Across 2025, FEO curated a programme of events designed to inform, challenge and motivate entrepreneurs at every stage.
- In January, The John Good Story with Adam Walsh opened the year by showcasing a sixth‑generation family business that continues to evolve while staying true to its values.
- February’s Sewell Culture - Doing the Right Thing with Jo Barnes explored culture, purpose and long-term thinking, shining a light on leadership that balances commercial performance with doing what’s right for people and place.
- March’s FEO Wine Tasting evening brought members together in a more relaxed setting.
Through spring and summer, FEO offered practical skills and world-class insight:
- A Celebrity Service workshop with Geoff Ramm focused on how to wow customers with brilliant basics and memorable touches.
- An HR workshop with Ted Flanagan, Alison Davies and Helen Hudson returned by popular demand, helping members tackle real-world people challenges.
- At The Business Day in Bridlington, FEO members and partners joined the wider regional business community for a full day of inspiration, networking and thought leadership.
In July, FEO welcomed Alex Partridge, Founder of LADBible and UNILAD, whose talk “Why I chose to be a short-term letdown to my friends and family” brought powerful honesty about risk, sacrifice and building something new.
The autumn schedule underlined FEO’s commitment to bringing in top-tier voices with practical relevance to local businesses:
Brilliant Basics, Magic Touches with Linda Moir - recommended by FEO founder David Kilburn - gave members an inside look at how Virgin Atlantic’s former Director of In-flight Services builds people-powered service cultures that delight customers.
The AGM and special guest session with Dave Fishwick, “Bank of Dave”, offered a shot of entrepreneurial zeal and a reminder that challenging the status quo can change lives as well as balance sheets.
December’s FEO Festive Celebration at Hotham Hall rounded off the year, it was a joy to relax, celebrate, and enjoy each other’s company.
“Whether it’s a global customer service expert or an entrepreneur who has built something from scratch against the odds, every speaker brings stories our members can relate to and act on,” says Jan. “These aren’t theoretical lectures - they’re lived experiences that spark new ideas in our community.”
Underpinning all of this is a tight-knit ecosystem of members and key partners who share FEO’s belief that private enterprise has a crucial role in creating jobs and opportunity in the region. In 2025, McClarrons joined as the latest Key Partner, sitting alongside Connexin, Cranswick plc, Gosschalks, John Good Group, MKM Building Supplies, Neill & Brown, Smailes Goldie and The One Point in backing FEO’s mission financially and practically. Their support helps make possible the programmes, events and mentoring that FEO delivers across Hull and East Yorkshire.
As CEO, it’s a privilege to see how our members and partners pull together
“From McClarrons joining our existing Key Partners, to long-standing supporters hosting events and sharing expertise, it all adds up. Together, we’re creating a stronger, more confident business community - and that benefits everyone who lives and works here. As we move into 2026, that sense of shared purpose has never felt more important.”
Email:
info@forentrepreneursonly.co.uk
Address:
For Entrepreneurs Only Quarry House, Hesslewood Office Park, Hessle, East Yorkshire, HU130LH
