Recently there was a lot of excitement on Twitter because the organiser of Small Business Sunday, Theo Paphitis, the well known Dragon’s Den businessman, was arranging a Winners’ Event where all of the Small Business Sunday winners would get a chance to meet each other. What is Small Business Sunday? It’s a competition for small businesses on Twitter: every Sunday between 5.00pm and 7.30pm, small businesses are encouraged to tweet @TheoPaphitis a mini-pitch for their business including the hashtag #SBS. He usually picks six a week to retweet and it’s great news for any small business which wins.

I won Small Business Sunday on May 15th 2011 and was thrilled with the results: a doubling of traffic to my website and a five-fold increase in traffic to my blog. It’s a wonderful leg-up for any small business and what’s great about Theo is that he encourages a lot of green and eco businesses, like mine, by retweeting them on Small Business Sunday.

I was very excited to get my invitation to go to Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham. There was a great atmosphere there and I had the chance to meet a lot of people I usually only chat with on Twitter. It was great to meet up in real life and get to know each other, and I’ve made lots of new contacts as well as getting a chance to have my photo taken with Theo! He gave a very funny speech which covered a lot of topics, I was particularly interested when he talked about some green issues at one point (he has worked with the Carbon Trust in the past and seems to be quite interested in the environment). Talking about our relationship with the environment he said that we need to look after it like we look after our bodies, instead of abusing it. He also talked about the need for green businesses to be realistic about their products, just being green alone is not enough, people have to love their products and want them. I’ve always believed the same thing as I don’t think most people will buy green purely on ethical grounds: they have to love the product as well as understanding why it was made that way.

The new website for Small Business Sunday was unveiled: it’s a great website where we can network with each other and present ourselves in a positive way to press and others wanting to know more about Small Business Sunday. All in all, I was impressed by all the effort and thought that had gone into this event and into creating Small Business Sunday itself: it’s great that a successful business person like Theo Paphitis has decided to offer a helping hand to the small business community.

Theo Paphitis awards Tabitha Potts of Mimimyne her Small Business Sunday certificate

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I was thrilled to find out that I’ve been nominated for the Virtual Business of the Year Awards. This is an exciting award run by People Per Hour to reward virtual businesses like mine and I would LOVE your vote! Please visit my page and vote for me if you would like to support green businesses like Mimimyne!

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I just wanted to share with you the exciting news that Mimimyne has reached the finals for three national awards! On Wednesday 11th August I will find out where I have reached in the Finals for the Make Your Mark in the Markets Awards run by Enterprise UK.

I have also just found out that I made it to the Finals in the Babyworld Parentpreneur Category in the 2010 Remote Worker Awards run by Paula Wynne. The awards ceremony for this is at the Grand Connaught Rooms, 61-65 Great Queen Street, London, WC2B 5DA on the 1st September and I will also have a stand giving away some Mimimyne Smartbags at the event.

Finally, I’ve also been shortlisted for The Best Online Business Award, sponsored by Create.net, at The Mumpreneur Awards 2010. There were 302 entrants for this so I am very pleased to have made it through to the final 6. The Awards ceremony is at the Mumpreneur Conference 2010 on September the 18th.

Nominated in Best Online Business Category for Mumpreneur Awards

It’s a massive recognition for the business and a huge confidence booster for me to have got this far. I started Mimimyne only two years ago and have run it single handedly most of that time. There’s no denying that it’s been tough at times, so it’s wonderful to have this recognition. I hope the facts that I always put my customers first, have a fantastic range of designers working with me and have worked hard to create an ethical business that also celebrates great design for children will help me to win one of these awards!

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Tabitha Potts with some products from Mimimyne

By Louise Hale

21 June 2010

A budding entrepreneur is flying the flag for Stepney after securing her place in a national competition that rewards brilliant business ideas with free trading space at local markets.

Tabitha Potts, 39, was shortlisted to the semi-finals after her business www.mimimyne.com – an ethical online store for families who want to grow up green, wowed the judges.

Tabitha noticed a lack of online stores selling eco-friendly organic baby clothes so decided to set up her own.

