My Best Takeaways From The SBS 2025 Event With Theo Paphitis

First off, I should probably give a little context to what the SBS event is all about. 

SBS, or Small Business Sunday, is a UK based network for small businesses created by Theo Paphitis who was a dragon on Dragons Den between 2005 and 2012. It's a way for small businesses to get exposure and connect with other small businesses, something that Theo is keen to expand on.

Every Sunday, Theo posts on Instagram and Linked In and you have a window of opportunity between 5pm and 7.30 pm to pitch your business using the hashtag #SBS. 
Six businesses are winners each week and become part of the SBS community.
Benefits for businesses include increased social media following as you get a shout out on Theo's socials, access to a network of like minded businesses, and a free pass to Theo's annual small business event which is what I am talking about here, amongst other things. 

The annual event is, without a doubt, the highlight of my calendar. Although this is the first time I have attended as a winner, I have been lucky enough to attend with a fellow business buddy (Jane at Scent Styling)  for the last 3 years. During the day we hear from various guest speakers and successful business owners and I never fail to walk away without some pearls of wisdom. 

Which leads me on to my best takeaways from the 2025 event.

Theo Paphitis - Opening Speech. 

Theo always has some words of wisdom for his opening speech and this year was no exception. There are two points that I made a note of this year.

1. You have no other option than to have optimism as an entrepreneur.
2. Your business journey, and the scars you earn in the process, are, in many ways, just as important as the result.

Number 2 is SO true, I have done many things that didn't work or backfired on me as part of the business, and others that have lost me considerable amounts of money, but I needed to go through those stages to be able to do what I am doing now. It doesn't make them failures, but part of the bigger picture.

NatWest - Power Of Confidence. 

Every year Debbie Lewis, NatWest Enterprise Manager, gives a talk and she is a brilliant speaker. This year she was talking about the power of confidence in your business (and life). One of the slides had these points on which I thought were all worthy of a mention.

• Cognitive Reframing - However you talk about yourself, would you say that to a friend? Talk to yourself like you would a friend.
• Behavioural Activation - The more you do something the easier it will become and the more confident you will become doing it. Think of showing up on social media in person for example! 
• Growth Mindset - Remember the power of adding the word 'yet'. This is a brilliant one. Ie. I don't have any stockists - yet! 
• Embodied Confidence - Fake it til you make it. (Yes I do this all the time! I am not the confident speaker/mentor you may see on my videos but I am confident in my abilities) Your brain is listening. This doesn't mean being something you are not, or being false. It is about doing power poses, telling yourself 5 times in the mirror that you can do this and that you are capable. Just doing the thing, no matter how scared you are.
• Keep a Win's Journal - Don't forget how far you have come.
• Seek Support and Normalise - I haven't added this one in I promise - it was on the slide! Mentors. coaches, peers, pals - seek out those that will champion you. You don't need to do this alone (and trying to do so is incredibly hard). This is exactly why I set up the Soap Suite, my membership for UK soap and skincare businesses AND why I try and keep it super affordable at just £20 per month.

Google Talk

Google normally give a presentation but this year was a little different and it was an interview with Zoe Chapman , founder of Whizzer and Rhea Freeman, and award winning woman of many talents is probably the best way to describe her. I can't remember who made the following comment but something very similar cropped up in the afternoon interview with Richard Harpin. 

The comment in question was Take Someone Else's Idea and Do It Better. Initially I was a bit unsure on this, after all, nobody likes a copy cat, but as the discussion continued I realised it is very true. Very few of us have a truly unique idea, we are all just reinventing the wheel but those who do it better win. This is a big part of doing a SWOT analysis, we look at the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in our field and work out what we can do better. 

Imran Hakim - Hakim Group

Imran was the face behind the ITeddy, which Theo invested in on Dragon's Den many years ago. That business was not to be his best one and he now has a group of nearly 500 opticians practices under his company umbrella. However, he started out from scratch, having been sacked from McDonalds and Morrisons, both within the same week as a teenager, which is an amazing achievement indeed 😂. I am SO annoyed with myself as I haven't written down any nuggets from his interview but I know there would have been many. The truth is, he is just such a lovely, down to earth guy who has achieved greatness through hard work and tenacity. I think I was too busy listening to make any notes. Sorry Imran, that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy your interview.

Jo Tutchener - Scamp & Dude

I had heard of Scamp and Dude but was not aware of the back story behind the brand prior to this event. Do look it up if you have time, Jo is truly an inspiration. My takeaway from her interview was Give It Your Everything, You Will Have to Make Sacrifices. I know many of us start our own businesses to get away from the corporate life and to try and gain a better work life balance but the truth is, that requires more work in the early days than you will ever do working for someone else. That is just how it is - the idea being that you do something you truly believe in and you will reap the rewards later. If this means early starts, less Netflix binging or doing some things that you don't enjoy initially then so be it. Why you are doing it will be your driving force - and having a strong why is also something that Jo talked about a lot. 

Richard Harpin, original founder of HomeServe

If I am honest, I didn't find this fireside chat that interesting. Previous years have been much more aligned with the general vibe of the room. Richard is so far removed from me, my life, my aspirations and my goals that I struggled to resonate with anything he was saying however there is no getting away from the fact he is successful and seems to be a genuine guy.

I did have 2 takeaways from his chat however. The first was something along the lines of 'If you are not making mistakes you are not pushing the boundaries enough, but make them small mistakes and don't make them twice'. Whilst we don't always know that mistakes are going to be big in advance, the general advice is good, and he is also keen to help others not make mistakes with a new book he has coming out soon around 8 Secrets To Building a £billion business. I won't be buying it as I just don't think it is for me but if you are interested then keep an eye out!

The second was that whilst we all have a 'to do' list we should also have  'not to do' lists. This is similar to advice I took from the book Profit First by Mike Michalowicz years ago and it has always stuck with me. If something is not aligned with your longer term plan you shouldn't be doing it. For example my product business is around dog products, (The Dog and I if you are interested,) and I make white label balms and salves for dogs. Therefore if someone asked me for lip balms, the answer would be no. It isn't what I do and isn't what I want to be known for. To plan, make and label them as a one off would not be a good use of my time. 

I have a ton of other notes from the day but they are more about the tech side of running a business and this is not the place. 

Overall, it was a fantastic day and if entering for SBS has been on your radar I would highly recommend it. In the meantime I would love to know if any of these takeaways have resonated with you.