Happipup entrepreneur Sandra Emmons from Pangbourne wins SBS award from Dragon’s Den star Theo Pathitis

An entrepreneur from Pangbourne is celebrating after winning an award from former Dragon’s Den star and retail magnate Theo Paphitis.

Sandra Emmons met with Mr Pathitis at his annual Small Business Sunday (SBS) event at the ICC in Birmingham on Friday, February 21, after he chose her puppy and dog training business, Happipup, as one of his winners.

Sandra said: “To have Theo’s recognition is such a boost and I was over the moon to win.

“When I started Happipup I wanted to create a special ‘superstar community’ where dogs and their families are supported throughout their journey.

“Theo is a dog lover so I talked about this in my application.

“Only one per cent of applicants become part of his community and what’s even more incredible is that 80 per cent of those successful businesses are run by female entrepreneurs.”

SBS began in Mr Pathitis’ kitchen back in 2010 when he had an idea to give small businesses a boost by retweeting their social media pages to his followers.

Each week, he urges people to share the passion behind their businesses and chooses six winners to become part of his community which now has more than 4,000 members.

Mr Pathitis added: “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.

“My vision is that everyone who has ever won an #SBS retweet from me becomes part of a friendly club; like-minded individuals who can share successes and learnings.”