It’s been 15 years since Theo Paphitis came up with the concept of #SBS Small Business Sunday event. Like many of the #SBS winners themselves, the idea behind the concept was conceived around Theo’s kitchen table at home. It’s been 12 years of steady growth for the regular annual #SBS event where all previous #SBS winners are invited to the ICC in Birmingham for a day of networking, interviews, presentations, workshops and free advice. The theme that continued to be repeated this year was one of family. For so many of the #SBS winners attending the event, the creation, planning and embodiment of their businesses takes place in the family home. For many of those businesses, home isn’t just where the heart is, but where their business starts and grows surrounded by supportive family.

Once again Business Connect Magazine were invited to take part as Media Partners, and right from the very start as in previous years we were aware of how popular and important the day was for the past #SBS winners taking part. By the time the doors opened there was an excited cue of delegates stretching out from the foot of the stairs leading into the event right out through the doors of the ICC.

The day started with registration, and pretty soon all the shared areas were awash with excited conversations and a chance for old friends and new to network and catch up. There were over a 1,000 delegates, and once everyone had taken their seats in the main auditorium, Theo Paphitis Retail Group CEO Kypros Kyprianou opened the event with a warm welcome to everyone, incidently waving a copy of Business Connect Magazine to the excited audience! Kypros began by stressing straight away the idea of family and support behind the concept of Small Business Sunday “#SBS has become one big family. We’re all about collaboration, working closely and sharing experiences. You get together and network, you get exposure, you collaborate and so much more! Take time to network, nurture those relationships, they will help you in more ways than you know – both personally and professionally.”

Reminiscing about his childhood, Kypros recalled how he went into work with his father, “My dad taught me two great pieces of advice at that time that I have kept with me throughout my working life. The first is a strong work ethic. The other is the importance of the customer. He was obsessed with keeping his customers happy and it is something that has helped me enormously in my own experience.” Looking back, Kypros spoke about about how he started working for Theo. His banking job introduced him to Theo, and it was in those early years that he built a good client relationship with him. It was no surprise that in the years that followed Kypros has ended up holding the reins as CEO of the Theo Paphitis Retail Group.

“It really is all about putting yourself out there and networking, and the family element is so important. Literally, from sisters winning #SBS with their businesses, to parents and children winning, and even a wedding between winners who met through #SBS, it really has been an extraordinary 15 years of growing this brilliant community.” Kypros then went on to introduce Theo to the main stage to a warm and noisy welcome from the audience. Theo began by reflecting on the landmark 15 years of #SBS, “Welcome to the #SBS event 2025! Once again headlined by Google, this is our 12th event so far. We’ve got a fantastic line-up once again, appropriately marking the 15th anniversary of the start of Small Business Sunday. What a journey!

“I can’t tell you how much energy I get from being in this room. When I chat with you, I’m reminded of how we all began as small businesses. 52% of you are sole traders. That’s running your business on your own. No-one to share the bad times. No one to share the good times. This is why #SBS can be so important. It gives us an opportunity to share that journey, to be part of a great big family of business owners. If you have the support of your own family that’s a wonderful thing, but to be able to share your experiences with fellow small  business owners – that’s a wonderful opportunity that helps massively.

“This is always a very special day for myself and the #SBS crew. We work hard to bring together as many #SBS winners as we can to be inspired, motivated and educated by a line-up of amazing speakers, entrepreneurs and partners for a full day of incredible insights and learning. I say this every year – but it really is the best day out of the office that you can spend! We are once again lucky to hear from partners Google and NatWest on the mainstage, sharing their expertise and insights. And you’ll also enjoy sessions with entrepreneurs Jo Tutchener Sharp (of Scamp & Dude) and Imran Hakim, who I invested in 18 years ago on Dragon’s Den. Keynote interview will be with Richard Harpin, sharing his lessons for building a billion pound business.”

Reflecting on the statistics, Theo noted “There are over 4,000 businesses in this network now. That gives us some great numbers. Optimism is so important for us to take onboard as entrepreneurs. When we ran a recent survey 73% of you said you were feeling positive about your own businesses. That’s fantastic, but my advice is not to bet the farm! Listen to the facts as you grow your business. Don’t go blindly into things – always do your homework. However, don’t lose sight of that vital optimism! 59% of #SBS winners have been operating for over 5 years. National statistics show that 50% of small businesses fail within the first 2 years. That means #SBS businesses are far more successful than the national average! However, if you have suffered setbacks, it’s important to know things don’t work out sometimes. This doesn’t mean your original intentions were a waste of time. They were not wasted, they are part of the learning process – so pull up your bootstraps and use the experience to help you grow as a business.”

Next to take the stage was a ‘Business Accelerator Session’ delivered by NatWest. 
Debbie Lewis, Junior Beaman and Harinder Kunor led an informative session on the power of confidence. The message from the session was that confidence starts with your mindset – If you have a fixed or a growth mindset, it has a direct impact on the things you can achieve.

After a break Google presented a session on ‘Digital Upskilling’ – a panel led by Kristie Kavanagh with #SBS Winner Rhea Freeman and Founder of Whizzer, Zoe Chapman. The discussion covered everything from digital courses, social media and the use of AI. Key things to take away were to commit to learning and developing and be inquisitive about courses available. Also, to take a closer look at Google Digital Garage Courses for information about things such as SEO, design, ideas and next steps for your business. It was suggested that Social Media can open up different avenues and allow you to reach new markets. Also AI could be a very useful tool – experiment and try different prompts. Learning now will help you save time in the future. Always remember as well that you are your brand – whether in the digital space or in person, you are representing it and selling it, so make the most of it! And of course if you don’t know something – there will be a course or a tool out there to help you – simply Google it!

