Meeting Theo Paphitis at the SBS meeting in Edgbaston

On Friday - yesterday in fact, I left my house at 7.30am to drive to a little place near Peterborough to cadge a very turbo charged lift from Ms Lush of @whoatemycrayons fame and her chauffeur in the shape of husband Paul. Many thanks to both of you for saving me probably 4 hours extra driving and the stress of getting lost in Birmingham, which I suspect would be easily done. 

We arrived at Edgbaston to see a gleaming almost surreal silver car - that could only belong to the person we and about 300 other #sbs winners were there to listen to and finally meet! Theo kindly hand signed all our certificates and posed with each of us individually. I don't suppose he thought when he started out in business that he'd end up having to be a part time model!

As anyone reading this blog will know I am quite keen on Twitter and one of the loveliest aspects - apart from meeting MrP - was seeing Twittering friends again or for the first time.

                                    photo courtesy of Becky and Jeff Peabody

Here are two of my favourite tweeters that I'd met before - Becky @dotsandspotsbiz and Heidi in red @GiddyKipperUk . (I'm the one in my favourite yellow cardigan and Amy who I met yesterday from @chambersandbeau is on the far right).

Theo spoke for a few hours gently fueled by beers and was really entertaining as well as inspiring. It is clear that it gives him great pleasure to help and encourage us all and there was an interesting Q+A session through which many good ideas for the future development of the small business Sunday were discussed. A new website has been designed to promote and support any winners past, present and future all has been designed by Chris Wheeler (@metalfrogstreet and his team in Norwich - very near me!)

This is just half of the audience! that's the top of my head there and the woman in the red jacket is Jo Jenner @3blondebears and the woman on the left in the orange one is @LizaJdesign Liza Cole. Jo gave me and a few fellow tweeters a lovely present of one of her screen printed bags and a chocolate rabbit lolly - what a treat! Thanks Jo.. and that wasn't the end of it. The event was sponsored by Rymans and we all have been given a little money to spend on our office essentials when we open an account and came away with these goodies:

                                      

Thank you Theo - a day very well spent.