Now she has won ten days free trading at Old Spitalfields Market as part of the competition Make Your Mark in the Markets, in which she was one of 71 shortlisted traders in the UK.

“This competition is a fantastic opportunity for me and the business, and could help propel it to the next level,” she said.

Tabitha’s success puts her in with a chance of winning the overall prize of six months’ free trading, and the support needed to set up their business.

During trading, she will be visited by the competition judges who will assess all aspects of the business.

Eric Graham, manager for Old Spitalfields Market, said: “Tabitha demonstrated that she has what it takes to turn an idea into reality.”

With the help and support from East London Small Business Centre, Tabitha won a start-up loan from Deutsche Bank to build her website.

Mimimyne has also been nominated for several business awards, including the Thames Gateway Business Awards, the Archant Enviromental Award 2009 and Women on their Way 2010 and will soon feature as a British Library Business and IP Centre success story.

Read the article in East End Life

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PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (20th of February 2010)

TABITHA POTTS OF MIMIMYNE SHORTLISTED AS A LEADING WOMAN IN HER FIELD

Although women-owned businesses are on the increase there still aren’t enough female role models, is the claim of the leading women’s organisation, Women on Their Way.

Most people still think that the majority of businesses are run by men due to the stereotypical images that we see all around us. That’s why Tabitha Potts is delighted to be short-listed for the prestigious National Women on Their Way Awards 2010 in the Online Business Award category.

Women are equally qualified to run businesses as men but also need more opportunities to connect and do business together.

The competition this year has been particularly tough so it’s a huge honour for Tabitha Potts to be short-listed. Tabitha is a mother of two very interested in the environment and good design. When she started looking online for products for her children and realised that there were not many websites aimed at families which combined a strong design ethos and environmental awareness, she came up with the idea of creating an online shop to do just that. She started her company Mimimyne, showcasing the best in UK and European eco design for kids, in September 2008, and it has been expanding its range and developing a loyal customer base ever since. Tabitha has run the business single-handed while caring full-time for her two sons (aged 7 and 5) and doing a part time job alongside it.

Since her company started trading, Tabitha has been a Runner-up for the Mum-Entrepreneur of the Year 2009 and a Finalist in the Archant Environmental Awards and the Thames Business Gateway Awards. She has been featured in the Daily Express and the Sunday Times Business section as well as in various well-regarded design blogs. She has presented a session on selling online at the Everywoman conference (www.everywoman.com) and also runs a regular ‘Mumpreneurs Meetup’ for fellow entrepreneurs in East London which is sponsored by BT Tradespace. One of the products she helps to promote, the Splat Chair by Spinifex, has been exhibited in the V&A Museum of Childhood!

There are four short-listed candidates for each award and the winner will be announced on Friday 19th March at the Women on Their Way Annual Awards Lunch taking place at Aston Villa Football Club, Birmingham from 11.00 to 15.00.

The awards event is in its second year and aims to connect women through the UK, to inspire and to increase their self belief.

The Women on Their Way Awards is the brainchild of former Apprentice Candidate Jo Cameron and her Co-Director Lisa Ibbotson.

Jo Cameron added “we are delighted that Tabitha Potts has been shortlisted. There are so many amazing women in the UK who don’t always recognise the impact they have made and it is my absolute privilege to be inspired by so many incredible women. We are very much looking forward to announcing the winners in a few weeks time”

This year the judges include Gill Fielding and Caroline Marsh of TV’s Secret Millionaire and other esteemed women from both the public and private sectors. They will be judging the shortlisted candidates over the coming weeks.

There are twelve awards this year including Start Up and High Growth Businesses, Online Business, Woman in Finance, Law, Transportation, Construction/Engineering, Woman in The Community, Public office, The outstanding contribution to Women’s Learning and Development, Young Woman in Business, Outstanding New Product and Woman’s Advocate. This year the coveted prize for the overall Woman on her Way is a weekend away for two included flights and accommodation to Milan.

Tickets are priced £65+VAT each or £600 +VAT for a table of ten places. With up to 500 guests it provides opportunities for networking and to meet other leading and aspiring women.

