Ex Dragons’ Den investor Theo Paphitis talks building an empire and supporting small businesses

Most small business owners are familiar with Theo Paphitis, perhaps best known for his stint as an investor on Dragons’ Den. The owner and chairman of high street brands Ryman, Robert Dyas and Boux Avenue has been championing small businesses through Small Business Sunday since 2010, with over 3,500 members across the network. 

 

But what many don’t know is that Theo left school at the age of 16 with no qualifications after struggling with dyslexia, and began his career as a filing clerk in a Lloyds of London brokerage. He quickly discovered his passion for retail, setting up his first company aged 23 and the rest, as they say, is history.

 

In 2015, he launched the Theo Paphitis Retail Group, comprising over 300 stores and 4,000 employees serving millions of customers every year. Alongside his retail empire, Theo followed his passion for sport, standing as chairman of Millwall FC for eight years as well as Director of the Football League. He later founded the Theo Paphitis Charitable Trust which assists smaller charities which have difficulty obtaining funds, such as those helping children or providing palliative care. 

 

Now, Theo is often seen on current affairs and news shows such as BBC Question Time, commenting on retail, politics, the economy and anything in between. He also shares his experiences as a dyslexic entrepreneur, helping to raise awareness and reduce stigma.

 

We’re delighted to be joined by Theo on this episode of DRIVE, where he talks about his journey from growing up in Limassol, Cyprus with dyslexia, developing ‘hacks’ to get around the challenges it presented, to growing his first business and what he learned about investing from the first season of Dragons’ Den.

 

You can find out more about Theo and Small Business Sunday on his website: https://www.theopaphitis.com/ 

 

Or connect with him on social media: 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheoPaphitis 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theopaphitis 

 

Watch other DRIVE episodes on YouTube: 

 

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyUFgMZDhrse-LwUGBV5GKKBtb-0tMHMb 

 

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