Connect Over A Cuppa - Feb 2027

Connect Over A Cuppa brings business leaders together to learn and connect. Join Ronnie Legg to explore developing your own clothing brand
About this Event

Small by Design: Building a Business on Your Own Terms

With Ronnie Legg, Founder of Vertura

Does business success always mean getting bigger?

We're often encouraged to think that building a successful business means employing more people, opening more locations and continually chasing growth. But what if success is about creating something smaller, more specialist and entirely on your own terms?

For February's Connect Over A Cuppa, we're joined by Ronnie Legg, Founder of Vertura, a specialist outdoor clothing business creating high-performance technical clothing designed specifically for women taking on challenging mountain environments.

Ronnie's journey combines a passion for adventure, years of experience in technical clothing design and a determination to address a gap in the market that larger brands have often overlooked.

Having experienced first-hand how poorly some technical outdoor clothing performs for women, Ronnie recognised an opportunity to do things differently. But spotting a gap in the market is only the beginning.

Turning an idea into a viable business involves developing products, understanding customers, managing costs and deciding when to take the leap from employment into working for yourself.

Ronnie will share the realities of building a business alongside an existing career, making the transition into self-employment and learning what it takes to compete in an established industry without the resources of a large organisation.

We'll also explore her approach to building a lean, specialist business, where maintaining control, protecting product quality and achieving financial sustainability matter more than simply becoming bigger.

What we'll explore

• Spotting the opportunity: How personal experience and specialist knowledge can reveal gaps that larger businesses overlook.
• Taking the leap: Developing an idea alongside employment and deciding when to commit to it full-time.
• Knowing your strengths: Using your experience, skills and interests to build a business with a clear competitive advantage.
• Developing products customers really need: Turning real-world frustrations into better products and a distinctive market position.
• Growing on your own terms: Balancing ambition, profitability, independence and the realities of running a small business.

Whether you're considering starting a business, already running one or leading an established company, Ronnie's story offers a fresh perspective on innovation, business growth and what success really looks like.

As always, there'll be plenty of opportunity to ask questions, exchange experiences and connect with other business owners and leaders.

Come curious. Share openly. Leave inspired.

Event timings

9.00am – Doors open, refreshments and networking
9.30am – Speaker session and discussion
11.00am – Close, with the opportunity to stay and continue conversations

About our speaker

Ronnie Legg is the Founder of Vertura, a specialist outdoor clothing brand focused on technical performance clothing for women. Drawing on her experience designing clothing for extreme environments and her own mountain adventures, Ronnie is building a business around a clear mission: creating products that enable more women to explore high and cold places in comfort.

Who should attend?

Whether you're starting a business, leading a growing company or managing an established SME, this session offers an opportunity to step away from day-to-day pressures and reflect on how your mindset influences your business.

Come prepared to participate, challenge your thinking and leave with fresh perspectives and practical ideas to put into action.

Thursday 18 February 2027 | 9.00am–11.00am
Everyman Cinema, Harrogate

About Connect Over A Cuppa

Fresh ideas, different perspectives and interesting conversations about business.

Connect Over A Cuppa is a monthly event for business owners and leaders who want to step away from the day-to-day, learn something new and meet interesting people.

Hosted by Edward Ryder of , each session features a guest speaker sharing their experiences, insights and lessons learned.

Our speakers come from a wide range of backgrounds, from successful entrepreneurs and business leaders to specialists in strategy, marketing, finance, technology, innovation and psychology.

What can you expect?

• Fresh insights from people with different experiences and perspectives.
• Practical ideas you can take back to your business.
• Interesting conversations with business owners, leaders and experts.
• New connections and opportunities to share ideas and experiences.
• Time to think about your own business away from the daily pressures.

Not your usual networking event

There are no forced introductions or sales pitches. People come to learn, share ideas and meet others, so the networking happens naturally.

Two hours each month to learn something new, meet interesting people and think differently about business.

Join us

Connect Over A Cuppa takes place 9.00am–11.00am on the third Thursday of every month. Harrogate.

Whether you're a business owner, founder, director or part of a leadership team, you're welcome.

For more details website.