Last year’s winner of the Legal Award, Laura Kearesley added ““I was thrilled to win the Women in Law award last year; it was a real honour. It was a fabulous day, where I made some really good contacts. Since winning the award and the subsequent publicity I have also been approached by other potential business partners, so it has been really positive for me personally and for business!”

- ENDS -

Press Contact for Tabitha Potts/Mimimyne

Tabitha Potts, Director (Me Me Mine Ltd trading as Mimimyne)
Phone 0208 133 0961
Twitter @mimimyne
Skype tabithapotts
Email tabitha@mimimyne.com
Web www.mimimyne.com

For more information on the Women on Their Way Awards please contact Women on Their Way press office + 44 (0) 870 2626 555 or email talkto@womenontheirway.co.uk or call Lisa Ibbotson on Tel: 07968 368630 email lisa@womenontheirway.co.uk

Photo of Tabitha Potts courtesy of Ian Billinghurst

Photo of Tabitha Potts courtesy of Ian Billinghurst

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Paula Wynne, Tabitha Potts and Carol Savage at the Everywoman Conference

The Everywoman Conference was a very inspiring day for me. I was speaking on a panel, “Build Your Online Presence for Business Success” with two entrepreneurs I really admire, Paula Wynne of Remote Employment, Carol Savage of MyDish. Judith Lewis of i-Level was the panel moderator.

Paula Wynne talked about her business Remote Employment, which helps remote workers find jobs, how it is important for businesses to ‘punch above their weight’ (making sure your website is professional and attractive, for example) and making sure your search engine optimisation works right from the start. She also talked about how important it is to work hard at PR.

Carol Savage gave a fantastic account of the tough time she had facing the Dragon’s Den with her MyDish concept (helping people share recipes with each other) but showed how it was worth it in terms of publicity and increased visits to her site. I am planning to get on it straight away and share some of our family recipes: I’m lucky enough to have some of my mother’s already printed in her Pauper’s Cookbook but as most of my family are good cooks there are lots of family standbys I’d like to share with others.

Judith gave a very useful analysis of how important it is to build a good online presence on the web, pointing out that if you don’t put yourself on the web, someone else will, and talked of the importance of monitoring what other people say about you online. My talk was about how I have built up a presence online using Twitter, BTTradespace and Facebook and I mentioned some of the tools I have used to make it easier and quicker.

We also listened to some great talks, including Allegra McEvedy’s sometimes hilarious story of her life and adventures as a chef. Her main points were that you should build a great team, that hard times define you, that respect is important (never treat people badly) and that you should enjoy what you do. There were also some fascinating panel discussions and workshops, I didn’t have time to attend everything but all-in-all it was a very enjoyable and thought-provoking day. I will be back next year!

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The National everywoman Conference 2009
Wednesday, 18th November 2009

Business success comes from creating winning ideas, learning new techniques, sharing experiences and making them work for you. Join us on Wednesday 18th November at this year’s National Everywoman Conference and you will be giving yourself the space and time to do just that.

You will hear winning ideas from inspirational speakers, as well as attend Masterclasses that will teach you how to be a more creative thinker, work on your leadership style and plans to promote your business and raise your online profile. And of course you will be able to network and share ideas with over 300 like-minded business owners. If you’re a woman running or interested in running your own business, you can’t afford to miss this! I will be presenting on the topic of online networking and marketing, can’t wait…

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Last year I was asked to be a guest speaker at the launch of a Leicestershire-based charity, Giving World Online, who put businesses in the UK in touch with charities who can take their unwanted business surplus stock or equipment and redistribute it to those in need. The charity has been a fantastic success and the founders Rama and Sujata have just been given the Leicestershire Woman in the Community Award at the Leicestershire Women of Achievement Awards 2009 – well done Rama and Sujata! It was great to meet everyone and I was thrilled to be able to speak there and talk about how businesses can be more ethical in the products they well and how recycling can keep business waste out of landfill. It’s the first time I’ve spoken in front of so many people so I was a bit wobbly at first, but hopefully this video will interest you if you want to know about green business, or recycling!

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