Theo Paphitis and Katie Piper show how ‘Resilience Rocks’ for Business Owners
Last Friday, TV Dragon and retail entrepreneur Theo Paphitis hosted his annual #SBS Small Business Sunday event for UK entrepreneurs across the country. Chiltern Relocation attended the 13th annual event as a previous winner and every year we enjoy this opportunity to meet other business owners, listen to esteemed speakers and keep up to date with the latest business trends.
With only 1% of companies entering the competition being successful, Chiltern Relocation was thrilled to be recognised by Theo Paphitis in 2018. To be in with a chance of winning, businesses are required to prepare a short-written business pitch, explaining why their business deserves to win, and send it via social media between set hours on a Sunday evening. Theo Paphitis reviews the posts and welcomes six of his favourite submissions to the business family known as #SBS.
Katie Piper Speaks Out About her Incredible Business Journey
For the first time the event had an official theme: ‘Resilience Rocks!’ celebrating the determination, adaptability and spirit that unites the UK’s small business community. No one could embody this theme more than acid attack survivor Katie Piper.
Talking to Theo about her journey, Katie was a true inspiration to those overcoming obstacles in life. Her engaging and inspirational story was spoken from the heart as she explained how she set up the Katie Piper Foundation for burns victims, with very little business knowledge – joking that there was no Chat GPT in those days when she was asked to produce a business plan. She encouraged the audience to show how resilience can help to overcome many barriers and that there is always a way forward. Listening to Katie’s story was the highlight of the event and truly inspirational.
The Power of #SBS Winners
With over 1000 business owners in attendance the event is a great opportunity to network, attend workshops and get free advice and support from many of the business partners.
Theo spoke proudly of #SBS being in its 16th year and going from strength to strength. Theo has an excellent eye for a winner with 70% of the businesses still going strong after 4 years and 60% growing their turnover in 2025. The event provides an excellent networking opportunity with 40% of winners collaborating with other #SBS winners.
As Theo remarked: “#SBS Small Business Sunday is about more than recognition – it’s about belief: belief in ideas, entrepreneurs and the power of community. Our network now includes more than 4,500 members, and none of it would be possible without our incredible partners who share that belief and champion businesses every step of the way. For 15 years, #SBS has given entrepreneurs a platform to celebrate and grow. When you back small businesses, you’re backing people, families and futures.”
Why Chiltern Relocation returns every year
Chiltern Relocation has attended every event since winning the coveted #SBS recognition in 2018. It is an invaluable opportunity to connect with other like-minded business owners and learn from their experiences, in addition to telling our story. Chiltern Relocation started from a kitchen table 20 years ago when Sharon identified a gap in the market for a bespoke service for buyers. Since then, the business has gone from strength to strength winning numerous awards along the way. Theo Paphitis’ endorsement of our success has been a fantastic boost and Chiltern Relocation appreciates all the business advice in addition to the retweets from #SBS community. When we started out social media hadn’t been born and now it is a major driver for all businesses. Chiltern Relocation has learnt an incredible amount over this period and love to keep learning thanks to inspirational events such as #SBS. Sharon recognises the importance of telling your business story and has shared her lessons learnt over the last 20 years to hopefully encourage and support others.
If you would like to find out more about Chiltern Relocation’s services then please get in touch. With over 20 years’ experience in sourcing property and unrivalled local knowledge, Chiltern Relocation can take on the stress of the home search and guide you through the all the steps to finding exactly what you are looking for.
For more information call 01494 672086 or email enquiries@chilternrelocation.com or visit www.chilternrelocation.com