Finally, before the break for lunch, Theo was reunited on stage with Imran Hakim, with whom he invested on Dragons’ Den 18 years ago. The iTeddy (his original investment) also turned up and loved his moment on stage! Imran spoke candidly about his journey and his key advice for small business. His advice included recognising that a superpower of small businesses is adaptability and agility – something big companies struggle to do.

Also passion is something you have for your business or your product, but your customers need to feel it too. You need to ensure that passion comes through in everything you do. Surround yourself with positive people – they will energise you when the chips are down, and ensure you establish a clear set of values and truly live by them. Recruiting people based on those values will pay dividends.

After a break for lunch and networking, Jo Tutchener Sharp, founder of Scamp & Dude, shared her journey ‘from brain surgery to brand founder’. Jo spoke movingly about how she found herself in a hospital room being told she had had a brain haemorrhage and the terrifying thoughts she had go through her mind about leaving her children without a mum. One of the questions she asked herself was: “How will I be remembered if this is the end?”

She vowed that if she survived her brain surgery, then she would do something to help others… and she went on to do exactly that! Thinking about what would have been helpful for her when she was in the hospital and how she wanted to be there for her children, Jo came up with the idea of a superhero toy with a pocket for a picture to show her children that she was still with them. She launched the toys, and for every one sold, one would be donated directly to patients who would benefit from them. Alongside this, she started a clothes line, infused with super powers. The slogan was ‘a super hero has my back.’ Next came the super-scarfs – for every scarf sold, one is donated to a woman going through cancer treatment. Her aim is to give a scarf to every woman who begins their cancer journey.

The final keynote session was a ‘Fireside Chat’ with Richard Harpin, Founder of HomeServe. Theo settled down for a final interview of the day. Richard started by sharing his early memories. Aged 4, he remembered seeing a helicopter land in the back garden of a big house near where he lived – he turned to his dad and said he wanted to go in one – he remembered his Dad replying that he needed to own his own business if he wanted to afford a helicopter. It was that moment that he attributes to becoming an entrepreneur. The interview covered his highs and lows in business, including the moments where it looked like the business was not going to survive, and yet Richard noted “If it’s your life’s dream, you’ve got to find a way through.” Richard then listed his eight secrets to building a £ billion business with Theo before rounding his interview off with a series of engaging Q&A’s from the audience.

Theo then thanked the supportive partners and sponsors – Google, NatWest, Ryman, Robert Dyas, iLaw, SumUp, Spring & Autumn Fair, Hakim Group, FreeAgent, GS1 UK, DHL and Lifestyle – the official #SBS supporters. The day ended in the time-honoured tradition of Theo having his photo taken with every new #SBS winner!

#SBS partners with Lifestyle giving access to 1.5million customers

The digital #SBS x Lifestyle Gift Card was launched by Theo Paphitis the #SBSEvent2025 to over 1,000 small business attendees. The new #SBS Gift Card will give small businesses the opportunity to see new routes of income and raise brand awareness. A trial with #SBS winners and Lifestyle saw a 70% redemption rate, and will now be available to the full community of over 4,000 small businesses.

Theo founded #SBS in 2010 to help promote and support small businesses on social media. Now celebrating its 15th year, #SBS has teamed up with Lifestyle to launch the new #SBS Gift Card, a digital Gift Card designed just for the #SBS network, where people can redeem their Lifestyle Gift Cards against a #SBS winning business. Theo commented: “In its 15th anniversary year, #SBS Small Business Sunday is offering even more to its community of over 4,000 small businesses. Partnering with Lifestyle to launch the #SBS Gift Card feels like a fantastic way to mark this anniversary by opening up new avenues for sales, growth and marketing exposure for the small businesses.

“Having consumers able to select #SBS businesses on the Lifestyle website and spend their hard-earned money whilst supporting small businesses, is something I’m very proud of. I look forward to businesses taking up the opportunity and accessing the potential new avenue of sales from the 1.5million customer base. The sky’s the limit!”  

Lifestyle Managing Director, Adam Hobbs, said: “Lifestyle is incredibly excited about our new partnership with #SBS, we believe that the Gift Card market has been somewhat cut off to small and medium sized retailers, and we’re here to change that. “By partnering with #SBS we’re able to work closely with the UK’s widest array of fantastic small and medium retailers. In turn those retailers are able to work with the UK’s favourite Multi Choice Gift Card, Lifestyle, opening new markets, accessing new customers and ensuring your brand is seen across the entirety of the UK.”

Lifestyle customers will be able to log on and choose to purchase from the variety of #SBS winners, who will have a specially designed section on the website to highlight they are shopping from a small business. This offers #SBS winners a new platform to sell their products with the UK’s favourite Multi Choice Gift Card company, opening them up to the millions of customers that visit their website. This card is the first of its kind and the only Gift Card that champions small businesses. Twelve #SBS businesses took part in a 2024 trial on the Lifestyle website, and 70% of them have seen redemptions already and with the spotlight section for the #SBS Card on the website, this is a fantastic opportunity for the #SBS community.

The digital Gift Card was launched at the annual free #SBS Event in Birmingham on 21st February, which saw 1,000 attendees access a day full of free advice, mentoring and motivational speakers to help grow their business.

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