About SBIN
Business, differently.
The Stroud Business & Innovation Network is a community of entrepreneurs, makers and thinkers who believe that how you build a business matters as much as what you build. We meet, collaborate, challenge each other, and make Stroud a better place to work.
Where it started
Stroud is already full of extraordinary businesses.
They just don't always know about each other.
SBIN started with a simple observation: Stroud has an unusual density of independent thinkers, ethical entrepreneurs and creative businesses. More than almost anywhere else per head. But there was no infrastructure connecting them, no shared space for ambition, no honest conversation about the realities of running a business here.
So we built one. Not another business breakfast club. Not another Chamber of Commerce. Something that actually reflects how progressive, creative businesses want to connect.
What we believe
Not principles. Commitments.
01
Honest over polished
We share real stories: what worked, what failed, what we learned. No highlight reels, no personal branding theatre.
02
Collaboration over competition
The businesses that thrive in Stroud are the ones that lift each other. We are a network, not a leaderboard.
03
Local roots, global thinking
Stroud is the base. Innovation is the ambition. We believe you can build world-class work from the Cotswold hills.
04
Equitable by design
A market stall, a tech startup, a freelance designer. All equally at home here. Community isn't selective.
Who it's for
You belong here if you build things.
- Founders building something from scratch
- Business owners who've been at it for years and want fresh thinking
- Freelancers and independents who work alone but don't want to be isolated
- Makers, creatives and craftspeople
- Professionals who want to connect beyond their sector
- Local service businesses, trades and practitioners who want to be better connected and easier to find.
- Anyone who gives a damn about Stroud's economic future
The people who started it
Meet the founders.
Co-Founder
Derrick Lakin-Smith
Derrick has spent two decades building digital products and communities. He started SBIN after noticing Stroud's unusual density of independent talent had no real shared infrastructure, no honest space for ambition, not something built for Stroud. He would like to help fix that.
Co-Founder
Louise Jensen
Louise has spent 25 years helping people, teams, and businesses work out what they're actually building - and what's stopping them. She kept noticing the same thing in Stroud: brilliant, independent people doing remarkable work, largely unaware of each other. She co-founded SBIN because that felt like something worth fixing.
Help us build it
The wider crew.
SBIN is built by the community, for the community, growth is in our DNA, and these are the kinds of contributions we are looking for next.
Open role
Community Manager
Keep the network warm between events - member onboarding, community communications, and making sure the collab board stays alive.
Get involvedOpen role
Events Coordinator
Handle the logistics that make great events possible: venues, ticketing, communications, and making sure every room is set up to do its best work.
Get involvedOpen role
Partnerships
Build relationships with local organisations, sponsors and collaborators who share our values and can extend what SBIN offers its members.
Get involvedNo shareholders. No salaries.
Everything goes back to you.
We run SBIN in our spare time, with no financial interest. Fees cover costs; anything left over is reinvested in the network.
Ready?
Get in the room.
SBIN is open to anyone building or supplying something in or around Stroud: founders, freelancers, makers, creatives, trades, services and the people who support them. Sign up and become part of SBIN.