The Dragon's seal of approval

Thursday 07 March 2024

A small business in Guernsey has received a boost from retail entrepreneur and former Dragons Den star Theo Paphitis through his 'Small Business Sunday' initiative.

The businessman chooses six small firms to highlight to his 500,000+ followers on X (Twitter) and Instagram each week.

Adelaide Edwards, owner of The WorkStation – Virtual Assistant Services, tweeted him and was thrilled to be selected.

“I’ve only been in business a couple of months. I am still in shock at being selected, a great achievement! Such a wonderful opportunity for my small business,” said Ms Edwards.

“My mission is to help businesses in both the Channel Islands and UK thrive through assisting them with secretarial support services.”

As a result of Theo’s retweet, The WorkStation has received more than 100 new followers and a spike in interest. Ms Edwards has also been profiled on the #SBS website that is exclusive to all Small Business Sunday winners.

“It’s so important to help businesses who are overwhelmed with administrative tasks to strike a balance," she said. "To offer them the opportunity to focus on core tasks and support their business growth journey. Hopefully allowing them to enjoy some down time too.”

“It is great to have support from Theo because it’s been tough trying to raise my profile and Theo has recognised my hard work and help spread the word about what I do to his following.”

The weekly initiative, set up by Theo in 2010, now has over 3,500 #SBS winners and supports small businesses in the UK.

“We are thrilled to welcome new #SBS members every week and highlight just how important it is to support our small businesses here in the UK," he said.

"My vision is that everyone who has ever won an #SBS re-tweet from me becomes part of a friendly club, like-minded individuals who can share successes and learnings. The website will also give a valuable profile to the winners chosen and I wish The WorkStation every success.”