Theo Paphitis: 'Shopkeeper' & star of Dragons' Den

Whether you know him from the BBC series Dragons’ Den, his Small
Business Sunday Campaign or elsewhere, Theo Paphitis is one of
the most well-known business figures in the UK. In this edition
of Business Leader Insight, brought to you by Arbuthnot Latham,
you will get to know Theo’s rise through business, what drives
him and much more.


Theo is known for his many appearances on television, including
being a regular on the BBC’s Dragons’ Den, Theo’s Adventure
Capitalists, Britain’s Next Big Thing, Back to the Floor and The
One Show, and as a regular media commentator on current affairs
news programmes such as Question Time.


In 2010, small business champion Theo launched Small Business
Sunday from his kitchen table on Twitter to help small
businesses. This now has over 3,000 #SBS winners in the network,
a free annual event and an expansive business network. He is
passionate about creating and supporting entrepreneurs and
encouraging startups across the UK.


Here's a breakdown of what we discussed in the
interview:


• I understand you struggled at school and may not have found the
teachers you had very inspiring. What would you like to go and
say to those you were at school with if you could? (0:48)


• You started in business at 15 – can you tell us about why you
wanted to do this? And if you wouldn’t have been a successful
businessman what do you feel you would have been? (6:14)


• Do you think those early experiences toughened you up for the
world of business? (8:03)


• Let’s talk about your time at Millwall FC. Why didn’t you
continue with another club or in the game? (8:56)


• Is running a football club very different to running a business
and did you learn any lessons that transferred over to your
business career? (10:49)


• I’d like to now get your insight into what different
ingredients and thinking is needed to grow a £1m business
compared to a billion pound one. And why don’t more people think
in these terms? (12:20)


• In the UK, it tends to be common for business leaders to exit
quickly which means we haven’t produced a Facebook, Tesla,
Twitter, Amazon or BMW for example. Some may say that’s a good
thing, but do you have any thoughts about why Americans mainly,
are more inclined to think in terms of building empires? (13:32)


• Moving onto your role on Dragons’ Den – have you ever invested
in somebody you just liked – they may not have had all the number
right but you just thought I like this person. Or does it always
have to be against a formula? (14:32)


• What should our viewers looking for investment be aware of in
regards to best practice when pitching? (15:33)


• Moving onto the economy, you know retail inside out. How do you
see it changing and how will it come back stronger from the
pandemic? (18:36)


• Do you think other countries will try to leave the European
Union now that the UK has? (22:57)


• What keeps you up at night – what are you scared of and this
could be external political factors, threats to the business
world or something more personal? (26:26)


• For those who aren’t aware of Small Business Sunday (#SBS),
could you tell us what it is and how it started? (30:03)


• What is one fact about you that we can’t find online? (32:35)


• A final word from Theo (33:53)


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